Broom-Stick Bunny

It's Halloween and we are at the home of "Witch Hazel" who proudly displays her "diploma" on the wall which reads, "Malevolent Order of Witches - A. F. of Elves."

The first thing you notice is the great artwork: cool drawings of the inside of the house and great colors. These restoration jobs on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection DVDs are tremendous.

Bugs is out trick-or-treating and, of course, stops at Hazel's house. Bugs is wearing a witch's mask, too. Bugs asks the "lady" if she has anything for a "little witch." Hmmm, thinks Hazel, "I don't remember seeing her at any of the union meetings." Hazel winds up thinking the visitor is so little and ugly - which is a compliment. She winds up trying to find out Bugs' secret to being so ugly.

The humorous dialog making ugly the ideal and beauty the opposite, Hazel then discovering it's not another witch but a rabbit and how she reacts......and those wild colors all make this a lot of fun to watch. It's another Bugs Bunny winner.

Witch Hazel is having some insecurity issues about getting prettier as she grows older and asks her magic mirror if she is still the ugliest witch of them all. The mirror reassures her that she is. That is until a trick-or-treating Bugs Bunny (dressed as a witch) shows up at her house. The mirror then tells Hazel that Bugs is uglier, which just doesn't sit well with our favorite witch. Colorful animation, if a little sketchy for my tastes. Lively music from Milt Franklyn. Wonderful voice work from legends June Foray and Mel Blanc. It's a very funny short with great characters. Probably my favorite Witch Hazel cartoon.

To summarise, this short is creepy and fun, and incidentally my personal favourite of the cartoons starring Witch Hazel. The animation here is stunning, and the story is top notch too. Bugs is still great, but it is Hazel who steals the show, her voice, her laugh, her mannerisms are all enough to make her truly memorable. The script is fine, but the sight gags are better I think, with a wonderful(and hilarious) ending. Also the part when Bugs tears up causing Hazel to cry as well almost made me do so too, Bugs's expression was so cute. Mel Blanc excels as always as Bugs, but June Foray steals the show with a bravura vocal performance as Witch Hazel. Overall, really fun to watch. 10/10 Bethany Cox

It is Halloween. Bugs Bunny goes trick or treating at Witch Hazel's house. She prides herself as being the ugliest one of all. When the mirror spots Bugs in a witch mask, it proclaims Bugs to be uglier than her. Bugs takes off his mask. She realizes that she needs a rabbit for her brew.

This is an absolute classic and I absolutely love it. I love it all although I missed something while watching it as a child. I don't think that I realized she is actually trying to be ugly. That is even more funnier. It is a great twist to the classic fairy tale. Hazel is a great character and great with Bugs.

For Witch Hazel (who's all gleeful cackling and flying hairpins) there's nothing more satisfying than being reassured (by the Genie in the magic mirror) that she is, indeed, the ugliest one of all.

Yep. There's no bigger compliment than that for this snaggle-toothed old hag.

And, so (on Halloween night) when an even uglier little witch comes a-knocking at her door (hollering out "Trick or Treat!") you can be darn certain that old Witch Hazel is gonna do everything within the wickedness of her power to reclaim, once again, that crown of supreme ugliness for herself.

Anyway - (IMO) - "Broom-Stick Bunny" may have been a "Bugs Bunny" cartoon, first and foremost - But, with that aside - It was, without question, Witch Hazel (and all of her hysterical histrionics) that stole the show here, over, and over again.