El Gran Científico

No need to tell you the plot, others have done that wonderfully, but I should mention that this was made at the beginning of the Cold War, and Bugs was (and is) the perfect realization of every American- saucy, inventive, alone, and a little bit selfish- so watching him deal with the Peter Lorre character is great fun. Animated with such pizazz and humor that you'll be astonished, Chuck Jones is indeed a treasure and a joy. One of the best Bugs Bunny's ever made!.

Chuck Jones's 'Hair-Raising Hare' pits Bugs Bunny against a genuinely disturbing Peter Lorre scientist caricature and his huge orange monster. The monster (later named Gossamer and also featured in Jones' luscious sequel to this short, 'Water, Water Every Hare' under the name Rudolph) is an extremely memorable villain who, despite his size, never poses much real threat to Bugs once he turns on his heckling. Although it is not as visually luscious as 'Water, Water Every Hare', Tedd Pierce has turned in a great script which includes some viciously amusing eye-poking, a priceless scene involving a suit of armour and the best "What's up, Doc" joke you'll ever hear. Bugs' wisecracks are top drawer ("Don't go up there, it's dark") and the high energy level is kept up throughout. It's also the only cartoon in which you'll get to hear Gossamer speak. All in all, then, 'Hair-Raising Hare' is a blast and makes a cracking double bill with its less gag-driven sequel.

"Peter Lorre" playing an "evil scientist" (that's what it says in neon lights on his hilltop castle!) who has invented a mechanical "rabbit lure" sets out the diabolical hare on Bugs Bunny. The mechanical lure - a beautiful female - quickly lures Bugs to the castle. Bugs grabs her, kisses her madly on the hand and arm, and the machine literally starts spinning and falls apart.

"That's the trouble with some dames," says Bugs. "Kiss them and they fly apart."

Bugs attempts to leave but the scientist won't let him and wants to introduce him to his other "friend." Bugs tries to escape but can't, and then this big furry monster comes out and chases our hero all over the castle. They stop here and there as Bugs pretends to be a lampshade, pretends to be a manicurist (and does the monster's nails with a hilarious impression of a manicurist), pretends to be a painting on the wall and assorted other bizarre things....all making it a very entertaining cartoon.

The ending of this was really clever with Bugs talking to the audience in the movie theater!

There are so many reasons why I loved this cartoon. One significant reason is the characters, I loved all of them. Bugs is great here, he is drawn well and he has some great lines, but this is one instance when he is overshadowed by not one but two characters. One is the monster who looks very like the one in Water Water Every Hare, he is scary at first, but he is very fuzzy and cute as well. The other is the scientist, he looks and acts exactly like Peter Lorre, and he is priceless, his looks, his voice, everything. I also loved the animation, it isn't the very best looking of all the Looney Tunes cartoons, but the opening sequence is suitably atmospheric and there are some nice backgrounds, lovely simple colours and crisp character features. The music is great too, I always look for this and I wasn't disappointed, it had some haunting moments but it was also fun. The dialogue is inspired and really funny, the story is well constructed, the visual gags are just as funny as the dialogue and the pacing is fine. Oh, and Mel Blanc's vocals are superb. Overall, a wonderful Looney Tunes cartoon. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Bugs finds himself in a laboratory where Peter Lorre is housing a monster. The monster isn't all that frightening and bugs sort of has him for lunch. There are continuous chase scenes and typical schtick. Nothing new to this, but, then, Bugs is Bugs. This episode has him yelling, "Is there a doctor in the house" with predictable results.