Rabbit's Kin

"Shorty," a little rabbit, comes racing into Bugs' hole seeking shelter and help. A ferocious monster, according to the fast-talking little hare, is after him. Bugs figures it is "Pete Puma," and goes to investigate. Sure enough, it is, and Pete -with a funny voice - tells Bugs he's after a little rabbit who is going to eat. Bugs asks him, "Wouldn't you rather have a big rabbit?"

Bugs then torments the poor, dumb sap, which is how the orange puma is portrayed. I'll tell ya, this Puma was a funny guy. He dresses up as Shorty's mother, trying the lure the little one, and is hilarious. However, poor Pete isn't smart enough to pull off any ploy...and pays the price each time.

Puma's voice (by Stan Freberg) was probably the highlight of this so-so cartoon. Using English subtitles to translate the super-speed-voice little rabbit helped, too.

Shorty, a school-age rabbit who must have learned how to speak from Alvin and the Chipmunks, frantically (he does everything frantically) jumps into Bugs Bunny's rabbit hole to escape the clutches of the villainous, but extremely stupid, Pete Puma, whose distinctive speech climaxes in an ear-splitting screech. Pete tries to trick Bugs and Shorty with an exploding cigar. Doesn't work. The cigar says "El Explodo" right on the wrapper. He tries to trick them by disguising himself as Shorty's mother. Doesn't work either. His rabbit ears are leaves that are inelegantly affixed to his hat. How can this poor, pathetic puma win the day? Smarter opponents than he have failed to outwit the wily Bugs Bunny.

This was not a great picture, but all Warner Brothers cartoon fans remember it for a great character. He appeared only in this film: Pete Puma. Stan Freberg's voice, with that hilarious (and fun-to-imitate) screeching, is the main reason for Pete's enduring popularity. The secondary reason is the hilarious animation. That incredible semi-dance Pete does, when he enters as the mother, is sublime.

This cartoon is available on the "Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Volume One," Disc 1.

Bugs Bunny rescues an adorable little rabbit named Shorty from the clutches of Pete Puma. Bugs shows Shorty how to deal with the dimwitted feline. The bad: Shorty's super speed chipmunk voice is very annoying and he seems to have no purpose other than looking cute. The story is also pretty thin and relies heavily on a repeated joke (but a funny one). The good: Pete Puma is comedy gold. Stan Freberg provides the voice and does a great job. I was in stitches every time Pete opened his mouth. The gags are pretty funny, too, with Bugs putting the poor puma through the wringer so bad you actually start to root for him to win in the end. The recurring gag of "how many lumps do you want" never got old to me but others may disagree. Not one of the best Bugs shorts but a fun one.

Priceless dialog: Bugs: "How many lumps you want?" Pete Puma: "Oh, better give me a lotta lumps. A *WHOLE* lotta lumps... (After realizing his mistake) No thanks, I'll do it myself."

Did you know that the character and voice of "Pete Puma" in the Warner Brothers cartoon "Rabbit's Kin" was based on Frank Fontaine's character of "Crazy Guggenheim." Pete's voice was provided by Stan Freberg. Freberg reprised this voice in another Warners cartoon (as Pete!) and in 1990 as Pete on "Tiny Toon Adventures."

Rabbit's Kin is an amusing if unexceptional Bugs Bunny cartoon. The storyline is mediocre mostly, Shorty is cute but he does have an irritating voice as well and the pacing was a little too quick. That said, it is amusing, with some amusing sight gags like Pete Pumas's semi-dance and some razor sharp dialogue. The animation is vibrant and colourful, and the character designs are excellent, and the music is lovely to the ears. Shorty aside, the characters are fine. Bugs is great here, a little underplayed compared to other times I have seen him, but Mel Blanc voices him marvellously. My favourite character though was Pete, he was absolutely hilarious and quite likable, with a scream/howl that you just love to imitate with a brilliant vocal performance from Stan Freberg. Overall, not absolutely superb, but definitely worth the watch. 7/10 Bethany Cox