(Blooper) Bunny!

Although he is no replacement for the late Mel Blanc, Rick Bergman does the voice recreations a lot of justice, and this short, Blooper Bunny, is the funniest and best cartoon since the Golden Age ended back in the mid-60s. Honestly funny and reminiscent of the wacky show-biz humor of the classic "Show Biz Bugs", Blooper Bunny displays the decades long good humored rivalry between Bugs and Daffy Duck.

I liked it.

Warner Bros. reopened their theatrical shorts department shortly before this cartoon was released, and the new blood (very new; not a single Golden Age animator is credited) does a pretty good job of it. The gags are mostly comments on the filmmakers, plus demonstrations of the shortcomings of filmmaking equipment. The rest is well-timed slapstick, but it doesn't feel like those wacky, hilarious characters are back again. They're funny in a different way. The DVD commentary on this (on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: get it now!) by either Stan Freberg or Greg Ford, mentions that the animators tried to bring back those classic arguments the stars had; they were trying to override the advertisements and merchandise that broadcast the fact that the characters always had bright smiles at all times and were close friends, a bunch often referred to as "Bugs Bunny and Friends." That betrays the Looney Tunes cast. The animators tried. "Blooper Bunny" is a fictitious behind-the-scenes look at the eventful everyday life of our beloved characters, focusing on the making of the "Bugs Bunny 51st and 1/2 Anniversary Spectacular." The "Spectacular" is only about a minute long, but it seems to have a negative effect on the funny cartoon that is "Blooper Bunny." It seems to unnerve the audience and alienate the characters, not in spite of - but because - the Looney Tunes characters are flashing their most winning smiles. It made me, personally, feel like they were the fake characters from the earlier "Invasion of the Bunny Snatchers," because they almost seemed to have an eerie air about them. It was a bad beginning and climax to an otherwise funny cartoon. But I still think the world is going to miss Mike Maltese. Seriously. "Blooper Bunny" is a fine effort by an inexperienced crew, and keeping that factor in mind I believe this cartoon to be a worthy addition to the Looney Tunes library. But I don't think that unless Chuck Jones Film Productions can keep the classic-style stuff coming without its late founder (Chuck Jones, obviously) that we will never witness the Golden Age cartoons' like again. Stephen Fossati shows great promise. He's been taught amazingly by the master. Let's hope he can go on without his mentor's supervision. Or the Looney Tunes are done. Finished. And I know we're all hoping that doesn't happen.

After giving the go ahead for this film, Warner Bros. squelched it. Apparently in reaction to Daffy's comment that "Warner Bros. doesn't have single creative bone in it's body". This "short" was never shown theatrically. Only after Cartoon Network found it languishing in the library was it finally given the exposure it deserves.

This was a very, very edgy cartoon that should have been more widely seen that it was. Apparently, shortly after it was made, some kill-joys at Time-Warner decided it was too edgy and harmed the bland reputation they've created for their characters in recent years. Yet back in the early 90s, somehow, the writers and animators at Warner Brothers were given a lot of leeway to create a modern version of Bugs Bunny. It begins with a sappy '51st and 1/2 birthday' celebration, but the cartoon then became a parody of the 'making of,...." video where the cartoon characters let down their hair (hare) and you see who they REALLY are! This was a great idea and I loved seeing the characters acting edgy and funny instead of the insipid SPACE JAM-type Warner cartoon characters. For very little kids, this cartoon isn't too appropriate, but for older kids and teens, they'll probably think it's great when they bleep out comments made by jealous Daffy Duck!! About the only thing that doesn't work is the section where they show fake take after take of the same dancing number--it really got repetitive and a bit annoying! But, this cartoon is a great way to both celebrate the past and keep the edginess that made Bugs, Daffy and the rest popular.

While not without it's flaws, this short is still one of the most entertaining Looney Tunes shorts in recent years. I've resigned myself to the fact that the golden age of Looney Tunes is long in the past and it'll never get as good as it was back then again in the future. But I still enjoyed this cartoon that plays out like a blooper reel taking place on Bugs Bunny's fifty first and a half birthday special. Even if the Looney Tune's gang acted a tad off-kilter. This cartoon can be found as an extra on disk 1 of the 'Looney Tunes Golden Collection' and has optional commentary.

My Grade: C+