Wabbit Twouble

Wabbit Twouble (1941)

**** (out of 4)

Masterpiece animated short has Elmer Fudd going to Jellostone National Park so that he can get some west and welaxation but instead he finds himself camping in the back yard of Bugs Bunny who decides to torment him. While neither character are in their traditional classic look that really means nothing as this short delivers some of the biggest laughs of the series. There were countless scenes so funny that I had tears running down my face because on one hand Fudd is the perfect goof ball to see tormented but on the other hand you can't help but love him for how dumb he is. The scene where Bugs makes him think it's night and then day is classic as is the scene where Bugs pretends to be a grizzly bear before the real one shows up. The final sequence is also rather hilarious as Fudd finally suffers his breakdown.

Elmer Fudd's old auto is doing the "conga" while driving through a mountain pass on his way to "Jellostone National Park" where Elmer is looking forward to peace and quiet. (He looks different in this early cartoon; older and much bigger and fatter.)

Bugs sees him coming, puts up a "camp here" sign and Elmer quickly sets up camp. "Oh, boy, now for a weal west," he says. Yeah, right. Sadistic Bugs is going to wuin his west weally soon! At least Bugs knows he's bad. He stops at one point, looks at the camera, and tells us, "I do this kind of stuff throughout the picture."

Poor Elmer. What did he do to deserve this torment? I have to say, though, that after a slow start, the last half of this short became very funny. Bugs imitating a grizzly bear was a real howl, and the real bear chasing Elmer in the woods was good, too.

A fat Elmer Fudd goes to Jellostone National Park in search of 'wewaxation', but has the misfortune of putting his tent over Bugs Bunny's rabbit hole in this great Robert Clampett directed and Dave Monahan written Looney Tunes short. This cartoon is hilarious with almost every single gag hitting it's mark. My favorite being Bugs kissing a Elmer who's pretending to be dead thinking a bear is still attacking him. Elmer's reaction to this is simply priceless.This cartoon is the twelth short on disk 1 of the 'Loony Tunes Golden Collection'. It also has a Commentary track and a featurette.

My Grade: A+

The sign greeting campers says, "Welcome to Jellostone National Park: A Restful Retreat." Elmer Fudd finds this to be a dirty lie when Bugs Bunny torments him for the fun of it. Bugs will trick Elmer into thinking day is night, mid-air is safe ground, and his rabbity self is a grizzly bear before Elmer commits an act he'll immediately regret.

In deference to Mr. Fudd, the opening credits are spelled out the way he would say them: Wobert Cwampett, Sid Sutherwand, Cawl W. Stawwing and so forth. The canyon setting is depicted with a realistic illusion of depth that is unusual for Warner Brothers cartoons. And Elmer makes one of his rare early appearances as a fat man - even though he was relatively slim before *and* after this brief period.

The gang at Termite Terrace were still feeling out Bugs in these early days, and they end up breaking a rule that they established for him only later: Bugs Bunny is a passive figure until sorely provoked. Elmer certainly doesn't provoke Bugs in this cartoon. He merely shows up.

Few complain about Bugs's obnoxious behavior. The film is wildly funny and makes the favorite list of many cartoon fans, including Leonard Maltin. Besides, Elmer's entire personality practically invites people to harass him.

This cartoon is available in the "Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Volume One," Disc 1.

"Wabbit Twouble" is one of the best early Bugs Bunny cartoons. Bob Clampett, wacky as ever, goes all-out with this production, using some of the best and surreal gags you'll see. And it's not just the gags with the "wascawwy wabbit" that are good; the intro is a great example of matching music to animation, but it's done in a surreal way. Like Frank Tashlin, Clampett emphasizes acceleration, and utilizes Elmer's gullibility and stupidity to the full. The last few gags are impeccable. The cartoon is simply great, it's so imaginative, and it has no restrictions. Clampett tries it all. Finally on DVD, and thank God for it!