Broom-Stick Bunny

This 1956 "Looney Tunes" cartoon short called "Broom-Stick Bunny" is one fun entertaining and clever cartoon that's always a joy when watched. It involves "Halloween" time with Witch Hazel being at her castle and she wants nothing more than to stay ugly, well Bugs is going to her place to trick or treat, and once she finds out he's a real bunny the episode becomes a chase and twist of fighting between pretty looks and staying ugly! The cartoon is funny as the Magic Mirror is the telling tale of the story as wanting to be ugly backfires for the witch! Nice cartoon with a twist!

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 simply delighted to be the ugliest witch ever as told to her by her magic mirror. That is until Bugs Bunny shows up trick-or-treating. The mirror mistaking the rabbit's mask for his real face soon rescinds the title that he gave Hazel as ugliest and bestows it on Bugs. Which of course infuriates Hazel to no end. This is another great Looney Tunes short, and while I was never the biggest fan of Witch Hazel, this is one of the best cartoons with her in it. This animated short can be seen on Disc 1 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 2. It also features an optional commentary by legendary voice actress June Foray who seems to remember quite a lot. Plus, the short has a musical score and effects only track as well.

My Grade: B+

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's Halloween and Witch Hazel is preparing a potion to ensure that she keeps ugly. Meanwhile Bugs is trick or treating dressed as a very ugly witch. When Hazel opens the door to Bugs in costume, she fears that she is not the ugliest witch in the world. When she eventually finds out that Bugs is a rabbit, it only places him in more danger as Hazel needs rabbit to finish her potion.

I have seen several other cartoons with this witch Hazel character in them and I haven't really taken to her as a regular character, although as an one off she can do the job reasonably well. Here the film gets off to a slow start where Bugs is still in costume but gets better when the actual chase begins. The problem is that this chase is left far too late in the film to make up for the lack of good laughs in the first place. The chase has laughs but the fact that it comes late in the game is a letdown.

Bugs does OK in his role and manages to do his usual stuff even if he has more running away to do than he has actual trickery. Hazel is alright but I just don't really like her as I never see her as a character so much as just a big witch stereotype (which is what she is). She gets a few laughs here but her dominant character doesn't really fit with Bugs' style of humour.

Overall this is reasonably funny but inexplicably leaves the good stuff till right near the end of the cartoon instead of spreading it out. One of the better Witch Hazel cartoons, but that really isn't saying a great deal.