Ali Baba Bunny

Personally I usually do not like episodes where Daffy Duck is annoyingly cruel, but I was very impressed with this one. In "Ali Baba Bunny" are surprises, very good gags and jokes and a theme that works well. The animation and lines from Daffy were also impressive and I did not begin to mind too much that he was, as he phrased it himself, "a greedy slob" in this episode.

The episode begins with Ali Baba closing the cave to the well-known Arabian treasure. He tells his guard, Hassan, to guard the cave well and goes off on his very small camel. What Hassan was not expecting was a black duck called Daffy and a grey bunny called Bugs to come up from underground into the cave. Bugs Bunny is beginning to become worried when he realises he is not where he wanted to be, but Daffy is perfectly happy to stay where he is and be "comfortably well off"...

I recommend this episode to anyone who likes a good laugh, for anyone who does not mind a greedy black duck and for anyone who likes Looney Tunes in general. As bobthemoo proves (he is a Looney Tunes fan, by the way people), not every Looney Tunes fan will enjoy this, but I say this episode is worth a try. Enjoy "Ali Baba Bunny"! :-)

One fine day, the Sultan of Baghdad closes Sesame, and reminds guard Hassan: "Guard well this treasure, or may the jackal grow fat on thy carcass." Hassan affirms: "No one shall pass Hassan." However, neither man counted on two people, er, animals: Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. It just so happens that they accidentally burrow right into the cave. When they see where they've landed, Bugs tries to figure out where they took a wrong turn, while Daffy spots the treasure. His greedy side takes over, and after forcing Bugs back into the hole, Daffy proceeds to play in the treasure.

Meanwhile, Hassan has finally remembered the password. He goes after Daffy, while Bugs disguises himself as a genie and grants Hassan a wish. After they finally manage to get rid of that guard, Daffy accidentally finds the real genie, and...well, let's just say that they don't become friends. Bugs flees, of course.

Once again, Chuck Jones and company hit the comedy jackpot. This is what classic cartoons are all about. In my opinion, the Looney Tunes were always better than Disney.

An absolutely wonderful cartoon. But I'm biased - saw it first at the Cartoon Cinema in Sheffield England in 1958 or thereabouts aged 7 with grandmother. To me it's one of the finest and funniest Bugs Bunny cartoons.

Granted it might attract disparaging comment for the stereotypical Arabs - but it is of its time and that time was 1957. So far as I know it never has attracted criticism from the Arab world.

It is delightful for the interplay between the greedy (capitalist?) duck and his pretensions ("I'm comfortably well off...") and the world wise but decent Bugs Bunny - who rescues the duck from his folly only for Daffy to blow it at the end - with yet more greed.

A fable for our times yet again?

Oh, and Pismo Beach is in California, not Florida.

Duncan Stewart.

I think I've seen every Looney Tunes cartoon in my short life span. I always preferred WB to Disney, Bugs to Mickey, etc. The best ones are, obviously, the Chuck Jones shorts. But which of those are the best?

I think the answer must be "Ali Baba Bunny". It has the famous Bugs and Daffy rivalry, it has a different setting, it has a hilarious new character (Hassan), it's just cartoon perfection. Also has some of the best damn lines in any Looney Tunes cartoon.

"Open sasparilla? Open Saskatchewan?"

"I'm rich! I'm wealthy! I'm comfortably well off!"

"DUCK. YOU HAVE DESECRATED MY LAMP."

Classic. Absolutely classic. No cartoons will ever match the genius of the Looney Tunes Chuck Jones ones.

The animation is also top notch. I hate seeing a Looney Tunes cartoon with bad animation, but Jones never disappoints. The little things in the animation just make it perfect, like when Daffy first spots the treasure, and his bottom bill shifts side to side in greediness, or when Bugs is surprised by Daffy shouting for help, his toes scrunch up...

Long live Bugs Bunny.

Hilarious Bugs & Daffy short from the great Chuck Jones and Michael Maltese. This one reminds me of the Hope & Crosby buddy comedy Road films as Bugs & Daffy travel to the Middle East (looking for Pismo Beach, of all places). There they find a Sultan's treasure but standing in the way of them taking the loot is the Sultan's guard Hassan ("Hassan chop!"). This is such a wonderful cartoon. It's funny from start to finish with beautiful animation (love the colors) and lots of memorable lines. The music is nice and Mel Blanc's voice work is, as you might expect, flawless. It's probably my favorite Bugs & Daffy cartoon where they are friends (or at least not enemies). More of a showcase for Daffy than Bugs, though.