Behind the Tunes: Bugs - A Rabbit for All Seasonings

"I think one of the reasons Bugs Bunny stood out as a star right away that he was such a strong character, " said Ruth Clampett. "Bugs said a lot of things we wish we could say and get away with things we'd like to get away with." Ruth is the daughter of Bugs' animator Bob Clampett.

"Bugs was just an arrogant, flamboyant character," adds comedian Stan Freberg, one of the Looney Tunes voices.

So begins this short "documentary" about the most famous cartoon character ever in which a number of people explain why they think Bugs was so popular.

I found it interesting. It can viewed as one of the features on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Volume One DVD.

"Behind the Tunes: Bugs - A Rabbit for All Seasonings" is basically a series of interviews with the creators of the Looney Tunes and children of deceased animators. They talk about how Bugs Bunny got created and how he became the most popular cartoon character of all time. Although he's certainly my favorite, there wasn't much in this mini-documentary that I couldn't have guessed on my own (in other words, I predicted what was up, doc). And they could have talked about how the cartoons have declined in quality recently. Good for hardcore fans, but most people probably won't take much interest in it. Available on "Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Vol 1".

Ruth Clampett, Stan Freberg and others speculate on why Bugs Bunny has such an enduring appeal. Part of it is: he can get away with anything. Leonard Maltin notes that the personality of Bugs Bunny was a collaborative effort. Chuck Jones calls him a "comic hero." Noel Blanc (Mel's son) and Bill Melendez extol the contribution of Mel Blanc, Bugs Bunny's voice. Jerry Beck tells us that exhibitors were the first sign of Bugs's popularity with audiences: they demanded more Bugs Bunny pictures. Joe Dante and others note more reasons for Bugs's success: he's smart and he always wins.

Bugs Bunny, the greatest animated cartoon character, could probably sustain a feature-length documentary, but it's nice to see him as the subject of this short film, created for the "Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Volume One" and located on Disc 1.

This short 5 and a half minute featurette, which can be found as an extra on Disc one of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 1. It's nothing more than a basic primer for the character of Bugs Bunny made, I'm thinking, with an eye geared for newbies to the classical Looney Tunes. It features interviews telling why people like Bugs and how he got so popular. REALLY basic stuff (the same can be said for pretty much all the other Behind the Toons feauterettes that are on Volume 1, fortunately the Behind the Tune features would get so much better starting with the ones found on volume 2).

My Grade: C-