8 Ball Bunny

8 Ball Bunny (1950)

*** (out of 4)

A small penguin gets separated from his traveling circus but thankfully he runs into Bugs Bunny who agrees to take him back home to the South Pole. This Warner/Looney Tunes short isn't going to be mistaken for a masterpiece as it doesn't contain enough laughs or action but there's no denying that the story itself is cute enough as is the penguin. For the most part this short moves well enough and the pacing is certain good enough to make the 7-minute running time go by very quickly. The highlight of the film is the rather funny map that shows the progress that the two are making. Of course, the scenes in between the maps really aren't all that clever or funny. One such example is a scene where Bugs is playing guitar while the penguin makes them a boat. It's just not funny. The one thing that does work is a few cameo spots by Humphrey Bogart playing the character from THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE.

I love 8 Ball Bunny, it was both funny and extremely cute. The animation is beautiful, very colourful and lively, with nice backgrounds especially. The music is rousing and sweet too, and the dialogue sparkles with wit and zest, Bugs has the best lines but the repeated line said by Humphrey Bogart sure was funny. The sight gags are like the cartoon, funny and cute, especially when the little penguin cried or clapped. The characters are great, Bugs is both caring and reluctant, but the penguin held my attention the most. Maybe it's because I have a thing for penguins, but this particular penguin was adorable and melted my heart immediately. Overall, wonderful, well worth watching I think for the penguin alone. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Chuck Jones's '8 Ball Bunny' is a terrific sequel to the excellent 'Frigid Hare'. It's the second of two shorts which feature a cute character who came to be known as Playboy Penguin. A mute baby penguin dressed in top hat and bow-tie, Playboy is a great character whose cuteness is played up for exaggerated laughs, unlike Friz Freleng's sickening cutification of Tweety, which was mostly played for unsuccessful "awwwwws"! 'Frigid Hare' had played out as a traditional chase film with Bugs defending the penguin from a grotesque Eskimo stereotype. '8 Ball Bunny' widens the scope, presenting us with an epic road movie in which Bugs must travel across half the globe in order to return the penguin to the South Pole. Along the way he gets into numerous scrapes and continuously encounters a caricature of Humphrey Bogart in 'The Treasure of the Sierra Madre'. Although it was probably a wise choice to retire Playboy Penguin after just two appearances, both the cartoons that feature him are brilliant and, with its epic adventure story, '8 Ball Bunny' stands out as the best of the two.

Classic Bugs Bunny short directed by Chuck Jones from a story by Michael Maltese. This one tells of Bugs' efforts to get a little penguin home to the South Pole. The journey involves hobos, cannibals, crocodiles, Humphrey Bogart, and more. The animation is crisp and attractive with some great action. Love the colors. The music is exciting and fits the action well. The voice work is phenomenal. In addition to the incomparable Mel Blanc, here we have the talents of impressionist Dave Barry doing a perfect Bogart (he had previously voiced Bogart in 1947's Slick Hare). It's a hilarious short with an adorable character that doesn't get in the way of the laughs, as sometimes happened when Looney Tunes got too cute. The Bogart caricature, for me, is the highlight. Love those scenes.

If you're a bird lover like me, that is. Otherwise, he's pretty cute, but kind of ditzy. A professional ice skater, this little bird is accidentally left behind when the Ice Frolicks leave town, and he appeals to Bugs to help him find his way "home". Unfortunately, Bugs' only source of info is an encyclopedia and he assumes that this little pen-guin is from The South Pole.

The two endure many misadventures, running into Humprey Bogart several times along the way!!!

The tears that turn into ice cubes really get to me. I don't know why, it's only a cartoon...but they do.

The same little bird starred in the earlier BB cartoon, "Frigid Hare".