Rabbit Fire

The "Hunting Trilogy" of Rabbit Fire (1951), Rabbit Seasoning (1952), and Duck! Rabbit! Duck! (1953) should be considered the comedic high water mark of the Chuck Jones-Michael Maltese collaboration. While they are seldom mentioned in lists of the "greatest" or "most important" cartoons in the history of animation, they are certainly THE FUNNIEST cartoons I've ever seen. Michael Maltese never got the credit that directors like Jones, Freleng or Avery got, but it's his dialogue and situations that make Warner Bros. cartoons, and these three in particular, some of the FUNNIEST ever made.

In the first of a series of three, Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny argue over which one of them should be hunted and shot by the ever-gullible Elmer Fudd. Bugs is too smart to be outwitted by the reactionary and hyperactive Daffy. He keeps it cool and collected as Daffy screams his head off never knowing what he really IS saying. He even grabs Elmer's shotgun and screams 'Duck season! Fire!', resulting in his bill being blown off. It's the biggest laugh in the cartoon. And it's a laugh so good Joe Dante re-used it in Looney Tunes: Back in Action. Though at the end of this one, Elmer Fudd gets what he deserves and Bugs and Daffy get a little payback.

Followed by Rabbit Seasoning and Duck, Rabbit, Duck.

Daffy Rules!

This is the first of Chuck Jones' famous "Hunting Trilogy". The premise of all three films (Rabbit Seasoning and Duck! Rabbit, Duck! being the other two) is that Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck try to persuade Elmer Fudd as to whether it's duck hunting season or rabbit hunting season. All three are classics, and all are very close to being a continuation of the previous one. Many stations wouldn't air these because of violence, and when Fox used to have a show called Merrie Melodies, they cut the scenes where Daffy Duck gets shot.

If I had to choose the best of the bunch, I pick this one because it has one of the funniest endings of any cartoon ever made.

As much as I LOVED Rabbit Seasoning, Rabbit Fire was every bit as good. A truly brilliant cartoon from the wonderful Hunting Trilogy. Here Daffy is quite a jerk again, and he gets the worst of the butt of the jokes, and Bugs is his rascally self. The writing is outstanding here, the witty interplay between Bugs and Daffy was close to hysterical at times. Also the animation is consistently excellent, same with the music. The sight gags are really inspired, and right at this moment I am trying to count how many times I laughed during this, the bit with the elephant is priceless. The answer is a lot, I can't keep count. It really makes the most out of a story that has been done a lot in other Looney Tunes shorts. Mel Blanc and Arthur Q. Bryan flawlessly provide the voices. Overall, I highly recommend Rabbit Fire. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Rabbit Fire has some of the absolutely funniest lines and sight gags that have ever been seen on film. It is one of three cartoons done as more or les a series and is, in my opinion, the best of them. From Elmer's opening line to the hilarious final line, this is an unalloyed delight. There's also a beautiful gag with an elephant. Much as I love Tex Avery, Chuck Jones's work here and elsewhere is the equal (and, sometimes, superior) to Avery's best. Very much recommended.