Die Jagdsaison ist eröffnet

This is the first of Chuck Jones' famous "Hunting Trilogy". The premise of all three films (Rabbit Seasoning and Duck! Rabbit, Duck! being the other two) is that Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck try to persuade Elmer Fudd as to whether it's duck hunting season or rabbit hunting season. All three are classics, and all are very close to being a continuation of the previous one. Many stations wouldn't air these because of violence, and when Fox used to have a show called Merrie Melodies, they cut the scenes where Daffy Duck gets shot.

If I had to choose the best of the bunch, I pick this one because it has one of the funniest endings of any cartoon ever made.

The "Hunting Trilogy" of Rabbit Fire (1951), Rabbit Seasoning (1952), and Duck! Rabbit! Duck! (1953) should be considered the comedic high water mark of the Chuck Jones-Michael Maltese collaboration. While they are seldom mentioned in lists of the "greatest" or "most important" cartoons in the history of animation, they are certainly THE FUNNIEST cartoons I've ever seen. Michael Maltese never got the credit that directors like Jones, Freleng or Avery got, but it's his dialogue and situations that make Warner Bros. cartoons, and these three in particular, some of the FUNNIEST ever made.

In the first of a series of three, Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny argue over which one of them should be hunted and shot by the ever-gullible Elmer Fudd. Bugs is too smart to be outwitted by the reactionary and hyperactive Daffy. He keeps it cool and collected as Daffy screams his head off never knowing what he really IS saying. He even grabs Elmer's shotgun and screams 'Duck season! Fire!', resulting in his bill being blown off. It's the biggest laugh in the cartoon. And it's a laugh so good Joe Dante re-used it in Looney Tunes: Back in Action. Though at the end of this one, Elmer Fudd gets what he deserves and Bugs and Daffy get a little payback.

Followed by Rabbit Seasoning and Duck, Rabbit, Duck.

Daffy Rules!

. . . to utilize when teaching young tykes the basics of firearm safety. The character portrayed during RABBIT FIRE by Daffy Duck appears to be totally clueless concerning Making Peacemakers Safe Again 101. Daffy seldom if ever seems to know whether there's a bullet in the chamber of the shooting irons in his vicinity. While Bugs Bunny, the wily rabbit, seems to be slightly more adept than Daffy when it comes to avoiding self-inflicted bullet wounds, this certainly is not saying very much. As the original Cyclops noted, "In the land of the vision-impaired, the one-eyed giant can rise up to become King.

If you ask Looney Tunes fans, I predict the vote would be even with regards to which is better: this or "Rabbit Seasoning". My vote goes to this one but "Rabbit Seasoning" is also excellent. They compliment each other very well. The verbal interplay is great, the elephant bit is inspired as well as unexpected and the ending is very clever.