Love animation, it was a big part of my life as a child, particularly Disney, Looney Tunes, Hanna and Barbera and Tom and Jerry, and still love it whether it's film, television or cartoons. Actually appreciate it even more now through young adult eyes, thanks to broader knowledge and more interest in animation styles and various studios and directors.
Chuck Jones deserved, and still does deserve, his status as one of animation's most legendary, greatest and most important directors/animators. He may have lacked the outrageousness and wild wackiness of Bob Clampett and Tex Avery, but the visual imagination, wit and what he did with some of the best-known and most iconic characters ever were just as special. 'Elmer's Pet Rabbit' is not one of his best representations, it's a decent, fun and above average cartoon certainly though with some unusual oddities.
With the slower and not as lively pace as to usual, there is a deceptive sense that Jones was still finding his feet when actually he did a lot of cartoons before 'Elmer's Pet Rabbit' and in some of his previous efforts there wasn't as much of that sense.
'Elmer's Pet Rabbit' features the legendary pairing of Bugs and Elmer and one can see definitely what was so great about the pairing. It is very witty and fun. Elmer does fare better of the two characters, but while Bugs is entertaining and likeable he does sound and act like he was still evolving, which is strange considering this is not even his debut and the look, voice and personality were better established then.
Arthur Q. Bryan does a great job voicing Elmer. Mel Blanc surprisingly is more troubling, he was a master of voice acting and Bugs is one of his best achievements but here it sounded like he was experimenting because his voice work for Bugs is distractingly odd and like others here it doesn't do it for me.
The animation is as always bright and colourful, with lots of smooth movement, imaginative detail in the gags and rich and meticulous detail in the backgrounds. Carl Stalling's music score is as ever high in energy, liveliness, character, lushness and whimsy, and not only is dynamic and fits effortlessly with the action but enhances everything.
What's more, 'Elmer's Pet Rabbit' is entertaining, with some wild looniness, wit (if not always razor sharp) and sardonic bite shining enough in the dialogue. Plus there are some beautifully timed and animated and imaginative sight gags, that contain enough surprises.
In summary, decent but not the best of representations of Jones, Elmer and Bugs paired together (it would become even wittier and funnier later) and Bugs. 7/10 Bethany Cox
