The Windblown Hare

The three little pigs have finished reading the story of the big bad wolf and are now looking for a sucker to sell their straw and wood houses too, when along comes Bugs Bunny. After the straw house is blown down by the wolf (who also gets all his lines from the collected work of the brothers Grimm), Bugs is stupid enough to buy the wooden one as well. Even though this by-the-book wolf is not interested in any bunny, Bugs declares war on him all the same and points the wolf towards another chapter: Little red riding hood.

At this point in his career Bugs Bunny must have been so blasé with being chased in each of his outings, that he fails to realize the wolf means him no actual harm (this might be the first 'villain' Bugs ever encountered that he had to goat into chasing him). Wolfie also has all the best lines: when re-enacting Little Red Riding Hood with Bugs, he rightfully points out which one of them has the biggest ears. It takes some time for the both of them to realize that the real bad guys of this fairy tale are those filthy little pigs. When they do, Bugs helps the wolf blow the brick house down. Or up.

8 out of 10

The Three Little Pigs take advantage of Bugs Bunny and sell him their straw and wood houses, knowing full well the Big Bad Wolf is coming to blow them down. Sarcastic Looney Tunes take on the classic story, with Little Red Riding Hood thrown in for good measure. It's a very funny cartoon but, surprisingly, not because of Bugs. He's outshone here by the pigs and the wolf, who are very funny animal characters who are also very 'human.' Lovely animation with rich, vivid colors. Terrific voice work from the incomparable Mel Blanc. Typically energetic music score from Carl Stalling. It's a very enjoyable cartoon although I will admit it's not among Bugs' best.

This cartoon first is a fantastic parody of The Three Little Pigs Story and then later Little Red Riding Hood. All of it is really cleverly-written material. Congrats to Warren Foster for the story and to director Robert McKimson for making the most of it. The dialog in here is some of the best I've ever heard in a Looney Tunes cartoons. The pigs and the wolf were incredible

It begins showing us that the three little pigs have just read the famous children's story about the big bad wolves blowing their houses down, so rather than having that inevitable disaster happen, they get together and say, "Let's find a sucker to buy these houses." That sucker turns out to be our hero, Bugs Bunny. These little pigs, by the way, are hilarious. Their street-smart wise guys.

A wolf walks by, and he's reading the same book! According to the story, he has to blow the house down. He's not sure he's saying the lines with enough authority. .

The cartoon changes direction when Bugs decides to play Little Red and get back at the wolf for blowing down two of the houses he just bought. When he says, "You know this means war!," then look out - it's time Bugs to do his thing.....but the wolf is a good match for him.

This can be seen on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Three. It's one of the best cartoons in the collection. It makes me wish that Bugs and this wolf had teamed up in other cartoons because they make a great pair.

This was the 26th short directed by Robert McKimson. Here's another classic that include some jaw-dropping moments of comedy; the light switch/steps gag, the speed reading of "Little Red Riding Hood," and a VERY effective use of Johann Strauss' "Künstlerleben Waltz" when the wolf gets clotheslined (the waltz was supposed to evoke the feeling of a carnival, but Looney Tune composer Carl Stalling always used that snippet for when a character gets stuck in the head so hard that he's disorientated). A lot of Looney Tunes from this period take swipes at Disney cartoons, and this is 1 of 3 that is built on the Silly Symphony THREE LITTLE PIGS, which won the 1934 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. However this was not out of spite, as the great Chuck Jones openly marveled at THREE LITTLE PIGS, stating "They were three characters who looked alike and acted differently". The scene where Bugs pokes the wolf in the eyes is sometimes cut when the cartoon is broadcast.

The Windblown Hare is a classic twist on the Three Little Pigs story, and has become one of my favourite Looney Tunes and Bugs Bunny cartoons (coming from a huge fan of both). It's a great cartoon to begin with, but is made even stronger by the interplay between Bugs and the Wolf.

Visually, The Windblown Hare looks wonderful, with beautifully vibrant colours, charmingly detailed and carefully drawn backgrounds, slickly drawn physical comedy and smoothly drawn characters that move and interact and easily and are unmistakable Robert McKimson. No surprises seeing as the Looney Tunes cartoons were mostly (apart from their 60s output) incredibly well-made. Carl Stalling could always be counted upon to write a good music score, and he does so and more. The lush orchestration, clever use of instruments, energetic rhythms, lively pacing, great sense of mood, the brilliant matching of visuals and action and how the material is made better by the music sometimes are all present, and in a way that few other cartoon composers excelled as well in (and this is coming from a fan of the work of Milt Franklyn, Winston Sharples and Oliver Wallace).

In terms of humour, The Windblown Hare is among the cleverest and funniest of McKimson's work, with deliciously witty and often hilarious dialogue (and this is not just with Bugs, the three little pigs are no slouches in the humour department either) and the perfectly executed light switch and staircase gag standing out of the clever sight gags. The story starts strong and gets even better once Bugs and the Wolf are together, with the pacing moving buoyantly and without a jagged edge in sight. The three little pigs are quite cute and very amusing, but it's the sparkling interplay between smart and likable Bugs and the rapacious and zany Wolf that makes the cartoon particularly enjoyable. The voice work from Mel Blanc is characteristically superb.

Overall, a Looney Tunes, Bugs Bunny and McKimson classic, and a great twist on the Three Little Pigs story. 10/10 Bethany Cox