Sahara Hare

I am a huge Looney Tunes fan, and I love Sahara Hare. Not only is it incredibly funny, but it is a visual feast as well.

The animation here is wonderful. Sahara Hare contains some of the most detailed and colourful drawings in a Looney Tunes cartoon, the skies so blue and the sand beautiful and golden. And I liked the Arabian flavour of the music score here too, it gave a sense of authenticity.

The dialogue is razor-sharp and very funny. Even funnier are the visual gags, that like the best of Looney Tunes come by thick and fast, and delivered with real energy and verve by the immortal Mel Blanc.

I liked how Bugs was cool-headed Bugs was compared to Yosemite Sam, who physically and verbally abuses his poor camel here. And Daffy makes a small appearance here, in an ending that is unpredictable and clever. Overall, this is a great Looney Tunes cartoon, one of the better ones with Bugs and Yosemite Sam together. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Most of these Bugs Bunny cartoons follow the same formula. Bugs, thinking he is at the beach, is actually on the Sahara desert. He runs afoul of Yosemite Sam who is in the foreign legion. He feels it is his duty to get rid of Bugs, one way or the other. There is nothing very new about this, just Mr. Bunny doing his things.

You could tell it was the beginning of the "Beatnik era" as Bugs explains, "Man, dig this crazy beach!"

Actually, Bugs - as usual - dug too far. Thinking he had burrowed his way to Hawaii, he winds up in the Sahara instead. His comment above was made sarcastically as he couldn't find the ocean in this vast desert. Finally, he sees a tiny oasis and says, "So this is 'The Big Pond.'" Wow, this latter-days Bugs Bunny cartoon must have featured our favorite hare in his years of senility. Bugs is getting old!

The really wild humor in this funny cartoon comes into play when an Arab - Yosemite Sam, no less! - spots "footy prints all over my desert" and races his camel to see who's making them. Sam is called "Riff Raff" in this cartoon.

Anyway, "Riff Raff" and his camel - who takes terrible physical abuse by the verbally and physically-abusive "Arab" - try to chase down Bugs in the rest of the cartoon. He also rides an elephant but Bugs outsmarts him at every turn. The elephant-and-mouse scene was great.

Beautiful golden colors with all the orange sand, brown palm trees and yellow skies made this another real visual treat.

Another treat was the surprise ending, guaranteed to put a smile on the face of every Looney Tunes fan!

Bugs once again fails to take that "left turn at Albuquerque" and winds up in the Sahara, where he runs into the Sheik of Yosemite, a trifle miffed at all those "footy-prints all over my nice clean desert". Sam naturally goes after Bugs, with predictably hilarious results. There's a great gag featuring a multiplicity of doors and entirely too much persistence towards the end. There's also a cameo by Daffy at the very last. I wonder if Bugs and Daffy have the same travel agent? Probably the Acme Travel Agency, complete with testimonials from satisfied customers like Ambrose Bierce and Judge Crater. Great cartoon, one of the better teamings of Sam and Bugs. Well worth watching. Most recommended.

When Bugs Bunny ends up in the Sahara Desert - presumably after missing that left turn at Albuquerque - he leaves "footy-prints" all over the sand, incurring the wrath of Riff-Raff (Yosemite) Sam, the self-proclaimed "riffest riff that ever riffed a raff". But when Sam chases the carrot-chomping rascal into an outpost, Bugs immediately has a million ways to keep him out...one of which naturally involves dynamite! Anyway, "Sahara Hare" is just one of many cartoons showing how great the classic Looney Tunes cartoons were. Part of the reason that Bugs and Sam are such a great combo is that Bugs is so cool-headed while Sam is the ultimate hothead. Really great.

I wonder whether this was the only time that Yosemite Sam and Daffy Duck co-starred.