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.

Two castaways (based on Warner Brother's writers Micheal Maltese and Tedd Pierces, who also voice themselves) find themselves on a tropical island inhabited by one Bugs Bunny. Seeing as not too long ago these two guys were eyeing each other like they were both food, they naturally start salivating when they see Bugs and proceed to chase him down in order to make some much needed stew. This is another classic from the early years of Bugs and still remains as fresh and funny as it undoubtedly was when it was first released. This one is totally timeless. This animated short can be found on Disk 1 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 3 and includes an optional commentary by John Kricfalusi and Eddie Fitzgerald.

My Grade: A+

As this started, I was dreading terrible jokes from the two stupid men the whole way through. Instead - Bugs Bunny brings on a few clever gags! This is in no ways the best Looney Tunes episode, but it was worth it. :-)

This short begins with two castaways on a bobbing raft in the middle of the ocean, incredibly hungry (the bad jokes that this episode starts with do not follow on in the same way, by the way!). They wash upon, by good (or possibly not) fortune on a desert island. The first thing they see that looks like food is Bugs Bunny. Of course, the wacky wabbit realises that he may end up on the menu, so he beats it very quickly. Funny capers follow...

I like this episode because of the colourful backgrounds, the animation and character of Bugs Bunny (who always seems to be a good character in some way or another) and the humour. This is not the most funny of Looney Tunes, nor is it the most worth watching. If you are new to Bugs Bunny, I suggest you do not watch this first - perhaps try some real classics such as "What's Opera Doc" and "Bugs and Thugs" before you begin on this episode.

Anyhow, anyone who likes Bugs Bunny and stupid side characters will like this short. Enjoy "Wackiki Wabbit"! :-)

7 and a half out of ten.

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.

One of the most surreal and abstract Bugs Bunny cartoons: the scenes jump in vibrant and bold colors, swirling and changing in a mad scramble on a lush,tropical island. At one point Bugs breaks into fluent Hawaiian and says "humuhumunukunukuapua'a"! This is the name of the former state fish of Hawai'i (pending reinstatement as of April 2006). This little fish was a favorite at the Waikiki Aquarium hence, presumably, the title of the cartoon "Wackiki Wabbit". It's always refreshing when modern art, hallucinations, and ethno-linguistics join in a comic romp! Another interesting development is the characterizations of the castaways. Visually they play off each other in a Laurel and Hardy way, with a thin, tall man vs. fat, short man. As noted, they are the likenesses of the writers Pierce and Maltese, who also do the voices. This was a hallmark of the many Bugs cartoons that show real-life people on the cartoon "stage" via wonderful caricature---think Peter Lorre, Edward G. Robinson and Lauren Bacall, to name a few. This is one of my very favorites, and, I like to say "humuhumunukunukuapua'a"!