Prest-O Change-O
Prest-O Change-O is a 1939 Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Chuck Jones, and first released on March 25, 1939 by Warner Bros.[1] It is the second and final appearance of the manic white hare from Porky's Hare Hunt, and the character's only appearance in a color film; the next hare-based short film, Hare-um Scare-um, would introduce a larger gray hare more closely resembling the character it would become in later shorts, Bugs Bunny.
Prest-O Change-O | |
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Directed by | Charles Jones |
Produced by | Leon Schlesinger |
Story by | Rich Hogan (uncredited) |
Starring | Mel Blanc (uncredited) |
Music by | Carl W. Stalling |
Animation by | Rudy Larriva Ken Harris (uncredited) Robert McKimson (uncredited) Phil Monroe (uncredited) Rod Scribner (uncredited) |
Backgrounds by | Art Loomer (uncredited) |
Color process | Technicolor |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Warner Bros. The Vitaphone Corporation |
Release date |
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Running time | 7 minutes |
Language | English |
Plot
The Two Curious Puppies, one big and one little, are being pursued by a dog catcher until they hide in an abandoned house. They soon discover the house is owned by Sham-Fu, a magician who is unseen over the course of the short. As a result, each puppy (both of whom are separated from each other shortly after entering the house) encounters all manner of magic tricks, including Sham-Fu's pet hare. The bigger puppy is left to defend himself against the hare, itself a more than competent illusionist capable of all sorts of acts of cartoon physics, while the little one is engaged in a reckless battle with a Hindu rope and a magic wand, the latter of which he ends up accidentally swallowing, giving him bizarre hiccups throughout the rest of the movie.
The puppies and the hare all end up crashing into each other, at which point both puppies immediately attempt to pack everything back into Sham-Fu's trunk. Inexplicably, the little dog hiccups out a balloon containing the mischievous hare. However, this time, when the hare attempts another disappearing act, the bigger puppy is able to stop it in its tracks and punches the hare as hard as possible. The scene irises out on the hare, whose eye is blackened and covered with a lampshade and sitting in a goldfish bowl with his feet sticking out.
Availability
- Blu-Ray: Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 2, Disc 2
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. 85. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
External links
Preceded by Porky's Hare Hunt |
Bugs Bunny prototype Cartoons 1939 |
Succeeded by Hare-um Scare-um |