Operation: Rabbit

'Operation: Rabbit' is a Merrie Melodies cartoon featuring Bugs Bunny and Wile E. Coyote, both voiced by Mel Blanc. It is the first cartoon where the coyote tells us his real name. He thinks he is a genius and in the first scene he puts a door in front of a rabbit hole, knocks the door and waits for Bugs to open. He then explains how smart and fast he is and that it is better for Bugs to surrender himself to the coyote. It is a great start for a great cartoon.

Of course Bugs will not surrender and so the coyote has to come up with a couple of plans to catch the rabbit. And although we know he will fail with every attempt the gags are not really predictable. Directed by Chuck Jones, who makes almost everything work, this cartoon is definitely worth watching.

I love Bugs Bunny and I like Wile E.Coyote, and I thoroughly enjoy their cartoons together on the whole. Yes even more so than the Raodrunner vs. Coyote cartoons, I like those too but these have more wit and personality. Operation:Rabbit is my personal favourite of their cartoons, it is simply brilliant. Whether it is the best Looney Tunes short, or one of their better ones, or even my favourite cartoon is up for debate still in my mind, but I cannot deny whatever the answer this cartoon is excellent. Great animation, energetic music, cracking pace, witty dialogue and wonderful sight gags are just a few things to like about Operation:Rabbit. Plus Bugs and Coyote work perfectly together, cunning Wile E.Coyote is wonderful with Bugs who is every bit his equal in terms of personality and Mel Blanc voices both characters brilliantly as he always does. Overall, brilliant and recommended. 10/10 Bethany Cox

An over-confident Wile E. Coyote is sure of getting Bugs Bunny. First, he tries to cook Bugs right in his hole. There is a canon. He uses an explosive decoy, a flying saucer, and exploding carrots. He gets run over by a train and finally admits defeat.

This is a very early Wile E. Coyote cartoon. Bugs is his natural nemesis although Road Runner is still his best target. I love trying to cook Bugs right in his home. I do wonder if we should be inside with Bugs as he eats his carrots and relaxes like in a sauna. I think that was a missed opportunity for some good gags. Still, this is a great Wile against Bugs.

"I like the way that rolls out. Wile E Coyote, super genius." The real geniuses were the writer and director of this excellent cartoon. The best Coyote cartoon, as well as one of Bugs Bunny's all time best. If this was the first time the coyote spoke, they should have let him speak more often! It worked. His plan was to have Bugs Bunny for dinner. Great fun, as Bugs outsmarts the coyote at every turn. The contrast between these two characters is someone who thinks he is smart, compared to someone who really is smart. The coyote, with his perfect diction, has nothing on the rabbit with the Brooklyn accent. The great Mel Blanc did the voices of both characters, with equal effectiveness. One of my all time favorite cartoons.

Wile E. Coyote versus Bugs Bunny? Wow, this was a new one on me, when I first saw it, but it occurred a couple of times in Loony Tunes cartoons....and we, the viewer, are the winners for it.

Also different for first-time viewers of this collaboration between two LT stars, is hearing Wile speak.. "Allow me to introduce myself," he says right off the bat to Bugs. He gives Bugs his card which reads "Wile E Coyote - Genius." He then proceeds to tell Bugs, in a muted British accent, no less, that he intends to eat him. He's gonna give Bugs "the customary two minutes to say your prayers." Bugs slams the portable door on him, says no thanks, and disappears back into his rabbit hole while Wile goes back to his cave muttering "Why do they always want to do it the hard way?"

After that, it's standard "Roadrunner" material with Wile pulling out every plan he has under "Operation: Rabbit" in his arsenal....and the predictable result. The "smart" guys goes through a half dozen plans while the "dumb" thwarts him every time.

I loved the ending to this cartoon as Wile humbly calls himself something else. This was a lot of fun to watch and a good lesson for those elitists who think they are smarter than most others. Surprise!!!