Les Peureux Chevaliers de la Table ronde

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.

This cartoon (Oscar winning animated short for that year) is just out and out hilarious. I have a weakness for Yosetime Sam, here as the Black Knight trying to get into Bugs' castle. Of course he fails with hilarious results. If this doesn't make you chuckle, check your pulse.

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.

This short is the only Bugs Bunny short to grab an Oscar. While it's a good cartoon, I don't think it was the best cartoon of 1958. It wasn't even the best Bugs Bunny of 1958 (Hare-way To the Stars was). This is a very good cartoon, of course. It's just that there were much better ones released in 1958. Oh, well. At least Bugs got an Oscar, even if it was for something that wasn't among the better of "his" work. The same can be said for some acting winners. Recommended.

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.