Lumber Jack-Rabbit

When this film was originally released, theater patrons were not handed those stupid cardboard glasses with blue and red cellophane lenses, that are used today. Instead we had to rent genuine Polaroid glasses. (This is the main reason 3-D went out of favor, simply because cinema patrons objected to paying the additional charge to rent the glasses).

I was one of the few that raised no ruckus at all. I loved 3-D. And one of my best 3-D experiences was "Lumber Jack Rabbit" in which Bugs encounters a giant Paul Bunyan and his equally over-sized mutt, Smidgin.

Inventively directed by Chuck Jones, with good jests, rapid cutting, and lots and lots of deepie effects (but not too much of simply throwing objects into the camera), "Lumber Jack Rabbit" (the title is misleading) is a real entertainment treat. Bugs himself is in fine fettle. Highly recommended.

Interesting Bugs Bunny short, directed by Chuck Jones, that's notable for being the first Warner Bros. cartoon produced in 3-D. The story for this one has Bugs finding Paul Bunyan's garden. Weird, I know, but bear with me. The vegetables in the garden are, like Bunyan, gigantic. So when Bugs finds giant carrots he thinks he's hit it rich. But then Bugs must contend with Bunyan's dog Smidgen (also a giant), who is in charge of watching over the garden. What follows are some funny lines and gags as Smidgen tries to chase Bugs away and save his master's carrots. The animation is really good and the 3-D trick shots are minimal so, even though the impact of those effects is diminished with normal viewing, it doesn't take you out of the cartoon enough to affect your enjoyment. It's a fun cartoon despite a somewhat abrupt ending. I'll give it points for being a little odd in a good way.

So I understand that "Lumber Jack-Rabbit" was the only Looney Tunes cartoon filmed in 3-D. Why didn't they film "Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2 Century" like that? But no matter what got filmed like that, the format unfortunately doesn't show up on TV. I guess that you just can't try to transpose anything from one format to another! No matter, I still thought that this was a funny cartoon, as Bugs Bunny stumbles onto Paul Bunyan's farm and has to contend with Bunyan's over-sized dog Smidgen. As always, despite being a tiny fraction of the size, Bugs somehow always has the upper hand.

So, this is far from the best cartoon that they ever produced. After "Duck Amuck" and "What's Opera, Doc?", I really expect a lot from Chuck Jones. But this one's OK in a pinch.

Chuck Jones truly put the characters into the shape and form they are today... I will say that it was a group effort with the animators at WB but the things he did and the characterisation he gave was flawless.

If only there was another Chuck Jones in todays animation studios, to revitalise the wb characters past the shells we see today.

The 3d effects are an afterthought in this cartoon, and so I think it's harsh to judge it based on that. The studio had shut down and everyone but friz had left, including Jones. This cartoon was left to be released, but as the 3d craze started, they had friz rework it in the format, so none of the effects were planned to be made thus suffering a lack of flexibility for creative use.

My favorite effects are the dog showing up on the horizon being a much more pronounced effect how large the dog is in 3d. Seeing bugs behind the dog's eyes in 3d space is another good use of the technique.

I can't fault them for the lack of profound effects, but having a closed studio it's amazing that such a gem of a bygone era on the big screen is so much more captivating than in the flat of television. These cartoons are for a theater audience and nothing shows that better than a whole room full of cartoon fans with their dorky 3d glasses on laughing as the moose comes to meet the call and a 50' dog, then turning tail and running.

If you ever get the chance to see this is the stereo projection it was designed for, don't miss!