Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales

By all means, 'Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales' is not as good as the classic Looney Tunes cartoons and doesn't see these great characters at their very best, but it is decent and very watchable stuff and makes for some good entertainment at Christmas.

Anthologies tend to have segments that are better than others, and 'Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales' is no exception. For me, the take on 'A Christmas Carol', named 'Bugs Bunny's Christmas Carol', was the best. 'Freeze Frame' with Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote and 'Fright Before Christmas' with Taz and Bugs (not to mention Clyde) are watchable and reasonably entertaining, with 'Freeze Frame' being the better of the two, though neither showcase the best of either character's best talents and the best ideas and gags for Looney Tunes were long gone when this was made.

In all three segments, there is a made-for-TV feel which does see some stiffness in the character designs and a lack of finesse, but it is colourful with some nice background detail and a good sense of Christmas with the wintry setting. It is true that the music is not up to the standard of Carl Stalling (or Milt Franklyn even), but while it is not completely action-enhancing there are some nice sounds, it doesn't sound cheap, it has energy and at least it fits.

All three segments have their amusing moments, without being hilarious and all three could have been more consistent with the humour. What there is is mostly timed quite well, without feeling too tired or hurried, though 'Fright Before Christmas' has too much of a recycled feel to the gags at times. The most successful humour-wise is 'Freeze Frame, which while nowhere near one of the classics of that particular series of cartoons it feels more like a Roadrunner/Wile E. Coyote cartoon than most of their later efforts, which saw some of the duds in the Looney Tunes canon. 'Bugs Bunny's Christmas Carol' is also quite fun, with the best moments belonging to Yosemite Sam, perfectly cast in the Ebeneezer Scrooge role.

Narratively, the cartoons fare okay. 'Freeze Frame' is a bit samey and routine, and 'Fright Before Christmas' is quite predictable, but 'Bugs Bunny's Christmas Carol' is a fun and quite clever take on the classic story and would have been even better if it was longer and less rushed. The characters are true to personality, especially Yosemite, Bugs and Coyote. As said Sam is perfectly cast in the Ebeneezer Scrooge role, Bugs is his usual smart, zany and likable self and Porky Pig is touchingly humble and timid as Bob Cratchit. It is a shame though that too many of the other characters while nice to spot and true to their classic personalities don't have enough material or screen time to shine properly.

Roadrunner is amusing in 'Freeze Frame', much less annoying than he was in the late 60s RR/C cartoons, and doesn't feel too much of a plot device, though Coyote is funnier and more interesting and is great fun. The two work well together. No problem can be had with Bugs in 'Fright Before Christmas' either, and Taz is fun while Clyde is a memorable supporting character. Mel Blanc does a blameless job with the voices, and while she doesn't have as many roles to fill (only two to Blanc's twelve) June Foray does more than dependably too.

Overall, decent if not great. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales (1979) is a Holiday TV Special with our favorite Looney Tunes characters and it was a wonderful experience.

Positives for Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales (1979): This is one of those TV Specials that is perfect for the Christmas Holiday. You have three shorts with Bugs Bunny's Christmas Carol, Freeze Frame and The Fright Before Christmas. My favorite was the final entry. The humor is wonderful and I wish we had comedy like this nowadays because the genre desperately needs it. And finally, the hand-drawn animation is just wonderful to look at.

Overall, Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales (1979) is a wonderful Holiday TV Special with the Looney Tunes and I had a blast watching it.

I thought that the characters were really funny and all had great personalities. The animation in My opinion was crisp, clean, and really clear. Not to mention beautiful! Most of the characters in this show are hilarious Looney Tunes characters that we all love. in My opinion these characters are the funnies and talented ever seen. In fact, The things that goes on in this series' cartoons are in My opinion nuts which that is what makes them hilarious! There are so many to like and laugh at and the silly things they do! If you like the original Looney Tunes and animated films then I strongly recommend that you watch this movie today!

This is 3 Christmas themed episodes. In the first one, Yosemite Sam is Ebenezer Scrooge and Porky Pig is Bob Cratchit. Scrooge not only fires Cratchit but he also evicts his family. Bugs Bunny decides to take matters into his own hands and scare the Christmas spirit into him. In the second one, Wile E. Coyote tricks Road Runner into a colder climate hoping to slow him down. In the third one, Tasmanian Devil escapes a transport plane over the North Pole. He takes on the guise of Santa Claus and comes to Bugs Bunny's home.

The Christmas Carol feels a little rushed. It's highly compressed but that's the nature of Looney Tunes episodes. The Road Runner is interesting because they get a different setting. The hijinx continue to be the same. The third one is most notable for the little used nephew of Bugs Bunny, Clyde Rabbit. These are all fine Looney episodes but limited as a Christmas special.

Three different cartoons, three funny short films - a really fun anthology. "Scrooge" AKA "A Christmas Carol", "Freeze Frame" and "The Fright Before Christmas".

"Scrooge" AKA "A Christmas Carol" - Yosemite Sam is Scrooge, Porky is Bob Cratchit and Bug Bunny is becomes the Ghost to frighten Sam/Scrooge into becoming a decent person. A really cute version of the story.

"Freeze Frame" - Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. The Coyote is back up to his usual trick trying to catch the quick bird. Some funny stuff in this segment.

"The Fright Before Christmas" - Tasmanian Devil ends up as Santa Claus in this fun version of the poem. Bugs will set everything back right in the end as usual.

A fun family film! 10/10