Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt
Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt is a 1941 Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng.[1] Mel Blanc voiced all characters. This film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Short Subject (cartoons). This was the first Bugs Bunny cartoon directed by Friz Freleng.[2] The short makes several direct references to The Song of Hiawatha, an epic poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
| Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | I. Freleng |
| Produced by | Leon Schlesinger |
| Story by | Michael Maltese |
| Starring | Mel Blanc |
| Music by | Carl W. Stalling |
| Animation by | Gil Turner Gerry Chiniquy Manuel Perez Cal Dalton Richard Bickenbach Herman Cohen |
| Color process | Technicolor |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures The Vitaphone Corporation |
Release date |
|
Running time | 7:30 |
| Language | English |
Plot
Bugs is reading The Song of Hiawatha out loud to himself and the saga turns real as a pint-sized, Elmer Fudd-like Hiawatha (minus the speech impediment) turns up, paddling his canoe. Hiawatha is looking for a rabbit for his dinner. Hiawatha manages to trick Bugs into thinking he is preparing a hot bath for him. It is actually a cooking pot, which Bugs quickly vacates once Hiawatha casually mentions that he is having rabbit stew for supper.
Reception
The Film Daily called the short a "very funny cartoon", saying, "the result is a howl from start to finish. The serious-minded Indian's efforts to catch the screwball rabbit for stewing purposes makes a lively and comical race. Bugs Bunny gets better and funnier with every screen appearance."[3]
Home video
- VHS - Bugs Bunny Cartoon Festival Featuring "Little Red Riding Rabbit" [4]
- DVD - Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Academy Awards Animation Collection
- DVD - The Maltese Falcon 3-Disc Special Edition
- Blu-ray - Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 3.
- LaserDisc - The Golden Age of Looney Tunes, Volume 2, Side 2 (1995 Dubbed Version)
The European Dubbed Print Replaces 1941-1955 with the 1938-1941 MWRA
References
- Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 117. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
- Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 60–61. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
- "Reviews of Short Subjects". The Film Daily. 79 (119): 5. June 19, 1941. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-07-19. Retrieved 2012-10-17.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
External links
- Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt at IMDb
- Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt at The Big Cartoon DataBase
- Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt on the Internet Archive
| Preceded by Tortoise Beats Hare |
Bugs Bunny Cartoons 1941 |
Succeeded by The Heckling Hare |