Beanstalk Bunny

The Looney Tunes version of 'Jack and the Beanstalk' with Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny climbing the beanstalk as Jack and Elmer Fudd as the giant is a great and very funny short. Especially the first half where Daffy and Bugs decide who is Jack and who Elmer must chase is hilarious.

'Beanstalk Bunny' has the distinction of pulling together several standard Looney Tunes conventions, most of these distinct to director Chuck Jones:

The unique skewering of a classic fairy tale story already done by rote dozens of times by other studios.

Casting Daffy Duck in a stock starring role, his being aware of playing the part, and failing spectacularly.

Elmer as a potentially dangerous adversary who gets easily stalled and confused by Bugs' persuasive power of speech.

Jones' having Bugs content to mind his own business until external forces prod him to action.

Jones' oft-used staging a scene behind glass, where character acting makes dialog unnecessary.

Jones' tendency to put small characters in outsize surroundings, seen throughout his career, from the maudlin 'Tom Thumb in Trouble' to the bizarre 'I Was a Teenage Thumb'

All that, and a hilarious cartoon. How does Daffy come up with 'Aloysius'?

Chuck Jones' version of Jack and the Beanstalk is another terrific buddy comedy with Bugs and Daffy. Daffy is Jack, Elmer Fudd is the giant, and Bugs is...well, Bugs. Daffy and Bugs are hilarious together as usual. They do a fun "he's Jack" bit that reminds me of their Hunting Trilogy greatness. Love the animation. Some cool angles and designs, as well as nice action. Everything's well-drawn and the colors are rich. Mel Blanc and Arthur Q. Bryan both provide excellent voice work. Not high on my list of favorite Chuck Jones cartoons but that's only because he had so many fantastic ones. This is definitely a funny short and worth a look for all Bugs & Daffy fans.

This episode seems to be the story of Jack and the Beanstalk - but instead there's a duck a lot like Daffy Duck (and at the moment we're presuming he's Jack). He throws away some beans, a beanstalk grows blah blah blah... Well, Daffy Duck climbs up, meets a rabbit in bed, thinks about the gold he's going to find, meets a giant and when the rabbit says he is Jack, Daffy Duck insists that he is called Aloysius. How confusing...

A witty Daffy Duck short, also featuring Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd as the evil giant, in the story of "Jack and the Beanstalk" - but of course it HAS to be different!

Good for people who are not totally obsessed with Looney Tune episodes having every other joke a slapstick one and good for Daffy Duck fans in general. Unlike the title suggests, this short is mainly about the little black duck!

Enjoy "Beanstalk Bunny", whether you think there is a character called Aloysius featured or not! :-)

This is a classic. As a child of the 1 1/2 hour "Bugs Bunny / Road-Runner Show" on Saturday mornings, I grew up with this humor and it has served me well. Even as a young adult studying law, students would mumble the line "He's Jack." when called upon by bewildered professors.

Moments to savor:

*the expression on Bugs' face as his head cranes back into his pillow when Daffy screams at him while in bed on the beanstalk.

*the entire scene with Bugs and Daffy under glass.

*the final chase and Bugs' ingenious solution to Elmer.

Great lines:

*"I'll guess I'll have to open up with a pair of Jacks."

*"He's Jack."

*"You could've stood up for your rights, you know? You milksop!"