My Bunny Lies Over the Sea

In perhaps Bugs's first reference to that "wrong turn at Albequerque," he instead finds himself in Scotland where he encounters a Scottish bagpipe player (whom he mistakenly presumes is an old lady being attacked by a monster - if that makes sense to you). After Bugs unknowingly destroys the Scotsman's bagpipes, he decides to settle the dispute by challenging the rabbit to a game of golf. Wackiness ensues.

Although nothing above the ordinary, this is still a pretty amusing Bugs Bunny short. The interplay between him and the Scotsman at the beginning is funny (particularly Bugs's portrayal of a Scottish landowner). As are several of the tricks Bugs plays on him when on the links. As far as characterization is concerned, Bugs is his usual tricky self (but no more) while the Scotsman is the stereotypical foreigner complete with a deliberately funny Scottish accent. With no other characters to speak of, this may be one of Bugs's most simplistic cartoons ever (not to be confused with "worst" mind you). The surprise ending is pretty funny too as it finally gives the Scotsman a fair come-uppance.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about this short is its animation. Despite being released in 1948, the cartoon both looks and sounds more like a 1950s short. By contrast, later shorts like High Diving Hare and Rebel Rabbit look and feel more like 1940s shorts. This just goes to show how ahead of his time Chuck Jones really was as his less cinematic style of animation was in the 70s and 80s imitated by almost every cartoonist in one way or another.

Overall, this is a fairly average Bugs Bunny cartoon. But understand that an average Bugs cartoon is still better than a top cartoon with most other cartoon characters. That alone makes it well worth watching.

Bugs Bunny takes the wrong turn at Albuquerque and ends up tunneling into Scotland (!). There he immediately attacks a horrible monster engulfing a defenseless old lady. Only it turns out the "monster" is a set of bagpipes and the "old lady" is a man in a kilt. Bugs thinks this is indecent (despite his own predilection for drag) and throws a barrel over the Scotsman. This is too much, and the angry Scot tries to blow out Bugs's brains. Soon the two opponents settle the matter more civilly - with a game of golf. Bugs's golfing strategy leaves most of his scruples buried under a divot. The infuriated Scotsman suggests one more contest, again underestimating the quick-witted bunny.

A fine series of gags and strong characterizations make this another winner from Chuck Jones, Michael Maltese and company. "McGrory," as Bugs dubs him at one point, gives a series of priceless reactions to the befuddling Bugs. Love that final gag!

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

1948's My Bunny Lies over the Sea, an amusing six-minute Loony Toons animated short that sees our long-eared hero Bugs Bunny once again not taking that left turn at Albuquerque and finding slap dab in Scotland, where comes into confrontational conflict with Angus McRory, finer and funnier over-the-stop Scottish caricature as one could find, with his red hair and beard just a being as firey as his temperament. Of course, we get the usual kind of tropes here, with at one point Bugs disguising him as a fellow Scot in an attempt to outwit Angus, which all then culminate in them playing golf in order to settle their dispute.

It's decent fun although the pacing is so breakneck a pace that it does overtake itself so that it arrives at its denouement a bit too abruptly. While not all the gags land quite as well as others. However, the voice work as ever is a first-rate job for not only Bugs but Angus as well. It's astonishing to think that he provided both, and one wonders if he delivered both of these simultaneously, in which case it's a sheer bloody genius that he could switch between the two so effortlessly. Solid, but not one of the absolute classics, My Bunny Lies Over the Sea as a comedic distraction gets the job done and is a pretty good way to waste some time.

In this early cartoon, Bugs Bunny forgets that left turn at Albuquerque, and ends up in Scotland, where he meets a Scot, and they have a disagreement. After finding that Scottish people don't play cards to settle issues, Bugs plays golf against the Scot. Once again, the rabbit's inventiveness baffles the foreigner.

Warner Bros. released this on two videos and DVD, which is good news. Bugs pulls some funny stunts out on the green, and I like his impersonation of a Scottish landowner. There's a good auction spoof as well. All of it is funny, though not above the average Looney Tunes cartoon. Recommended.

Maybe "My Bunny Lies Over the Sea" stereotypes the Scots as kilt-clad, bagpipe-playing grouches, but it is a hilarious cartoon. After Bugs Bunny forgets that left turn at Albuquerque, he ends up on the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond in Scotland, where he and a local settle a dispute by playing golf. Needless to say, Bugs turns the whole thing on its head.

Among other things, this cartoon makes one nostalgic for the days - which may have been well over 100 years ago - when golf represented Scottish heritage and wasn't just something that rich snobs did to waste time (especially given that Jack Abramoff took Tom DeLay and Bob Ney on the golfing trip in Scotland a few years ago). But mostly, it's a classic cartoon plain and simple. Or, to say it like they would in Scotland: Ay, 'tis a wonderful wee cartoon, ya blasted Englishman! I wonder if that was the Wallace plaid during the opening credits. As a descendant of William Wallace (Scotland's greatest patriot and the subject of "Braveheart"), I hope that it was.