What's Up Doc?

In this short, Bugs tells the story of his life from the day he was born right up until his discovery in Hollywood and subsequent stardom. It isn't really funny as Bugs doesn't have anyone to work with for most of the cartoon. There are a couple of scenes with Elmer Fudd but he doesn't do or say much. And the running joke with the chorus dancers in the tuxedos wasn't all that amusing. I was also a bit annoyed at the end because not only is it not funny but it isn't true.

I've seen better Bugs cartoons than this. Though I must say the title song is very cool (used in many of 'Rabbit/Duck season' cartoons with Bugs, Daffy and Elmer). It just seems weird using it without having Daffy anywhere in sight.

I saw hardly anything wrong with this short - apart from the fact that it felt too short. I thought it was sweet, funny and had a good storyline. I thought it good that after less than ten years of Bugs Bunny, the WB studios were ready to make a history episode of Bugs Bunny's life. That is what the plot-line is. It may not be how other people see it, but it's just a cartoon. "What's Up Doc" may not have the humour right for everybody, but it can appeal to a wide range of people, many who might even say they do not like Looney Tunes. This is one of my favourite Bugs Bunny shorts and there are many other people out there with similar tastes as me, who will enjoy it even more, or just as much.

In this episode, Bugs Bunny, sunbathing beside his swimming pool, receives a call from a reporter who wants to know about his life. Bugs gives an account of his days from babyhood to the now and we see him performing in familiar and unfamiliar episodes and it is a delight to watch...

I recommend this to anybody who is bored of the slapstick and farce in Looney Tunes and prefers different sorts of this WB cartoon series. Enjoy "What's Up Doc?" :-)

Okay, now, I'm sick of hearing about how Robert McKimson doesn't match up with against the "great" Looney Tunes directors like Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, Tex Avery, Bob Clampett, and I've even read in a book written by one of the foremost cartoon critics, Leonard Maltin, that he doesn't even compare well against Art Davis! I'm not going to denigrate those other directors (well, maybe Davis), we come here to praise McKimson. Sure, he's had his stinkers, but so has everyone else mentioned. When anyone says he's not in the the same league as these others, just remember that those four are a few of the greatest names in cartoon history. As evidence for my case I call upon "A Lad in His Lamp", "Hillbilly Hare", "Walky Talky Hawky", "Devil May Hare", "Stupor Duck", and the list of great 'toons goes on. How about the creation of such characters as Foghorn Leghorn, Henery Hawk, Hippety Hopper, Sylvester Jr., Speedy Gonzales, and the Tasmanian Devil, amongst others.

In What's Up Doc? (yes, my little rant is over) we have another of those wonderful devices where a cartoon character tells us about his rise to stardom, and it's never been done better. (Quick Quiz: Name all of the stars in the park). The vaudeville scenes are highlighted by the duo of Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd singing "What's Up Doc?". Although I'll admit that the joke at the end is a little tame, overall this is one of those memorable Warner Bros. cartoon from their golden age. Oh, and did I mention that this is directed by Robert McKimson?

What's Up Doc has Bugs Bunny in Hollywood. Hard to fathom? Well, Bugs himself refers to this in the beginning, while he is conversing on the telephone with the press. He narrates his life story by saying how 'different' he was from others when he was born. Not only was he a bunny, but he was also a prodigy, playing the toddler piano like Mozart and then stepping it to Broadway. His 'meteoric' rise involves repetition of performances in various shows, which brings him fame and the moment he tries a one-act performance, his career takes a wrong turn. He becomes depressed and aloof till Elmer Fudd notices him and the two form an alliance.

'What's Up Doc?' has some sparkling moments- the 'talk, it's your nickel' joke, the 'first I was born' opening, the desperate attempts made the other struggling actors when Elmer enters and the ironic ending. 'Singin' in the Rain' may have been inspired by this short- however the film is a masterpiece. This short's main problem is that it's a short, so it does not really justify its title to a great extent. It tries to cover too much in its short run length- which proves to be a double edged sword for WUD?.

The animation however is quite superior, and the production is commendable. 'Duck Amuck's' animation is comparatively inferior, however the plot was apt for a short. A thirty minute film for What's up Doc? would do it more justice.

I read a number of reviews that found the film to be boring and unfunny; I found the film to be a brave and somewhat visionary attempt considering the year it was made. And Bugs Bunny is just adorable. My Rating: 8/10

While the cartoon feels rather short and the story on the standard side, it is a interesting, memorable and handsomely mounted Bugs Bunny cartoon. Nothing here is remarkably funny, but there are some effective scenes like the scene in the park and the repeat of "What's Up Doc?" The cartoon also begins and ends in a very cute fashion, and throughout there is handsome animation, lovely vaudeville-like music and excellent voices from Mel Blanc and Arthur Q.Bryan as Bugs and Elmer who make a great double act if I must say so. Bugs is great here, he's been better, but I like his somewhat subdued side here, and Elmer is fine.

Overall, memorable and interesting, not the best but a cartoon worth watching. 8/10 Bethany Cox