Rabbit Hood

Great wiseacre comedy, like every Chuck Jones Bugs Bunny. One of the few that incorporated live-action cameos. Pay close attention when the Sheriff of Nottingham comes to an immense clearing and spies (to a rapid drumbeat) something red in the distance. He strains and squints to make it out, but all we can see is a red line moving slowly across the meadow straight for him. As it approaches it picks up speed and we can see it is a red carpet rapidly unrolling itself. It finishes unrolling directly at the Sheriff's feet, revealing Bugs dressed as the king of England...and no matter how many times you have seen it, Bugs' expression of serene tranquility and the Sheriff's reaction of utter astonishment and discombobulation will have you on the floor! "I knight you," King Bugs proclaims, "Sir Loin of Beef..."

Bugs Bunny is caught stealing carrots from the King's carrot patch by the Sheriff of Nottingham. Classic short directed by Chuck Jones with a story by Michael Maltese. This one's lots of fun. Beautifully animated with well-drawn character and backgrounds. The lovely Technicolor is always a plus. Great voice work the incomparable Mel Blanc as Bugs, the Sheriff, and the dimwitted Little John who has a funny recurring bit. Rousing score from Carl W. Stalling. Lots of great gags and lines. Two of my favorites are the real estate scam and the classic knighting gag. The Errol Flynn cameo at the end (via footage from a certain movie that should be too obvious for me to bother naming) always brings a smile to my face.

Bugs Bunny is in the King's Carrot Patch. He tries to steal a carrot which sets off an alarm. He is arrested by the Sheriff of Nottingham. He is saved by Little John, but Robin Hood fails to materialize. It is time and time again as the Sheriff gets tricked. Little John introduces Robin Hood for the last time, but Bugs has had enough. He starts berating Little John until Errol Flynn shows up playing Robin Hood.

This is a terrific Bugs Bunny cartoon. I like everything about Little John. The little difference is the last bit with Errol Flynn. It may be a problem for modern audiences who have never seen the man. Otherwise, this is a supreme Bugs cartoon.

You know, the world of movies was different before the late fifties. Once you released a film, it had a run, hopefully a long one. Then it was gone, as if it never existed. Then we had TeeVee that started to show just-out-of-release movies, then Ted Turner showing old movies from collections he purchased, and then tapes and DVDs. Now movies can be seen by anyone at any time.

But not then, and if it was big, the studios could rerelease it, and get a second round of return. Such was the case with "Robin Hood." And to increase the buzz, they commissioned this, essentially an ad and featuring a publicity still of Errol Flynn.

There's something a bit wonderful about how Bugs grew up as a character, and its pretty sophisticated what happens here. Bugs is treated as if he were an actor hired to play a part, a Robin Hood part. Its highly introspective humor this. No joke is funny, but the very idea is miraculous.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

In "Rabbit Hood", Bugs Bunny makes mincemeat of a guard after trying to steal some of Prince John's royal carrots while Little John idiotically claims that Robin Hood is coming. Knowing that this is Bugs Bunny, you can probably guess what sorts of tricks he has up his sleeve (or wherever he keeps them).

Cartoons like this just go to show that the creators really reached their apex in the late '40s and early '50s. I learned from "Bugs Bunny Superstar" that Bob Clampett, Chuck Jones, and that whole crowd liked to act out their cartoons during lunch breaks. I can imagine how much fun they must have had acting this one out! All in all, a great cartoon. It shows that entertainment just needs to be clever.