Knighty Knight Bugs

Friz Freleng's 'Knighty Knight Bugs' is an Oscar winning cartoon which, though a tad overrated, is solidly entertaining throughout. Jester Bugs Bunny is sent to recover the Singing Sword from Black Knight Yosemite Sam. The set up and ensuing antics immediately bring to mind two other cartoons, Chuck Jones's 'Knight-mare Hare' and Freleng's own 'Sahara Hare'. While Jones's cartoon shares the same medieval setting, 'Sahara Hare' features a similar storyline as Sam pursues Bugs and finds himself attempting to gain entry to a building in which Bugs has barricaded himself. 'Knighty Knight Bugs' is an improvement on both its forerunners, offering a far more charming depiction of medieval times than in Jones's feeble effort and improving on the gags in 'Sahara Hare' with some consistently amusing if hardly uproarious sequences. Also reminiscent of 'Sahara Hare' is Sam's relationship with his beast of burden, a camel in the former cartoon and a dragon in this case. In both cartoons, this relationship is one of the best elements and results in some very funny lines and animations. All in all, 'Knighty Knight Bugs' is an enjoyably pedestrian cartoon in which being able to see the gags coming doesn't hinder the viewer's enjoyment of their good timing. Surely not worthy of its Oscar but certainly worthy of being viewed by any cartoon fan.

I think this cartoon truly did deserve an Oscar it was hilarious. I especially like when Yosemite Sam/The Black Knight shoots himself out of a cannon and crashes into the wall and when he gets flattened by the drawbridge. Classic line: Sam: "Don't sneeze, you stupid dragon, or you'll blow us to the moon." Sure enough, that's what happens. Highly recommended.

We all know King Arthur, but what if Bugs Bunny was his court jester? Quite simply, the king - disappointed at his knights chickening out (in more way than one) - would send Bugs to fetch the Singing Sword kept by the Black Knight, aka Yosemite Sam. And that's just what happens in "Knighty Knight Bugs". Specifically, when Bugs finds the Singing Sword, it literally starts singing, and Sam comes after him with his pet dragon. But Bugs tricks them and takes over the castle, leading Sam to pull several embarrassing stunts attempting to re-enter. I really liked Sam's plan to "sail over the wall". All in all, they created another classic cartoon here.

All right, it's not totally surprising this Looney Tunes episode won an Academy Award - what is surprising is that it has been the only Bugs Bunny episode to have an A.A! I agree with ccthemovieman-1, it was silly to rate only this an A.A and not other episodes. Episodes like "Mad As a Mars Hare" and "Bugs and Thugs" deserve an A.A more than this.

Despite what I said in my previous paragraph, I do think this is a good episode. It has good humour and surprisingly good slapstick (the timing is very good), the King Arthur theme works well and gives a good setting to the episode and the "quest" theme for Bugs also gives a good tone to the episode, amid all the slapstick there is indeed a brave quest being done here. This short also has one of my favourite Looney Tunes endings, it is quite calm and peaceful (this is NOT a spoiler).

A singing sword has been stolen from the Knights of the Round Table and King Arthur wants to send one of his knights to go and recover it. None of them are brave enough to face the Black Knight (Yosemite Sam) who stole it and turn, literally, chicken. Then Bugs Bunny, a jester, turns up on the scene and there is a funny plot turn...

I recommend this to people who like Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam teaming up and becoming different characters and to people who like a King Arthur theme in a Looney Tunes episode. Enjoy! :-)

Bugs Bunny comes across a great castle where he finds the treasure of a singing sword. He attempts to get away with it only to find that the castle is protected by Yosemite Sam and his fierce (?) fire breathing dragon. When Bugs gets control of the castle, Sam has to try and take it back - without too much success.

This cartoon is the only Bugs Bunny effort to have won an Oscar and, while I believe he deserved to have one of his shorts win such an award I don't think that this is the one that he deserved it for. The plot is fairly usual for Bugs fair and is pretty enjoyable all told - he outsmarts Sam as always and it is generally pretty funny. The animation is bright and colourful but the material is not as sharp as one would have hoped and Sam actually hurts himself more often than Bugs causes it directly by being smarter.

Having said that Sam is still a good foil for Bugs and he makes him a stronger character. Bugs is as enjoyable as ever even if he is less active and tricky than he usually is. The dragon is pretty much a non-event and isn't really that good - acting more as a thorn in Sam's side than anything else. Overall this is still an OK cartoon but it is far from Bugs' best and it doesn't deserve to be the one that he won his award for.