Buccaneer Bunny

Yosemite Sam is in his element here, playing a pirate called "Seagoin Sam." He describes himself as "the blood thirstiest, shoot-'em-firstiest, doggone worstiest buccaneer as ever sailed the Spanish Main."

Most of this cartoon takes place on a big ship where, by the way, there is no crew - just Bugs and Sam. Where is everyone? Anyway, we get one chase scene after another, like a Tom and Jerry or a Roadrunner cartoon, and most of the gags are good and Sam gets blown up time after time. Along the way, Bugs does an imitation of Charles Laughton doing "Captain Bligh," while also taking care of the stool pigeon "Polly."

Good laughs, all around and, once again, Warner Brothers has done a beautiful restoration job on this cartoon. The colors in here are tremendous.

So many of the B.Bunny toons are nothing short of miraculous: I don't know how this one rates in the pantheon of B.B. cartoons, but it is definitely hard to top as far as pacing---absolutely brilliant. The comic timing, blending of the music (hard to imagine how anyone could score a B.B. cartoon--the painstaking detail!) And the clincher, for me, is how my son roars with laughter when Yosemite Sam panics and dives for the matches that Bugs nonchalantly tosses down into a shaft filled with explosives--doesn't every ship have an explosives shaft--(wink-wink) Again, the pacing: frenetic from beginning to end, perhaps not one of the more cerebral B.B. tunes, but worthy of Keystone cops or Buster Keaton for sure.

Bugs is resting on a tropical island when fearsome pirate Redbeard comes along to bury his treasure. Realising that Bugs now knows where he has hidden the treasure, Redbeard decides to kill bugs to keep it a secret leading to a chase on board his own ship.

Despite placing traditional cowboy Sam in the role of a pirate without actually changing his accent or dress, this cartoon works out quite enjoyable. My initial worries about the character worked out and Sam actually fitted into the role pretty well. The plot is basically a big chase with Bugs doing his usual smart-alecky stuff and outsmarting his foil.

Bugs is as good as always and I enjoyed his antics, Sam is better than I thought he would be, the only downside being the pirate dialogue they occasionally put in his mouth. The two work well together and the material is funny.

Overall this is an enjoyable short that contains plenty of nice jokes (including a spoof of Charles Laughton) and funny action with imagination.

The Comedy here is top-notch for starters, I was laughing my eyes out at first watch when I was a kid. One of the best Bugs bunny Disguises is present here, and some of the best visual comedy in a sam cartoon. It's not perfect, but will entertain the viewer massively. Pirates of the Caribbean be Damned! The Explosive comedy is some of the most over the top in a Looney tunes short, and is delightful to watch when those moments to take a moment to shine.

9/10.

I have made no secret of loving Looney Tunes. Ever since I was a little girl, I loved watching them, laughing at the jokes and marvelling at the animation and music. At 18 I still watch them, and a vast majority of them are classics. While not the very best, and not quite top 20 standard, Buccaneer Bunny is simply classic Looney Tunes fun.

The story may be a tad predictable, but it doesn't matter that much to me, as everything else works. The gags work wonderfully, all of them range from amusing to hilarious. True, one or two of them can be seen as predictable or repetitive, but again for me that isn't necessarily a bad thing. The writing is top notch, Buccaneer Bunny contains some of my all-time favourite Yosemite Sam quotes.

Visually, Buccaneer Bunny is just great. While the characters are very well-drawn and the backgrounds excellent to look at, the colours are the real delight, whether you watch it on DVD or TV, the whole cartoon looks incredible. I also love good music in cartoons, films and the like; Buccaneer Bunny has plenty of that. It is rousing and energetic, fairly similar in style to Captain Hareblower.

The characters are still likable and interact very well together. Yosemite Sam is a great foil, while Bugs is always entertaining and I loved the spoof on Charles Laughton. Another outstanding asset is the voice work- Mel Blanc rarely disappointed and had the gift of elevating even the weakest of material, and once again he is stellar. Overall, Buccaneer Bunny is a most excellent cartoon and a must-see really. 9/10 Bethany Cox