Mississippi Hare

One of the better Bugs shorts, although not seen much today due to its depiction of blacks picking cotton and parodies of Uncle Tom's Cabin. If you can forgive those misgivings, then this is a definite must see short. Bugs takes on a Mississippi Colonel on a riverboat.

I understand that "Mississippi Hare" got censored for showing black people picking cotton, but most of the cartoon has nothing to do with that. In fact, most of the cartoon nearly made me die laughing, as Bugs Bunny plays every kind of trick to avoid getting shot by an aggressive riverboat gambler whom he beats at poker. While some scenes set up what's about to happen, others are sped up so that you can't wait to see what's going to happen! Yes, once again, someone tries to go after Bugs, but Bugs is somehow always ten steps ahead. You gotta love it. And as for that scene where Bugs dresses up as a Southern belle...well, seeing a woman like that, I might have easily fallen for any trick!

I'm a sucker for banned cartoons but this one doesn't seem to be as racist or otherwise offensive as some others I've seen.

Bugs is mistakenly taken for cotton by some cottonpluckers (who, as you would expect, appear to be black), and finds himself back on a boat cruising the Mississippi.

Obviously, Bugs doesn't have a ticket but with some changing of clothes everybody thinks he's some rich hot-shot. He wins a poker match against a colonel and then gets involved in a fight with him, and as always a couple of changes in his wardrobe do the trick.

There's a little joke in there concerning Uncle Tom's Cabin but it's all not too serious as I'm pondering why this one has been and continues to be banned for so long.

The cartoon itself isn't anything special if you'd ask me: 5/10.

Accidentally picked up and stuffed into a bale of cotton, Bugs winds up on a steamship headed to Mississippi. Fearful of being discovered as a stowaway and thrown into the river, Bugs dons two different disguises, beginning with his Southern aristocrat outfit and finishing with his Southern Belle look.

In the bulk of the story, Bugs battles a Yosemite Sam-type character in "Colonel Shuffle," a gambler who doesn't tolerate losing. Overall, the duels between the two had a few funny sight gags but not many. The dialog was the attraction here more than the slapstick visuals.

The final line Bugs delivers in here - directed to us, the audience, - was "cute." Overall, however, this was okay, but nothing special.

Note: I was stunned to see from other reviewers here comment that the Politically-Correct Police banned this cartoon because a black person was seen early on picking cotton. Excuse me, but what's the problem? Many blacks did pick cotton down South. So what? You censor a cartoon for showing something that happened in history? Black people would not be offended at that opening scene. That's going way overboard. It sounds like modern-day Nazism. By the way, where is the concerned PC Police in all these cartoons and movies which almost always show Southerners to be stupid?

Banning Bugs Bunny cartoons? How lame and ludicrous can you get?

As another reviewer said, the cartoon isn't offensive, just not all that funny.

Mississippi Hare is not one of the greatest Looney Tunes cartoons, and Chuck Jones has done better and perhaps been more original. The story is rather predictable, Bugs disguising himself as a woman(southern belle here) has been seen many times though here it's still pretty amusing. However it didn't and doesn't deserve to be banned, the opening scene is stereotypical in a sense but as far as I'm concerned it wasn't racist(believe it or not black people did actually pick cotton). Much makes up for the story's predictability, for one thing it's always crisply paced and doesn't come across as dull. It's beautifully animated, bright and colourful with very well-rendered backgrounds and character designs. Carl Stalling's music is perfectly in sync with the action and is very characterful, the way the music is orchestrated also still impresses. The dialogue still maintains the freshness and wit you expect from Looney Tunes- who doesn't love the ending line?- while the gags are similarly funny, strictly speaking the one with Colonel Shuffle setting fire to his pants is hilarious. Bugs is still cunning and likable as well as smart and arrogant, while Colonel Shuffle is a fun foil, like the southern answer to Yosemite Sam. Mel Blanc's vocals are still nigh-on perfect, likewise with Billy Bletcher. Overall, fun, witty, well-voiced and beautifully animated and scored if a little predictable that was/is undeservedly banned. 8/10 Bethany Cox