From Hare to Eternity

The first time I saw this was on last year's Cartoon Network special, "June Bugs" (the three-day marathon featuring every Bugs Bunny cartoon ever made, except for 12 cartoons that were considered racially offensive by today's standards), and I've got this to say: Chuck Jones still has that twisted, fractured humor that only his cartoons during the Golden Age of Looney Tunes (1939-1964) could provide. Sure, Bugs in women's clothing is something you'd find during the Golden Age, but the way Jones delivered it sends shockwaves and a reborn sense of what comedy is/was/should be/has always been through me. The one thing I still can't believe is that he outlived Friz Freleng by seven years (Jones was born in 1912; Freleng was born in 1905) and such comic genius from this incredible man could be transferred to other shows that aren't afraid to be politically incorrect, totally bizarre, and funny at the same time ("The Simpsons", "The Critic", the late, great, "Get A Life", etc).

This later Chuck Jones effort (his last Bugs short) is, as you'll read in all of the previous reviews, meant as a tribute to Friz Freleng, who died the year before this was made. While I certainly admire that, it doesn't really soften my opinion on this cartoon any. Which is to say that, like 99% of the later Looney Tunes cartoons, this sucks. It's a corny unfunny parody of Gilbert & Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore with lifeless modern animation and some truly terrible voice work from Frank Gorshin. His Yosemite Sam sounds like some kind of cross between Tony the Tiger and Baloo. Greg Burson's Bugs is a decent impression. But, you know, still an impression. The jokes are really lame. I didn't laugh once. As with most of the later Looney Tunes, including the ones directed by Jones, this mostly trades on nostalgia instead of offering anything fresh. "Remember those funny old cartoons where Sam would be a pirate or a ship's captain or something? Yeah, well, we do too so here's a cartoon that tries to be like that but fails. Oh and there's a Michigan J. Frog reference because that was another thing that was funny." It's sad, really. But no one, even geniuses, stays on top of their game forever. So try to view this in the most generous spirit possible, if you must view it at all. It was made by an animation legend, even if there's nothing remotely legendary about this.

Any cartoon dedicated to the memory of the late great Friz --as this is--would have to contain two things: music, and Yosemite Sam. So it's no surprise that this one is a classic seagoing squabble between Sam and Bugs (it's even set on board the good ship "H.M.S. Friz Freleng") with Gilbert & Sullivan parodies galore. Cross my heart, you haven't lived till you've seen Bugs sing "Sweet Little Buttercup" in sexy mermaid drag while flirting outrageously with the smitten Sam. More focused and funny than a lot of Jones' later work, and just plain sweet, besides.

Given that Warner Brothers shorts emphasized music, Friz Freleng was one of the best at the framing of a cartoon around music and this is a tribute to him, it's quite appropriate that Bugs and Yosemite Sam (supposedly, Freleng and his temper inspired the creation of Sam) sing light operetta, selections from Gilbert and Sullivan. Brilliantly done, it does justice to both G & S and Looney Tunes. Good to see it available. Well worth watching. Most recommended.

The idea of a Bugs and Sam cartoon as a tribute to Friz Freleng was a worthy one. But this retread lacks everything that made the original Warner Brothers cartoons great. The jokes are tired; the story is hackneyed, and Yosemite Sam's voice is an abomination. Let's remember the good times instead.