Conejo Adoptivo

Growing up a fan of the classic horror movie monsters, I always enjoyed seeing the Looney Tunes shorts with a horror theme. Whether it was Frankenstein or Dracula or a witch or whatever, it was something I got a kick out of (and still do, really). Here we have a kindly old doctor bringing Bugs home to be his new pet, an arrangement Bugs is surprisingly happy with. The doctor turns out to be Dr. Jekyll, who drinks a potion and turns into the horrible Mr. Hyde. What follows is Bugs trying to escape the monstrous Hyde, while also protecting Jekyll because he doesn't realize they are one and the same. The animation is beautiful. Love the colors and the backgrounds are very nice. Excellent voice work from Mel Blanc. Carl Stalling's music is energetic and fun. It's a funny cartoon with a cool ending and one of my favorite bits of random business in any Bugs short: Bugs doing a bizarre Liberace impression ("I wish my brother George was here.").

On this day of Halloween, I thought I'd watch this Bugs Bunny cartoon in which he encounters Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Jekyll is the timid man who often feeds Bugs carrots when he attends the local park. The bunny stops doing his cute routine to propose he take him as a pet, which Jekyll obliges. At his residence, he reluctantly takes a potion and...well, you can guess from there if you're familiar with the story. Pretty amusing with the ending quite the topper though perhaps not as hilarious as one hopes it would be. It's still entertaining enough and the transformation designs are fascinating to watch. Happy Halloween, everybody!

Hyde and Hare is a Bugs cartoon from 1955, a very significant year for Bugs, as he was "deconstructed" by Friz and fellow director Chuck Jones. Bugs always showed great weaknesses in '55, but for a detailed and in-depth look at this unique year, read Kevin McCory's two articles on the subject, entitled "Hyde and Hare: An Overlooked Masterpiece" and its sequel, which takes a look at all '55 rabbit cartoons. Both can be found in the Articles section at looney.toonzone.net. Hyde and Hare in particular is interesting because Dr. Jekyll's formula returns him to a prehistoric barbarian, and Bugs tries to sell himself as an ordinary rabbit, one that has not evolved into the sophisticated, anthropomorphic bunny we know and love, because of his "carrot addiction". If you analyze this cartoon, you'll have a lot to think about.

Bugs Bunny here presents himself as a normal, everyday bunny rabbit who is adopted and taken home by the mild-mannered Dr Jekyll.

Once in the house (playing the Minute Waltz by Chopin, no less) Bugs is startled to find himself chased by a green faced monster wielding an axe - Mr Hyde, after Dr Jekyll's transformation. During the chase the monster changes back to the good doctor several times and then back again (usually once the doctor and Bugs are in a locked room, or a cupboard, etc.).

Finally Bugs makes a run for it, but being the rabbit we know and love, and not that normal little bunny, he's taken something he shouldn't ...

'Hyde and Hare' is another hilarious and clever Bugs Bunny cartoon, as we have come to expect. It sends up the Stevenson novella and has echoes of the film versions in the transformation from Jekyll to Hyde. It can be found on the double-feature Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde DVD, alongside the feature films from 1932 and 1941.

Everyday, Bugs Bunny does the timid little rabbit routine to get a carrot from the kindly Dr. Jekyll. He jumps into the doctor's arms and gets himself adopted. In the doctor's laboratory, he drinks his formula and turns into the violent Mr. Hyde. Bugs is confused with the ever-changing personality.

This is Bugs Bunny paired with the classic literary character. I guess that there was no copyright issue back in the day. I do wonder if Bugs should catch on sooner. I do like that we do not see him drinking the formula since that leads to a fun reveal at the end. This is a great Bugs Bunny cartoon.