Operation: Rabbit

I love the Bugs vs Wile E. Coyote cartoons, better than just the Coyote/Roadrunner cartoons, and I the Chuck Jones/Phil Monroe collaboration in it as well. I also love the "OH NO!" take Bugs does after Wile tells him "I am going to eat you." And the ending where Bugs gives the "moral" of the story: "M. U. D. Spell backwards is D. U. M."

Being an interest in folklore and after hearing from the commentary for this cartoon (in one of my Looney Tunes DVD box sets), there are some parallels of South-Western Indian folktales of Coyote, the trickster and a very proud and smug character. And also parallels from the African-American folktales of Br'er Rabbit & Br'er Fox; post-modern take. Only instead of using snare traps and tar dummies, Wile E. Uses high explosives and other contraptions.

So overall, I really love this cartoon and it's one of my favorite Bugs Bunny/Wile E. Coyote cartoons.

Wile E. Coyote just can't catch a break. One of several encounters with Bugs Bunny goes as badly for him as his attempts at catching the Roadrunner do. I feel for his life and accident insurers! It's a pity they only made 5 or 6 of these, because it's a good combination. Wile E. is a good foil for Bugs and most of the shorts are hilarious and all of them are enjoyable. The animators could stretch the characters in ways they couldn't normally. Most recommended

An over-confident Wile E. Coyote is sure of getting Bugs Bunny. First, he tries to cook Bugs right in his hole. There is a canon. He uses an explosive decoy, a flying saucer, and exploding carrots. He gets run over by a train and finally admits defeat.

This is a very early Wile E. Coyote cartoon. Bugs is his natural nemesis although Road Runner is still his best target. I love trying to cook Bugs right in his home. I do wonder if we should be inside with Bugs as he eats his carrots and relaxes like in a sauna. I think that was a missed opportunity for some good gags. Still, this is a great Wile against Bugs.

"I like the way that rolls out. Wile E Coyote, super genius." The real geniuses were the writer and director of this excellent cartoon. The best Coyote cartoon, as well as one of Bugs Bunny's all time best. If this was the first time the coyote spoke, they should have let him speak more often! It worked. His plan was to have Bugs Bunny for dinner. Great fun, as Bugs outsmarts the coyote at every turn. The contrast between these two characters is someone who thinks he is smart, compared to someone who really is smart. The coyote, with his perfect diction, has nothing on the rabbit with the Brooklyn accent. The great Mel Blanc did the voices of both characters, with equal effectiveness. One of my all time favorite cartoons.

'Operation: Rabbit' is a Merrie Melodies cartoon featuring Bugs Bunny and Wile E. Coyote, both voiced by Mel Blanc. It is the first cartoon where the coyote tells us his real name. He thinks he is a genius and in the first scene he puts a door in front of a rabbit hole, knocks the door and waits for Bugs to open. He then explains how smart and fast he is and that it is better for Bugs to surrender himself to the coyote. It is a great start for a great cartoon.

Of course Bugs will not surrender and so the coyote has to come up with a couple of plans to catch the rabbit. And although we know he will fail with every attempt the gags are not really predictable. Directed by Chuck Jones, who makes almost everything work, this cartoon is definitely worth watching.