Mutiny on the Bunny

Probably the reason that Yosemite Sam is so funny is that he's always so short-tempered, and when he gets paired with Bugs Bunny, he always seems like he's about to explode. In this case, Shanghai Sam loses his crew (the guy used to be a human being!) and kidnaps Bugs, only to see Bugs rebel. No matter what Sam does, Bugs figures out a way around it. The whole thing with the cannonballs makes me feel like I'm going to die laughing.

The point is, the combination of Bugs's antics and Sam's angry rants (involving insults like "flea-bitten varmint" or "fur-bearin' varmint", only extended) always make for something great. A really classic cartoon.

Yosemite Sam gives one of his best and most believable performances as Shanghai Sam, feared captain of the Sad Sack (formerly the Jolly Roger), who has just lost another crew. Seeing as his idea of a crew is that one person is enough, he tricks the first carrot nibbling tourist he can find to get on board for a `free round the world ocean trip'. Of course he finds this Bunny is not so easily broken.

Yosemite is probably my favourite Loony villain, especially when paired with Bugs. Marvin may be more threatening to the universe, Daffy more backstabbing and the Coyote more hungry, but Sam is just plain mean. Nobody does the old `No I'm not /Yes I am' routine better than Bugs and Sam. No Toon looks as terrible in a dress as Sam and no one knows how to exploit the gullibility of a bloated ego like Bugs. As a running gag the same footage of the boat sinking and being repaired is used at least three times in a row. Each time the repetitiveness makes it funnier! (maybe this is how Lou Scheimer got the idea to start Filmation?).

7 out 10

When Shanghai Sam loses the last of his crew he finds himself with a pirate ship but no one to man it. Under the pretence of a free cruise, Sam tricks Bugs Bunny on board and then hits him with a cosh. Bugs wakes up to find himself swabbing decks and rowing the galleon across the ocean! However Sam soon comes to regret his choice of pressgang.

Usually the strongest cartoons Bugs made were the ones where he had a good foil to outsmart and trick. Here is no exception as Shanghai Sam is a worthy foe that tries to give as good as he gets, (but ultimately gets more than he gives). The film starts slowly but soon sees Bugs and Sam involved in a running battle of wits that involves a very funny running gag where Sam ends up in dry dock before being launched (again!) to a ticker-tape send off! This is typical of the rest of the cartoon as it is all pretty funny and slick.

Bugs is in very good form and is great value for money; he starts the cartoon easily being taken for a ride but it isn't long before he gets the upper hand. Sam is a great partner here and he takes the falls well, always getting back up and trying again to humorous effect.

Overall this is a typically good cartoon from Bugs Bunny that will please fans as it does exactly what we expect him to do. The material is smart and very funny at times and the two characters are very enjoyable in their roles.

Yosemite Sam (appropriately dubbed Shanghai Sam here) tricks Bugs Bunny into coming onto his ship. Then he conks him over the head and forces him to be his one-man crew. Bugs quickly adapts and takes control of the situation. Very funny Bugs cartoon with lots of great gags, some of which are familiar but fun ("I'm captain / You're captain"). I love the bit where Bugs writes graffiti on the deck just to rile ornery Sam up. Or when Bugs tricks Sam into digging for buried treasure on his ship. Sam's out of his league but it's so much fun to watch him be made a fool of repeatedly. Terrific animation, rousing music, and wonderful voicework. It's a fun Looney Tunes cartoon that everybody should enjoy.

. . . MUTINY ON THE BUNNY, especially if they have a bucket handy to contain the inevitable overflow of the tides brought on by excess laughter. Every sailor's mother will recognize the character of "Shanghai Sam" as a dead ringer for the typical nemesis officer sure to pervade her offspring's tales of woe from what constitutes "Boot Camp" in the Navy. This Bugs Bunny film captures it all: the endless repetition, the meaningless tasks, the cavalier disregard of basic human rights and the extreme wastefulness of keeping floating relics of Yesteryear from joining the Lusitania and Titanic on the murky seabed where they belong. Fortunately, Bugs devises a way to throw out the anchor with the bathwater and earn the last laugh.