Wackiki Wabbit

If you're a stranded castaway on a desert island and you find your nearest neighbor is Bugs Bunny...maybe it's time to build a getaway boat.

The two seagoing saps in "Wackiki Wabbit" don't take the hint, though, and make the mistake of trying to make Bugs part of their regularly balanced diet after days of starvation and considering each other as main courses ("...and hold the onions", one mutters).

Bugs holds his own well as if there were a doubt, and the big and little castaways make like a disheveled version of Abbott and Costello (even looking the part) and are voiced by Bugs' regular writers Maltese and Pierce (hey, at least they didn't have to hire out for new voices!) with a penchant for sing-songy tunes of joy ("We're gonna have roast rabbit!" and "We're going on a boo-ooat!" are their favorites).

Chuck Jones again proves why he is such a pro at this kind of thing with the breath-taking island vistas and Mel Blanc makes smart-aleck repartee a work of art. And creating a marionette out of a roast chicken never looked so easy before.

Ten stars and an authentic hula dance from Bugs for "Wackiki Wabbit". You can't get more "Wackiki" than this.

While not my favourite Bugs Bunny or Chuck Jones cartoon, Wackiki Rabbit is still a great cartoon with lots of colour, great humour and a wonderfully odd atmosphere. One does wish that Bugs had more to do here, despite being the star he does agreed play more of a secondary character to the castaways, albeit a very memorable and funny one at that.

The cartoon does on the other hand some really colourful visuals with beautifully bold colours, impeccably detailed backgrounds, some inventive 'surreal' physical comedy and well-drawn characters (Bugs' design is in early stages but while different he's drawn well and moves easily). The music by Carl Stalling is typically outstanding, giving the cartoon so much energy while also being richly and cleverly orchestrated throughout, it's also a perfect match with the visuals, humour and action and even elevates them to a greater level. The writing is fresh, razor sharp and brilliantly funny, some of it is bizarre but in a hugely entertaining way, while the gags are oddly surreal but inventive and quite hilarious, especially when the castaways are first introduced to Bugs, with the cooked chicken and the ending.

Story-wise, it's crisply paced, has a constantly colourful atmosphere and it's not too routine or predictable because the humour is so well done. Bugs is as always great fun though as said he should have had more to do, while the castaways (caricatures of Michael Maltese and Tedd Pierce, who also voice the characters) are a hilarious and an oddly-but- well-matched double act. Mel Blanc, Maltese and Pierce all give fine vocal characterisations.

Overall, colourful, hilarious and wonderfully odd. Definitely worth seeing at least once. 9/10 Bethany Cox

This one is a cartoon classic. The two castaways are not only voiced by Michael Maltese and Tedd Pierce, they are caricatures of the two writers as well. Now, you'd think the rabbit would know which side his carrots were buttered on and be nice to two of the writers putting words in his mouth, but they get the same treatment he gives Elmer. Of course, they ARE trying to cook and eat him, so I guess it is understandable that he treats them rather badly. Excellent short. Well worth watching. Most recommended.

In the beginning of this Merrie Melodies cartoon we see two castaways adrift on a small raft.Then they find land.But there, on that tropical island, is also Bugs Bunny.And what do these two men want to do, when they see a rabbit? They want to eat him.Wackiki Wabbit is a Chuck Jones direction from 1943.Mel Blanc can be heard as the voice of Bugs Bunny, as usually.Michael Maltese does the voice of Fat castaway.Tedd Pierce provides the voice for Thin castaway.He is also behind the story.The drawing used for the backgrounds is fascinating.It looks most abstract.We see a lot of wacky stuff here, like those two fools seeing each other as food.And the chicken marionette, hilarious.

Bugs Bunny lives on a tropical island paradise and meets two castaways voiced by Mike Maltese and Tedd Pierce, who are also renowned writers of Bugs' cartoons. I loved the part where Bugs is speaking some island language to them and then doing some crazy hula dance!!! These cartoons are ageless. They are far funnier today than anything new!!!