To Hare Is Human

Sort of a sequel to "Operation: Rabbit", Chuck Jones's "To Hare Is Human" once again has an eloquent Wile E. Coyote trying to trap Bugs Bunny. Needless to say, Bugs always avoids harm, and WEC gets harmed in the process. But even more than that is how this cartoon represents what the baby boom generation grew up with. Bugs vacuums his rabbit hole with his ears tied up like a 1950s housewife, and he even owns a womb chair! Imagine that: Bugs Bunny as Laura Petrie (Mary Tyler Moore's character on "The Dick Van Dyke Show")! Not to mention that the Univac sounds like a 1950s product, and looks like an early computer.

But maybe I'm reading too far into the cartoon. It was probably intended as pure entertainment, and it entertains. Worth seeing.

This is one of the three (I think) cartoons in which our buddy, Wile E. Coyote, goes after Bugs Bunny instead of the Road Runner. Either way, you know it's going to be fun to watch. Audio-wise, however, I can never put this proper-Old English Gentleman voice and dialog together with Wile. It just doesn't match.

As in one of the other ones I watched, Wile hands Bugs his card. This one is a little fancier and reads, "Wile E. Coyote - Genius; Have Brain, Will Travel. (For those too young, a popular western TV show at the time was called "Have Gun, Will Travel.")

Another sign of the cartoon date is the "Univac" in Wile's cave. That big machine is actually a computer and they were giant things that only rich corporations could afford. The days of personal computers were still a few decades away.

I enjoyed Bugs' lair in this cartoon, and is remedies for getting rid of the coyote, he can he showed up, which he did several times, of course. Wile might have had all the latest technology but we know which of the two characters had the real brains.

In 'To Hare Is Human' we see a talking Wile E. Coyote trying to catch Bugs Bunny (both with the voice of Mel Blanc). The Coyote uses an elevator to go down in the rabbits hole, is actually able to catch Bugs but then he spoils it by explaining to Bugs who he is: Wile E. Coyote, Genius. After this Coyote invents a Univac Electric Brain that must help him to catch Bugs, but of course things do not go as planned.

This is a nice cartoon. I like the talking Coyote although his silent one, from the Road Runner cartoons, is probably more fun. There are some good gags here. Especially the one where the Coyote asks his machine what to do next and the machine sends him to the real purpose of the Coyote in every cartoon is a great one. Recommended.

The story is a little on the predictable side, and the title is rather curious, but To Hare is Human is otherwise very enjoyable. The animation is colourful and vibrant enough, and the music is energetic and rousing. Also excellent are the witty dialogue, some truly clever sight gags and some fast pacing. And I loved Bugs and Coyote together, don't get me wrong I do like the roadrunner vs. Coyote cartoons, but the cartoons with Bugs vs. Coyote are wittier and much more manic. Coyote is still as crafty as ever, yet is always the one who gets the worst of the joke(don't worry, for anyone who is tired of Coyote of falling down a cliff, it doesn't happen here), while Bugs is just as witty, rascally and charming as ever. Both characters are brilliantly voiced by the immortal Mel Blanc. Overall, very enjoyable to watch. 8/10 Bethany Cox

As another reviewer mentioned, "To Hare is Human" is a curious title. We have two characters, and neither of them is human. I must have seen Operation Rabbit at least a hundred times, over the years. I don't remember ever seeing To Hare is Human, or even being aware that was more than one cartoon with Bugs Bunny and the Coyote together. That's not hard to understand. The latter cartoon is part of a Bugs Bunny compilation DVD. It's definitely a curio, but not nearly on par with Operation Rabbit. Very routine hijinks, ultimately underwhelming. The beginning of the cartoon features what might have been some kind of goof. The Coyote introduces himself to Bugs Bunny, almost identically to the scene in Operation Rabbit. The first cartoon came four years earlier, but these two characters had already met. Overall, a mediocre cartoon. Nothing happens that you're likely to remember for longer than a minute.