Bugs y las habichuelas

The humor and timing in this cartoon is all-over fantastic, but the highlight of this cartoon is the mere 20 or so seconds of Daffy Duck yelling at Bugs inside a giant glass. Of course, Daffy making the loudest noise possible while we hear none of it outside of the glass is great (the key to comedy IS silence!) The expressions of panic and exhaustion on Daffy's face while Bugs remains calm and expressionless is worth seeing this cartoon alone. In my top five Warner classic shorts.

This is a classic. As a child of the 1 1/2 hour "Bugs Bunny / Road-Runner Show" on Saturday mornings, I grew up with this humor and it has served me well. Even as a young adult studying law, students would mumble the line "He's Jack." when called upon by bewildered professors.

Moments to savor:

*the expression on Bugs' face as his head cranes back into his pillow when Daffy screams at him while in bed on the beanstalk.

*the entire scene with Bugs and Daffy under glass.

*the final chase and Bugs' ingenious solution to Elmer.

Great lines:

*"I'll guess I'll have to open up with a pair of Jacks."

*"He's Jack."

*"You could've stood up for your rights, you know? You milksop!"

Everyone knows that when a cartoon stars Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd, that it's going to be crazy. In "Beanstalk Bunny", Daffy (as Jack) trades a cow for some beans, which he promptly throws away. Immediately, the beans turn into a beanstalk and Daffy starts climbing it, only to discover that Bugs got caught in it. Obsessed with the "goodies" up above, Daffy kicks Bugs off and continues climbing, but Bugs quickly follows him up. Once they reach the sky, Elmer is the giant. When Bugs and Daffy each claim that the other is Jack, Elmer decides that he'll grind both their bones to make his bread. But Bugs manages to free himself and Daffy. Most of the rest of the cartoon is Elmer chasing the two of them through his castle.

This was probably the only time when Bugs and Daffy had to cooperate (sort of). As always, Daffy is greedy while Bugs is the rationalist, and at the end, we learn how to make a living in the giant's world. Maybe it's not the best Looney Tunes cartoon ever, but Chuck Jones, Mel Blanc and that whole creative team always were able to create something worthy. Fabulous.

Beanstalk Bunny is not an immediate favourite of mine, but I still love it and consider it a delightful twist on the Jack and the Beanstalk story. The animation is wonderful, colourful and lively, and the music is rousing and fun. The dialogue is typical Looney Tunes fashion, witty and constantly funny with enough to amuse even the fussiest child, and the gags are clever, especially the one with Daffy inside the watch. The characters are not quite themselves I agree, with Elmer a larger than life version of himself, but they have their likability still and have great chemistry together. Bugs and Daffy are brilliantly voiced by Mel Blanc and Arthur Q. Bryan is solid as Elmer. Overall, delightful, funny and works very well on re-watches. 10/10 Bethany Cox

The Looney Tunes version of 'Jack and the Beanstalk' with Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny climbing the beanstalk as Jack and Elmer Fudd as the giant is a great and very funny short. Especially the first half where Daffy and Bugs decide who is Jack and who Elmer must chase is hilarious.