A Hare Grows in Manhattan

Friz Freleng's 'A Hare Grows in Manhattan' starts out with a promising premise and then reverts to a straightforward and largely uninspired chase picture. Opening as a Celebrity Lives TV show which interviews Bugs Bunny about his early years, 'A Hare Grows in Manhattan' virtually abandons this idea immediately for a chase between Bugs and a tough street dog. Although this is meant to take place during Bugs's formative years, there's really nothing to distinguish it from the average Bugs Bunny cartoon. There's a few nice little moments here and there but 'A Hare Grows in Manhattan' is nothing special at all. Robert McKimson would take a better (if not entirely successful) stab at Bugs's life story in 'What's Up Doc?', which at least ran with its original concept instead of lapsing into predictable antics which render the opening sequence entirely insignificant.

Have always been a huge fan of Bugs Bunny, so would see anything with him in. Not all his cartoons are great, with a few of his later efforts being quite bad, but his best cartoons are masterpieces and some of the best cartoons ever made.

'A Hare Grows in Manhattan' may not be among his best, Manhattan itself could have been used more and same with the premise of Bugs being a film star which began the cartoon so promisingly. While the whole stuff with the bulldog is clever and lots of fun it is somewhat typical of a chase cartoon and not hugely surprising or innovative story-wise and just seemed a tad disconnected.

Because 'A Hare Grows in Manhattan' is so much fun throughout the length, any reservations about the story and Manhattan and the film star premise not quite living to their full potential don't feel like huge problems. The animation is truly beautiful here, the painterly buildings and landscapes are particularly striking while the colours are gorgeously vibrant, the backgrounds meticulous in detail and the drawing crisp and smooth.

Carl Stalling's music score shines as bright as a twinkling star as always, no other Looney Tunes/Merry Melodies wrote music so consistently great without putting a foot wrong. Orchestration is lush, rhythms are rich in character and energy and it not only adds to everything so well the impact of scenes are enhanced to a greater level by Stalling's music. It is especially fitting agreed in the Egyptian billboard, the ascending elevator ride and Bugs' hopping on all fours.

The writing is razor sharp, fresh and deliciously witty, and the gags are beautifully timed, clever and at their best hilarious. Hard to pick a favourite line or gag because there isn't a clunky line or misfiring gag among them. Pacing never gets dull or chaotic, Bugs has everything that makes him such a great character in the first place and the bulldog is good fun with strong chemistry with Bugs. Mel Blanc can be counted on to give great, or even better than that, voice work and be a large part of a cartoon's success, no disappointments here, he's superb.

In conclusion, hugely enjoyable cartoon if not among Bugs' best. 9/10 Bethany Cox

In his first before-he-was-famous story (followed by "What's Up, Doc?"), Bugs Bunny tells a never-seen reporter of how he grew up in New York City and had to defend himself against a gang of tough dogs. Not surprisingly, the wascawwy wabbit makes mincemeat out of the dastardly canines no matter what the situation.

I would actually say that it's a little strange that they have Bugs grow up in Manhattan. After all, he's partly famous for his Brooklyn-Bronx accent; it's part of what gives him his edge. Then again, maybe I shouldn't dwell on that. The point is that this is a really cool classic cartoon. Definitely worth seeing.

I wonder what was with the accent that Bugs put on at the beginning of the interview.

Now a big star living in the wealthy suburbs of LA with the other movie stars, Bugs is approached by the press to print his autobiography. Bugs tells the story of how he was born in humble surroundings in the Lower East Side, in particular an interaction with a group of dogs when he was a young man.

This film opens well, with a knowing star expose of Bugs in his `real life ` personae as film star, having been in so many cartoons. We take the chance to hear his life story, although in reality this only serves to set up a scene between Bugs and a big rough East Side bulldog. The action is typical for Bugs cartoons and is pretty enjoyable, the film never really makes great use of it being in New York – only really using general buildings as opposed to landmarks but this isn't a real problem.

Bugs is his usual self and is funny for it. The bulldog is not one of his strongest foils but is a strong character and works well with Bugs to create funny scenes throughout the film. The film has plenty of nice jokes; including one about dogs and `A tree grows in Brooklyn' which I've seen before in a Pepe Le Phew film!

Overall an enjoyable short that Bugs fans will like as it delivers all that we love him for!

To fellow reviewers here: the title is there only because this is a play-on-words of the 1945 classic movie and best-selling book, "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn." So, Bugs growing up in Manhattan despite a Brooklyn accent is meaningless....not to be taken literally. It's all about fooling with the title name and nothing more. (Yes, Bugs IS from Brooklyn!)

The story is told in flashback as some Hollywood celebrity magazine interviewer is visiting Bugs' digs and asking about publishing his life story. Bugs quickly dons a robe and sunglasses and plays the "star" to the hilt, and relays his story about growing up in New York City.

Funny "bits" include Baby Bugs popping out of a flower plant holder sucking a carrot with a nipple on the end of it; the "He went that way" sign on electronic ticker-tape-type message board; the elevator zig-zagging up the skyscraper; Bugs doing his Egyptian dance, and finally, the plug for "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn" book.

More than the cartoon story, I enjoyed the artwork in here. Many of the Manahattan buildings and streets were beautifully painted. One shot has the Stork Club will the the striped canapé with yellow, red and brown buildings next to it. I froze the frame it looked an Edward Hopper painting - just magnificent artwork.