Frigid Hare

Ahh, the first appearance of what has to be Warner Bros.'s cutest cartoon creation: the tuxedo-wearing penguin. Who can't help but gush when that adorable little bird stars crying ice cubes? Bugs takes yet another wrong turn at Albuquerque and ends up in the South Pole, just in time to save said-penguin from an eskimo. However, when he leaves the little penguin to continue his vacation, it gets caught by the same eskimo, and Bugs feels obligated to help out the poor little bird, even though it will no doubt cut into his vacation. I find it interesting that we never find out what the eskimo wanted the penguin for (we assume it's for food, but you never know). Though Bugs is up to his old tricks and gives us an impressive show, the star is still the little penguin. Warning: don't watch this if you have an thing against cuteness, or if the person next to you has a tendency to gush all over cute things ("Awww! I just wanna pinch his wittle cheekies!"); you'll get sick before the cartoon is over.

Frigid Hare (1949)

*** (out of 4)

Jack Warner gives Bugs Bunny two weeks vacation so the rabbit begins digging for Miami Beach but takes a wrong turn and ends up at the South Pole. Once there he gets involved with a small penguin who is being hunted by an eskimo. Some will probably be offended by the nature of the Eskimo because of how he's drawn and some of the dialogue thrown at him but we must remember the times that this was made. With that out of the way, this remains a cute and charming short but it's certainly not a classic. The relationship between Bugs and the penguin is pretty cute and there are plenty of laughs to keep the thing moving. The action sequences aren't as violent as you might expect and the final gag is a good one.

I have the "Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection" and this is one of many cartoons in the set. However, before seeing this one in the set, I can't recall having seen it for decades. IMDb explains that the way that the Inuit native is shown in this one was seen as offensive--and it was removed from circulation. Well, apparently it's not longer that politically incorrect and was included in the set.

The film begins with a familiar scene--with Bugs tunneling to one place but ending up in another by mistake. While he's headed to Miami, somehow he's ended up near Antarctica (where there are NO Inuits!). Soon he sees a cute little penguin being chased by the hungry native and Bugs decides to intervene. However, he does NOT want to adopt a penguin and soon leaves the creature--but returns when the native is about to eat the bird. So, Bugs pulls out his usual set of tricks (including dressing up as a woman) and gets the better of the dumb Inuit hunter...who should be living near the Arctic!

As with any Bugs Bunny cartoon from this era, the animation is exceptional and the film is full of laughs.

Frigid Hare is another Bugs Bunny cartoon in which he should have taken a "left turn at Albuquerque" and ends up at the South Pole. It's here that he meets a little penguin who he saves from a hunter who wants to capture him. When he tries to get back to Miami Beach, however, the penguin wants to follow him. Bugs pushes him on his way but the little snow-bird ends up in the man's bag. So the rabbit now has to outsmart him...This is both a cute and funny cartoon made by a man who knows how to make that combination work: Chuck Jones. Supposedly, this cartoon was banned recently because of the way the man in this short was drawn and depicted in characterization. While there might some traces of a stereotype here, I don't think any harm was intended. Anyway, I highly recommend Frigid Hare. It's on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Vol. 1.

"Frigid Hare" probably seemed a little funnier before most people could have understood that it was making rather negative stereotypes about Eskimos ("Eskimo" isn't even the accurate name; they're called "Inuit"). Other than that, it's pretty funny as Bugs Bunny ends up in Antarctica ("I knew I shoulda taken a left toin at Albakoikee!") and has to protect a baby penguin from a hunter. Aside from the probably racist undertones, overemphasis on cuteness, and geographic inaccuracies - the Inuit live in the North Pole, not South Pole - it's a pretty funny short cartoon. Bugs does his usual stuff, and the last line would make anyone thank God for loopholes.