Le lièvre et la tortue

This is the second of three shorts by Looney Tunes (this follows "Tortoise Beats Hare") featuring Bugs Bunny racing the tortoise--and, as usual, the clever tortoise gets the best of him.

In this case, Bugs decides to do a bit of spying before the re-match. The tortoise tells Bugs he won due to his streamline design--so Bugs makes a turtle costume of his own. However, this is NOT a good idea, as a syndicate of gambler rabbits are determined to make sure the tortoise loses the race--and the real tortoise is disguised as a rabbit. The results are quite funny but what comes as a real shock is the extremely violent and dark ending--even compared to other Looney Tunes shorts! Funny and well worth seeing.

Hilarious triple inversion not only of the original fable, but the previous Looney Tunes lampoons, this effort is a little more grounded than such Clampett monuments as "The Great Piggy Bank Robbery" and "The Big Snooze." As a result, it shows how the director, restrained from throwing out all the surrealistic stops, could channel his energy into a dizzyingly twisty plot.

Above and beyond that, this cartoon is worth tracking down for Mel Blanc's masterful and startlingly moving voice performance. From Bugs' near-hysterical outburst as he realizes he's winning to his heartbreaking chastisement of his so-called supporters ("You FOOLS! You FOOLS! I'm the RABBIT!"), this cartoon, all on its own, demonstrates that Blanc's talent reached far deeper than a mere capacity for silly voices.

I love the Bugs vs. Cecil cartoons, but I think Tortoise Wins by a Hare is the best of the three. It is hilarious, and moves along really quickly. I also think Mel Blanc supplied simply phenomenal voice work here, it was not only hysterical but also very moving as Bugs despairs over Cecil always beating him and that he is the butt of the joke. At first when watching Rabbit Transit, I found it unusual that Bugs was outsmarted rather than outwitting his co-stars but I think it worked here, instead of the arrogant persona you sometimes see, you do see a cunning Bugs but also a Bugs you feel for. Cecil is wonderful as well, his asides are just as funny as Bugs's shrill cries of despair and he is definitely a worthy opponent.

The animation is great here, colourful and lively, and the orchestral music is a delight. Also delightful are the witty and hilarious dialogue, some fun visual gags and a fun ending. Overall, hugely enjoyable, while not Bugs's very best cartoon, it is his most enjoyable with Cecil. 10/10 Bethany Cox

A hilarious sequel to Tex Avery's Tortoise Beats Hare (1941), the cartoon even starts out with Bugs watching selected film footage of the former cartoon. Bugs is very aggressive here and is determined to do everything in his power to win the race this time. If in the Avery cartoon the roles of Bugs and Cecil were reversed, so that Bugs was the loser and Cecil the heckler, here they literally switch identities. Bugs is dressed like a turtle in a mistaken belief that his "streamlined" shell will make him faster (If you're going to miscast Bugs Bunny as the loser you might as well go all the way with it), while Cecil is dressed like a rabbit because he knows the rabbit underworld has bet heavily on the hare to win and will use whatever means necessary to ensure a rabbit victory. Mel Blanc's acting is especially good here, probably one of his best performances. One standout scene is the passion in Bugs' voice as he draws nearer to the finish line. In an interesting side note, the newspaper that announces the rematch also contains an article in the lower right hand corner labeled "Adolf Hitler Commits Suicide." (Remember, this was 1943.) Were the animators at Warner Bros. clairvoyant? Unfortunately, the ending is censored on most television prints today, so try to see this cartoon uncut on videotape instead.

Bugs Bunny attempts to beat Cecil Turtle in a race, but can't. This short shows that Bugs doesn't lose very often. But when he does he can be as sore of a loser as Daffy Duck. I found the short to be hilarious myself, with great sight gags. but I can see why others would disagree. This short leaves the ending unedited unlike when it's shown on TV. Also the ending brings to mind that there IS a fair amount of suicide in the Looney Tunes canon of shorts. I have no idea what THAT'S about. I'd definitely recommend this short without hesitation. This cartoon is on Disk 3 of the "Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 1"

My Grade: A