From Hare to Eternity

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.

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.

I am a big fan of Looney Tunes, I love Chuck Jones' cartoons and I grew up on Freleng's Yosemite-Bugs cartoons. From Hare to Eternity is a very enjoyable cartoon, and is a fitting tribute to the legendary Fritz Freleng(creator of Yosemite Sam). What I didn't like so much was the voice acting, I do like Greg Burson and Frank Gorshin a lot, and they do try very hard, Burson is okay but Gorshin sounds a little too forced, deep and abrasive for my liking. Also Freleng to me captures the character feel of Yosemite Sam more than Jones, he is entertaining here as is Bugs but you miss the fire and zaniness in his character sometimes here and Bugs feel underplayed. However there is much to enjoy, the animation is colourful and fluid, the music is scattered with very neat HMS Pinafore references, the writing is witty and very funny that does feel like the old Bugs and Sam cartoons I know and love especially Sam's "never take a rabbit's advice", there is an amusing cameo from Michigan(aka The Singing Frog from One Froggy Evening) and if you haven't seen Bugs in mermaid drag singing "Dear Little Buttercup" then you haven't lived. Overall, aside from the inconsistent voice work From Hare to Eternity is very entertaining. 8/10 Bethany Cox

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).

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.