Hare Force

On a cold winter's night, Bugs Bunny knocks on an old woman's door to look for shelter. She brings him in and places him in front of the fire in place of her own dog. When she goes to bed the dog immediately throws Bugs out – but is it as simple as that?

Despite the character of Bugs being a little less well animated than in other cartoons, this cartoon still stands up as being very enjoyable regardless. The plot is simple and pits two good characters against each other. While the jokes are quite simple, it is all delivered with good spirit and is pretty funny in the main.

The dog is a simple character but stands up well alongside Bugs. Bugs himself is well developed here and is his sharp, plotting self. The two characters play off each other really well and it shows that Bugs is always at his best when playing off a strong foil.

Overall this film is simple in terms of plot but still manages to deliver a lot of good jokes and set ups. The characters bring energy and it will make you laugh!

Granny has just tucked Sylvester the dog in for the night when she hears a knock at the door. She opens it and sees a half-frozen Bugs Bunny, who is exaggerating his sorry plight for effect. Granny buys the act and lets Bugs sleep right next to Sylvester in front of the fireplace. But the jealous dog is having none of it. The first chance he gets, he throws Bugs back out in the cold. Bugs plays on the dog's pity to get back in but can't resist a dirty trick. When a snow sculpture of himself melts, Sylvester thinks it's the real rabbit and succumbs to paroxysms of guilt before he discovers the ruse. From then on, the two play a game of one-upmanship that ends when Granny gets in on the game.

Bugs Bunny made a smart career move when he began playing a more sympathetic character—still violent but only when sorely provoked. Still, you gotta love the jerk he often was in his early films. He gets Sylvester to feel sorry for his unkind actions; he could have left it at that. But no, he has to go and torment the dog and generally cause trouble. And what Bugs does at the end?

"Ain't I a stinker?" Yeah, Bugs, you really are!

This cartoon is included in the "Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Volume Three," Disc 1.

An old lady places her dog Sylvester comfortably in front of a roaring fire for the night. She finds Bugs Bunny frozen at her doorstep. She pushes Sylvester out and puts Bugs in his place. He is not happy with Bugs taking up his bed. He sets out to kill off the competition and Bugs retaliates. Both try to drive the other out.

This starts off fine, but it doesn't reveal how Bugs came to the front door. It could set that up more. It's all going fine for the most part, but I don't like the ending. There is a need to justify that ending and it's not there. This short is not quite there in the writing.

Bugs Bunny has always been one of animation's best, funniest, most interesting and most iconic characters. While Chuck Jones perhaps had the larger amount of masterpieces, Fritz Freleng was still responsible for some thoroughly enjoyable to great cartoons.

While both Bugs and Freleng have done better cartoons than 'Hare Force', there is still a huge amount to enjoy and love. My only real complaint in fact is the character design of Bugs, it has been said that Bugs does look off and personally have to agree, the design is a bit scrappy and the movement has been smoother since.

That aside, the animation is fine. The colours are vibrant, the backgrounds very meticulous in detail and the drawing fluid and very smooth.

Carl Stalling never disappoints and one of my favourite composers in cartoon history, 'Hare Force' does nothing to change that perception. Anybody expecting luscious orchestration, characterful rhythms, clever use of instrumentation and sounds and the ability to elevate gags to a greater level rather than just adding to it will find all of those aplenty.

Dialogue is high and delicious in freshness and wit, and the gags are beautifully animated, high in energy and with not a single misfire. Bugs, despite the design, doesn't disappoint in personality and humour, and Sylvester is a very amusing foil and interacts wonderfully with Bugs, even if Bugs is the funnier and more interesting character.

Voice acting is terrific all round, especially from Mel Blanc.

Overall, great, thoroughly enjoyable cartoon if not among the best from either Bugs or Freleng. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Cartoonists must have liked the name "Sylvester" back in the classic here. In this Bugs Bunny animated short, the first animal we see is "Sylvester," but not the cat that we all know. This time, it's a dog, snuggled up and pampered by his owner, nice and warm "as a bug in the rug" next to the fireplace on a cold winter night.

That's quickly interrupted when there's a knock on the door and it's a frozen Bugs. The old lady immediately gives him the rug and blanket and plops him down at the fireplace. The dog is not happy.

From that point, it's Bugs verses Sylvester, battling it out on who's going to stay warm and enjoy the fireplace. Bugs, as usual, is far superior in the brains department and his opponent has more heart. Unfortunately, in most of these cartoons the wise guy (Bugs) beats out the dumb goodhearted opponent.

Some funny touches included Bugs roasting a carrot and later, the dog howling outside while Bugs glances at a sad painting of the dog over the fireplace and a note the supposedly-dumb dog leaves Bugs!

More good stuff out of a Bugs Bunny cartoon. It's easy to see why he was the most popular Looney Tune character of them all.

P.S. The ending of this is guaranteed to make you smile.