Rabbit Hood

Of all the many Robin Hood based cartoons that came out in the wake of the wonderful Errol Flynn epic 'The Adventures of Robin Hood', 'Robin Hood Daffy' remains the most famous and best. Chuck Jones's 'Rabbit Hood', however, runs a very close second. A lesser known classic, 'Rabbit Hood' has an absolutely superb script by Michael Maltese. Chock full of literate dialogue and extremely unexpected and elaborate gags (the house building gag is one of my all-time favourites), 'Rabbit Hood' is hysterically funny. The Sheriff of Nottingham is a great foil for Bugs, displaying a natural tendency towards being duped rivalled only by Elmer Fudd but which is offset by his exaggerated olde timey British style lines. Bugs is great in this cartoon too, an example of the character at his most innately likable as was typical of Jones's most common depiction of Bugs. The ending, which I won't spoil here, is a wonderful surprise. All in all, 'Rabbit Hood' is an absolutely terrific piece of work and deserves more praise than it usually gets. I highly recommend the spectacularly beautiful 2 disc special edition DVD of 'The Adventures of Robin Hood' which not only features the classic feature film but also offers both 'Rabbit Hood' and 'Robin Hood Daffy' as extras.

You know, the world of movies was different before the late fifties. Once you released a film, it had a run, hopefully a long one. Then it was gone, as if it never existed. Then we had TeeVee that started to show just-out-of-release movies, then Ted Turner showing old movies from collections he purchased, and then tapes and DVDs. Now movies can be seen by anyone at any time.

But not then, and if it was big, the studios could rerelease it, and get a second round of return. Such was the case with "Robin Hood." And to increase the buzz, they commissioned this, essentially an ad and featuring a publicity still of Errol Flynn.

There's something a bit wonderful about how Bugs grew up as a character, and its pretty sophisticated what happens here. Bugs is treated as if he were an actor hired to play a part, a Robin Hood part. Its highly introspective humor this. No joke is funny, but the very idea is miraculous.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

This cartoon is a classic, just great fun from start to finish, with a perfect mix of slapstick and humorous wit, particularly when Bugs tricks the Sheriff into thinking he is the King. The animation is lovely and colourful, and the music is rousing like the sort of thing you would hear in a swashbuckler. The dialogue is truly funny, definitely some of the best dialogue in any Looney Tunes cartoon, and there are a great many like the Hunting Trilogy with terrific dialogue. The Sheriff is a great supporting character, and Bugs is still his rascally self with a touch of arrogance here too. Additionally adding to the enjoyment is the ending, the snippet from the 1938 classic The Adventures of Robin Hood was an inspired touch, while Mel Blanc as always is superb. All in all, I love this, for how clever and witty it is. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Bugs Bunny is caught stealing carrots from the King's carrot patch by the Sheriff of Nottingham. Classic short directed by Chuck Jones with a story by Michael Maltese. This one's lots of fun. Beautifully animated with well-drawn character and backgrounds. The lovely Technicolor is always a plus. Great voice work the incomparable Mel Blanc as Bugs, the Sheriff, and the dimwitted Little John who has a funny recurring bit. Rousing score from Carl W. Stalling. Lots of great gags and lines. Two of my favorites are the real estate scam and the classic knighting gag. The Errol Flynn cameo at the end (via footage from a certain movie that should be too obvious for me to bother naming) always brings a smile to my face.

Bugs Bunny is in the King's Carrot Patch. He tries to steal a carrot which sets off an alarm. He is arrested by the Sheriff of Nottingham. He is saved by Little John, but Robin Hood fails to materialize. It is time and time again as the Sheriff gets tricked. Little John introduces Robin Hood for the last time, but Bugs has had enough. He starts berating Little John until Errol Flynn shows up playing Robin Hood.

This is a terrific Bugs Bunny cartoon. I like everything about Little John. The little difference is the last bit with Errol Flynn. It may be a problem for modern audiences who have never seen the man. Otherwise, this is a supreme Bugs cartoon.