Le lièvre et la tortue

Bugs Bunny is angry while reviewing the old film footage. The turtle always wins. He is besides himself and intends to find the reason why he keeps losing. In disguise, he asks Cecil Turtle for his secrets. The turtle sees right through Bugs and tells him that it's all about the streamline of the turtle shell. Bugs decides to make his own shell while the turtle dresses up as a rabbit. It turns out that rabbit mobsters are overwhelmingly betting on Bugs and would do anything to stop the turtle in the race. Of course, Bugs is dressed as the turtle in the race and mobsters keep interfering with Bugs.

I don't really like this Bugs cartoon. It's always tough for me to see Bugs acting slightly dumb. I would also like to have human mobsters. Maybe the rabbit mobster would look more compelling. All in all, this is not my favorite.

This was the first cartoon with Cecil Turtle that I have seen, and it's instantly been one of my favorite Looney Tunes shorts. It's also my favorite of the three Cecil Turtle cartoons.

When I first saw this cartoon, I thought it was weird that Bugs was basically a bad guy (like in Falling Hare) and actually lost. However, I thought it was funny and clever that Bugs dressed like a turtle while Cecil dressed like a rabbit.

I first saw this on TV, and due to censorship I didn't get to see the ending until this carton was shown uncut on The Bob Clampett Show. I won't spoil the ending here, but the ending is very funny (this cartoon is available uncut on the first Looney Tunes Golden Collection DVD, as well as all previous video and laserdisc releases).

All in all, this is my favorite of the three Cecil Turtle cartoons.

Tortoise Wins by a Hare (1943)

**** (out of 4)

Semi-sequel to TORTOISE BEATS HARE has Bugs Bunny asking Cecil Turtle for a rematch since the rabbit can't stand losing the race. Bugs tries to gain an advantage but have no fear because Cecil has a few tricks up his own sleeve. This is another very enjoyable film that manages to be as fun as the original. I enjoyed both of the shorts but think I prefer this one a little more because of the supporting characters, which include a bunch of rabbit gangsters who show up to make sure Bugs wins. The uncut ending, available on the Warner DVD, is a bit over the top and we probably didn't need it but it doesn't take away from any of the laughs in the film.

Bugs Bunny attempts to beat Cecil Turtle in a race, but can't. This short shows that Bugs doesn't lose very often. But when he does he can be as sore of a loser as Daffy Duck. I found the short to be hilarious myself, with great sight gags. but I can see why others would disagree. This short leaves the ending unedited unlike when it's shown on TV. Also the ending brings to mind that there IS a fair amount of suicide in the Looney Tunes canon of shorts. I have no idea what THAT'S about. I'd definitely recommend this short without hesitation. This cartoon is on Disk 3 of the "Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 1"

My Grade: A

Hilarious triple inversion not only of the original fable, but the previous Looney Tunes lampoons, this effort is a little more grounded than such Clampett monuments as "The Great Piggy Bank Robbery" and "The Big Snooze." As a result, it shows how the director, restrained from throwing out all the surrealistic stops, could channel his energy into a dizzyingly twisty plot.

Above and beyond that, this cartoon is worth tracking down for Mel Blanc's masterful and startlingly moving voice performance. From Bugs' near-hysterical outburst as he realizes he's winning to his heartbreaking chastisement of his so-called supporters ("You FOOLS! You FOOLS! I'm the RABBIT!"), this cartoon, all on its own, demonstrates that Blanc's talent reached far deeper than a mere capacity for silly voices.