Napoleón Bunny-Parte

One of those Bugs cartoons virtually never mentioned in discussions of the rabbit's supreme efforts. Everyone who worked on this short simply shines--Freleng's designers, Pratt & Wyner, outdo themselves for all time with their settings. Mel Blanc does his usual brilliant work, with a supremely strident Napoleon, a kind of surrogate for Yosemite Sam. The animators do exemplary work: Art Davis (who did all the scenes of Nappy & Muggsy being jabbed in the ass), Gerry Chiniquy (who did the very opening where burrowing Bugs topples the palace guards), and Virgil Ross (who did the opening & closing dialogue scenes...fine personality animation not readily apparent to most viewers). Oh yes--and Freleng's superb timing and cutting, especially when he cuts away to those long shots of Muggsy leaping in the air when he's jabbed.

Bugs Bunny takes a wrong turn and ends up in the palace of Napoleon in the midst of battle plans. Mistaking the place for a movie theatre, Bugs accidentally upsets Napoleon and finds himself in a battle of wits in the palace grounds.

Bugs Bunny is a strong enough character and has a strong enough basic repertoire to overcome a potentially weak cartoon. Here this is a potentially weak cartoon. The animation is not great and even Bugs himself looks like he was drawn in a bit of a rush and Napoleon looking like the original drawing got crumpled up in someone's pocket.

The plot too is silly and (at the end) loses itself in it's own logic (was it real or a mental hospital - it can't have it both ways) but it creates a few funny moments. Bugs does OK despite having a few wobbly moments - his aside to Napoleon about the location of the troops on the map is very funny.

Overall this is a reasonable effort despite the many weaknesses. The plot lacks logic or structure and the animation is all very much of a muchness, but it has just enough going for it to be worth seeing. Poor ending though.

Did I enjoy Napoleon Bunny-Part? Yes I did, it has weaknesses but it is definitely worth watching. The animation is uneven, it has nice backgrounds and colours but the characters look as though they were drawn in a rush. The story lacks a clear structure and is predictable, while the ending is rather abrupt.

But there are a lot of good things. The music alone has energy, the cartoon moves quickly, the sight gags are clever and the dialogue especially Bugs' asides is funny. Bugs is lots of fun, and Napoleon is a great adversary. But it is dim-witted but lovable Mugsy who steals the show. As always Mel Blanc is superb with the voices.

Overall, worth watching but not spectacular. 7/10 Bethany Cox

A few years ago, I went through a huge phase of reviewing Looney Tunes cartoons on this website, and I thought, "Why not do another one, for the memories?" So I did. I mean, I will. I mean, I am. Whatever.

This is an amusing Bugs Bunny cartoon, not the best by any means, but certainly enjoyable. The backgrounds and the surprisingly realistic portrayals of French architecture were pleasant and Bugs Bunny's lines were funny, his schemes almost as so. Napoleon, the little man maltreated by Bugs Bunny, is a stereotypical and only vaguely amusing character. His guard provides a few giggles, but is nothing special. So, overall, Bugs Bunny, the animation and a few of the gags, particularly the spoken lines, make the episode.

I recommend this to people who like stereotypes of Napoleon, references to old music (I don't want to give away spoilers) and, of course, Bugs Bunny! Enjoy "Napoleon Bunny-Part."

When Bugs make a wrong turn (no, not the famous one), he ends up in Napoleon's mansion.

Not the most memorable of the Bugs shorts, but the needed comedy relief can be found in Rocky's sidekick Mugsy, who shows up as Captain of the Guard.

Well paced, but Nappy doesn't work too well against Bugs.

6/10