Upswept Hare

Another Bugs/Elmer cartoon has the rhotacism-afflicted hunter digging up a flower, not realizing that he's brought along a certain carrot-chomping rascal. We then get a battle of wits in which Elmer learns that sometimes winning is the same as losing.

One thing that I noticed is that although "Upswept Hare" is a Robert McKimson cartoon, Bugs looks more like he does in the Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng cartoons (Bugs's eyes are prominent, as opposed to his mouth). Not that it diminishes the cartoon. Bugs is his usual clever self, and Elmer is his usual dimwitted self (or is it just that being in Bugs's presence deprives him of common sense?).

Pretty good one.

Elmer Fudd finds a rare flower in the desert and wants to take it home with him. But he needs to make sure he gets a lot of the flower's "native soil," so he digs up the earth all around the flower which just so happens to include a sleeping Bugs Bunny. Later, back at Elmer's penthouse, Bugs awakens and quickly makes himself at home. Which, of course, doesn't sit well with Elmer. Not the funniest Bugs & Elmer short I've seen but a decent one. The animation is colorful and bright. The music is lively and fun. Mel Blanc and Arthur Q. Bryan are wonderful, as always. The main problem is the story is so flimsy it really needs some great gags to work and this short doesn't really deliver with anything memorable. Watchable for fans but not a great example of what Looney Tunes was capable of with these two characters.

I enjoyed this episode a great deal for the following reasons:

1. Bugs Bunny is very funny and entertaining. 2. Elmer Fudd is reasonably good here (he has a very good taste in plants, anyhow, as you will see if you watch the cartoon). 3. The animation is quite an odd style for the time but perfectly pleasant. 4. The "Rome" song is FAB! :-) 5. Elmer Fudd has an excessive pent house which makes the cartoon enjoyable (for some reason).

In this episode, Elmer Fudd is driving in the desert one day when he comes across a rare flower. He excitedly digs it up and takes in it in his car to his top-floor apartment in a skyscraper. Little does he realize that he has also dug up a rabbit, who is very surprised when he realizes he is bathing in an apartment swimming pool rather than in desert waters...

The only thing I found a bit iffy about this cartoon was the last third or so of it. It was almost as if the makers had had a discussion saying: "Oh, I've just realized this cartoon has no plot. Oh, we'd better stick one in at the end. Let's do this.." BLAHBLAHBLAH... It's not that this last part of the cartoon is bad or unentertaining, but in a way it is almost unnecessary and has a very different gag and storyline style compared to the rest of the cartoon.

I recommend this cartoon to anyone who likes Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd, as well as Looney Tunes in general. This cartoon is recommended both to people who like the witty side and the slapsticky side of the animated series. Enjoy "Upswept Hare"! :-)

8 and a half out of ten.

I do not consider Unswept Hare among the best of the Looney Tunes cartoons but I still found it very entertaining. I do agree though about the last couple of minutes in that it feels like a different cartoon altogether which I found rather disappointing compared to how much fun the rest was.

The animation throughout while slightly different is still excellent, with lovely colours and backgrounds. The music is rousing and like a vast majority of Looney Tunes' output enhances the fun rather than distracts from it. The story is good enough and goes at a brisk pace, while the dialogue is witty and the sight while on the slapsticky side are fun. Bugs is wonderful to watch, and Elmer is a good foil. The voice work as usual from Mel Blanc and Arthur Q. Bryan is terrific.

In conclusion, entertaining with only the last couple of minutes letting it down slightly. 8/10 Bethany Cox