Absonderliche Affenliebe

A female gorilla is depressed that she and her husband, Gruesome, haven't had a child. When Gruesome growls at her, she runs away crying and...you guessed it! She finds Bugs Bunny. When she takes him home, Gruesome decides to take Bugs for a walk, but then it turns out that the big guy wants to torment him. Naturally, Bugs has his own plans.

I think that my favorite scene was when Bugs shakes a coconut out of a tree, and it falls on Gruesome like a football helmet. No matter what, you can always count on that "scwewy wabbit" to do something great. Maybe it was Mel Blanc's voices or maybe it was something else (I would assume that it was the former), but those old Looney Tunes cartoons were always the best.

Bugs, floating in a barrel in the ocean but unperturbed by it all, washes ashore on "Bingzi- Bangzi - Land of the Ferocious Apes."

After some beautiful artwork showing the jungle, we come across some apes lying around reading books with titles such as "Apes Of Wrath" and "Our Vines Have Tender Apes." That's one feature I love with these Looney Tunes cartoons: the writers loved puns, as I do.

Like Moses in the brush, Bugs is picked up by a woman (in this case, gorilla) who is thrilled at the prospect of caring for a new "baby."

This cartoon, which is part of the Golden Collection Volume Two, shows Bugs' "soft spot," as he puts it: dames crying, so if the female thinks he's hers, well, to keep her from crying any more, Bugs "goes along with the gag." What ensues is mostly funny, from the sight gags - Bugs in a pink baby outfit, and then pretending to be an ape - to his battles with the father ape "Gruesome."

The only lame part was the ending. Actually, I enjoyed the fabulous artwork in here with amazing jungle drawings, best of all, along with the puns in the beginning.

Gorilla My Dreams (1948)

*** (out of 4)

A mama gorilla is ashamed of being the only one not to have a baby but when a shipwrecked Bugs Bunny shows up she decides to take him as her own. This doesn't sit too well with her cranky husband who wants to get rid of Bugs. This is a good entry in the series, although it's certainly not one of the best. The biggest problem I had with the movie is that it ends rather abruptly and the ending, while trying to be clever, doesn't really pull off the punch it was going for. There are still some nice moments between the mama and Bugs and the action between Bugs and the dad is fast and violent.

Bugs is adrift at sea in a barrel, reading a book and singing a song as though he hasn't got a care in the world. Unfortunately, he doesn't realise he's near an island in the ocean populated by ferocious gorillas, and when one of the childless female apes sees him floating by, she takes an instant shine to him being her baby.. despite the fact he has long ears and fluffy tale. How will her hubby cope with the news that he has a rabbit as a heir (ho ho)? You'll have to watch to find out.

This short has almost exactly the same plot as another BB cartoon (the name escapes me for now) but the execution is far weaker. Aside from a couple of pratfalls involving a coconut tree and a shovel there are hardly any jokes here at all, just a few aimless chases and a several uninspiring background gags (Like Tarzan crossing at the traffic lights). The question: If you're going to rework earlier material, why bother if you're just going to strip out the good stuff and replace it with dead air? I don't have a clue. But what I am sure of is, when this appears on my Looney Tunes DVD in the future.. my finger will be firmly be rested on the SKIP button. 4/10

While not the best of the Looney Tunes canon, Gorilla My Dreams is still a very entertaining cartoon I think. I agree the ending is rather abrupt and lame, and I cannot say I was a fan of the female gorilla, she doesn't do that much that is interesting.

However, the animation is solid and colourful, I especially loved how the jungle was animated. The music is lovely and has a lot of energy, Bugs's song at the beginning as he is sitting eating a carrot and reading a book in the boat is very amusing, especially for the lyrics. The dialogue is witty and funny, Bugs of course gets the best lines and does a lot with them, while the sight gags are good. Bugs of course is great fun, while the male gorilla was a decent foil, gruff he was but I think he was meant to be. Mel Blanc does a wonderful job yet again with the voices.

Overall, an entertaining cartoon while not the best. 8/10 Bethany Cox