Operation: Rabbit

'Operation: Rabbit' is a Merrie Melodies cartoon featuring Bugs Bunny and Wile E. Coyote, both voiced by Mel Blanc. It is the first cartoon where the coyote tells us his real name. He thinks he is a genius and in the first scene he puts a door in front of a rabbit hole, knocks the door and waits for Bugs to open. He then explains how smart and fast he is and that it is better for Bugs to surrender himself to the coyote. It is a great start for a great cartoon.

Of course Bugs will not surrender and so the coyote has to come up with a couple of plans to catch the rabbit. And although we know he will fail with every attempt the gags are not really predictable. Directed by Chuck Jones, who makes almost everything work, this cartoon is definitely worth watching.

After his failure to catch the Roadrunner in 1949's Fast And Furry-ous, Wile E. Coyote instead targets a new prey: Bugs Bunny. Unfortunately, his luck with catching Bugs isn't much better than it was with the Roadrunner three years earlier.

Although it's a little odd that Wile E. Coyote's sophomore cartoon was actually the first of five that paired him with Bugs Bunny (suggesting that Chuck Jones knew he had a popular character with Wile E. but wasn't quite sure of what to do with him after F&F), Bugs proves to be just as funny a foil for Wile E. as the Roadrunner was. In addition to discovering his name, we also discover Wile E.'s over-inflated ego. This, of course, is what ultimately does him in. The whole use of "modern science" to capture Bugs was a first at the time and a welcome departure from the usual "man with gun out to get Bugs" routine. Of course, the cartoon's novel presentation is put to good use with some very funny gags (my favorite being the mechanical bunny). Plus, at the end of the cartoon, we hear one of Bugs's most oft-quoted lines (which is already cited elsewhere on IMDb).

Overall, this is one of the funniest and most creative Bugs Bunny shorts ever released. It's a shame the remaining four cartoons couldn't quite live up to this one because, considering the potential the cartoon's formula had, Wile E. and Bugs could've easily become just as popular a pairing as Wile E. and the Roadrunner.

Wile E. Coyote versus Bugs Bunny? Wow, this was a new one on me, when I first saw it, but it occurred a couple of times in Loony Tunes cartoons....and we, the viewer, are the winners for it.

Also different for first-time viewers of this collaboration between two LT stars, is hearing Wile speak.. "Allow me to introduce myself," he says right off the bat to Bugs. He gives Bugs his card which reads "Wile E Coyote - Genius." He then proceeds to tell Bugs, in a muted British accent, no less, that he intends to eat him. He's gonna give Bugs "the customary two minutes to say your prayers." Bugs slams the portable door on him, says no thanks, and disappears back into his rabbit hole while Wile goes back to his cave muttering "Why do they always want to do it the hard way?"

After that, it's standard "Roadrunner" material with Wile pulling out every plan he has under "Operation: Rabbit" in his arsenal....and the predictable result. The "smart" guys goes through a half dozen plans while the "dumb" thwarts him every time.

I loved the ending to this cartoon as Wile humbly calls himself something else. This was a lot of fun to watch and a good lesson for those elitists who think they are smarter than most others. Surprise!!!

I love Bugs Bunny and I like Wile E.Coyote, and I thoroughly enjoy their cartoons together on the whole. Yes even more so than the Raodrunner vs. Coyote cartoons, I like those too but these have more wit and personality. Operation:Rabbit is my personal favourite of their cartoons, it is simply brilliant. Whether it is the best Looney Tunes short, or one of their better ones, or even my favourite cartoon is up for debate still in my mind, but I cannot deny whatever the answer this cartoon is excellent. Great animation, energetic music, cracking pace, witty dialogue and wonderful sight gags are just a few things to like about Operation:Rabbit. Plus Bugs and Coyote work perfectly together, cunning Wile E.Coyote is wonderful with Bugs who is every bit his equal in terms of personality and Mel Blanc voices both characters brilliantly as he always does. Overall, brilliant and recommended. 10/10 Bethany Cox

In a slight break from protocol, Chuck Jones, Michael Maltese, and Mel Blanc pit Wile E. Coyote - aka Supergenius - against Bugs Bunny. But, sure enough, Bugs has ways of avoiding capture...most of which involve Wile E. getting maimed somehow.

The point is that no matter how hard he tries, Wile E. has no success in any field, whether going after the Road Runner or Bugs Bunny. And they play it to great effect. "Operation: Rabbit" is a classic just like the rest of the Looney Tunes cartoons from that era. Having Wile E. talk doesn't diminish the quality at all.

Mud spelled backwards is dum. Exactly!