Una Horrible Pesadilla

Chuck Jones's 'Water, Water Every Hare' is significantly better than its truly dreadful title. Pitting Bugs against a bulbously headed green faced scientist and his furry orange, sneaker wearing monster (later dubbed Gossamer but here referred to as Rudolph), 'Water, Water Every Hare' features some breathtaking visuals in the opening minutes. His home beset by flooding, an oblivious, soundly-sleeping Bugs is washed away on his mattress. This sequence is glorious to behold with its flowing water and cascading waterfall. Ultimately, this watery subplot plays only a small part in the cartoon, making the dreadful title even more unforgivable. Most of the action takes place inside the castle. The most famous sequence is the hairdressing scene in which Bugs assumes the role of a camp beautician spouting a monologue about all the "inter-resting" monsters he's met (this is actually a rehash of a similar routine in the previous Gossamer cartoon 'Hair-Raising Hare'). Far more memorable, however, is the climactic chase scene in which Bugs and the green faced scientist are both under the influence of ether and bound across the screen in slow motion. It's an appropriately striking climax to a particularly handsome and dreamlike cartoon which proves to be inventive and entertaining in equal measures. A lesser talked-about classic, no less.

Classic Bugs Bunny short from the great Chuck Jones. Bugs' rabbit hole is flooded while he's sleeping and his bed is sent down river to the castle of a mad scientist modeled off of Boris Karloff (although the voice sounds more like Vincent Price). The scientist intends to take Bugs' brain and put it inside the mechanical man he's created. When Bugs wakes up and tries to escape, the scientist sics his big orange hairy monster on him. This monster is called Rudolph here but today we know him as Gossamer. Wonderful voice work from Mel Blanc and John T. Smith. Lovely music from Carl Stalling. The animation is beautiful with well-drawn characters and backgrounds. Love the mad scientist's lab and whatnots, including mummy sarcophagi he has lying around for some reason. Very funny short with some great gags and lines. Bugs does his "IN-teresting hairdresser" routine, which is always a treat. Definitely a short to seek out if you're a fan of Chuck Jones.

Bugs sleeps through a flood and is washed out of his Rabbit hole, down the river and floats by a spooky old castle. Unfortunately for him, said castle is the, not so subtle, residence of a mad scientist who needs a brain to put in his new robot. He chooses Bugs as that brain, but Bugs is having none of it.

His escape is made difficult by the unleashing of that big, orange furball thing. How cute is it really? Bugs pretends to be a camp hairdresser and fancy up Things hair. But uses sticks of TNT instead of curlers. Mere seconds later Thing has quit after Bugs shrinks him down to the size of a mouse using a magic potion.

After breaking a ether potion both Bugs and the Mad Scientist go on a trippy chase that results in Bugs falling asleep and being washed away in the river again. He wakes up in his hole believing it all to be a dream.

But the little Thing sez otherwise.

An above average Bugs cartoon with the always lovable Thing.

Sort of playing off of "Frankenstein", a Boris Karloff-resembling mad scientist sends a big, hairy monster after Bugs Bunny, whose brain he wants to give to a robot. Sure enough, Bugs isn't gonna take it lying down, especially since he can turn into a (seemingly gay) hair stylist, and then make himself invisible.

I gotta wonder how they came up with such hilarious, twisted stuff. But the point is: they did it. And they went all out here. I'm especially surprised that they were able to sneak in what could have been a reference to homosexuality (isn't it a stereotype that hair stylists and people like that have to be gay?). But whether or not he was supposed to be, the cartoon's still a hoot. I guess that even floods can have neat results!

Bugs Bunny is too sound a sleeper to notice that a sudden rainstorm has flooded his rabbit hole and sent his mattress, with him on it, floating downstream toward a castle with helpful neon signs that say "Evil Scientist" and "Boo." Said Evil Scientist needs a brain for his mechanical monster, and when he sees Bugs Bunny floating by, decides a rabbit's brain is as good as any other. Bugs Bunny awakens to the horror of reposing mummies, an Evil Scientist with a huge, green head and an enormous robot waiting for its brain. Bugs tries to escape, but the scientist sends Rudolph after him. Rudolph is an unlikely beast covered with orange fur; it wears sneakers, but why not? Who says monsters don't have sensitive feet? Bugs poses as a chatty hairdresser, uses vanishing fluid on himself, and pours reducing fluid on the beast to thwart him. But Bugs's only weapon against the Evil Scientist will be a broken bottle of ether. Will it be enough?

"Water, Water Every Hare" is an amusing short with excellent artwork. (Love that mechanical monster!) But it's not as funny or as well plotted as the earlier, and very similar, "Hair-Raising Hare," which also featured a castle, an evil scientist, the same furry orange beast (with a different name), a scene where Bugs narrowly escapes a trap door and a scene where Bugs poses as a chatty beautician.

Silent movie fans will recognize the ether gag, a standard for that era, jazzed up with sound effects and cartoon animation. Bugs Bunny fans will notice that the beast from "Hair-Raising" has changed its name from Gossamer to Rudolph. Finally, horror movie fans will think the scientist is a prescient creation. Supposedly he's meant to evoke Boris Karloff. But he sounds much more like Vincent Price, who had not quite become the horror icon that he is now. How did Chuck Jones and company know? That's even spookier than this spooky-funny film.