Rabbitson Crusoe (1956) User Reviews

Recommended.

[JohnHowardReid · 8/10 · 9 March 2018]

CAST: "Bugs Bunny", "Yosemite Sam", "Dopey Dick" (the shark).

Director: FRIZ FRELENG. Story: Norman Foster. Animation: Gerry Chiniquy, Virgil Ross, Arthur Davis. Lay-outs: Hawley Pratt. Backgrounds: Irv Wyner. Voice characterizations: Mel Blanc. Music director: Milt Franklyn. Color by Technicolor. Producer: Edward Selzer.

A Warner Bros. "Looney Tunes" cartoon. U.S. release: 28 April 1956. 1 reel. 7 minutes.

COMMENT: The "Tune" here is "My Secret Love" which Bugs sings to taunt Yosemite Sam.

Besides the usual run-ins between Sam and Bugs, the writer has provided Sam with another neat adversary in Dopey Dick, the shark.

Amusing, fast-paced, cleverly plotted and attractively drawn cartoon.

"You stupid idjit rabbit!"

[utgard14 · 8/10 · 3 January 2016]

Very funny Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam short, directed by Friz Freleng. In this one Sam is shipwrecked on an island for twenty years with nothing to eat but coconuts and a man-eating shark named Dopey Dick to contend with. One day Bugs floats by in a makeshift raft and Sam, eager to eat something besides coconuts, quickly "rescues" him with the intention of turning him into rabbit stew. Some hilarious Sam material in this one. It's one of his best cartoons and one of the rare ones in which he is more of the star than Bugs. The coconut jokes and Dopey Dick are priceless. The animation is nice and colorful. Milt Franklyn's score is lively. Excellent voice work from the incomparable Mel Blanc.

Pretty good

[rbverhoef · 8/10 · 17 August 2004]

The Looney Tunes take on Robinson Crusoe is a pretty good and funny cartoon named 'Rabbitson Crusoe'. Yosemite Sam is the stranded person on an island, living on coconuts for twenty years and having some trouble with a shark named Dopey Dick. Then he sees a rabbit, Bugs Bunny, in the see. He is finally able to eat something else, Bugs thinks he is saved because he sees land! Sam tries to make Bugs his dinner, Bugs finds out and escapes to Sam's shipwreck. Sam must go there too, but of course the shark is between the island and the ship.

This is a terrific cartoon, funny from start to finish. The shark gets laugh after laugh, even his name is funny, and the ending is a final gag that works perfectly. Nicely animated 'Rabbitson Crusoe' is a fine Looney Tune cartoon, of course with the voice talent of Mel Blanc.

Survival island.

[Chip_douglas · 29 February 2004]

Even thought the title would make you think otherwise, Yosemite Sam carries this cartoon. He stars as Sam Crusoe, stranded after a low tide and a high rock caused his ship to be wrecked. The use of space in this cartoon is as inspired as Sam's curse words. There is the shipwreck on the left, a tiny island with a hut in the middle and an even smaller island with one coconut tree on the right. When Sam wants a match, he has to go all the way to the ship (via some slippery rocks). If he is hungry, he has to brave the rocks on the other side of the island to get to the coconut tree. Both sides of the island are terrorized by a shark liveried varmint named Dopey Dick, who is determined enough to climb up trees after Crusoe. Luckily Sam has carved himself a hammer and a baseball bat out of driftwood to defend himself (and a surfboard too).

After a steady 20 year diet of tossed coconut salad, coconut milk and boiled coconuts, Sam can't stand coconuts no more. Just then Bugs Bunny arrives peddling a wooden crate with his ears, and he seems to have an unending supply of carrots on board. Of course Sam is not interested in carrots, he wants to cook the rabbit. A three way fight of survival ensues between, Sam, Bugs and Dopey (that ‘hammerheaded halibut'). When Bugs hides away on the shipwreck, Sam uses a balloon to get at him. But Dopey Dick continually gets in the way. Eventually the forces of nature start to interfere, forcing the mortal enemies to strike a deal. As always, Bugs decides he wants to go to San Francisco.

8 out of 10

Sometimes you feel like a nut . . .

[oscaralbert · 6/10 · 16 March 2018]

. . . but most of the time, Yosemite Sam "don't" while stranded on an uncharted isle even smaller than Gilligan's, with no food source other the "Nature's Bowling Balls." In the opening exposition, Sam says the combination of a low tide and a high rock has done him in. "Dopey Dick" the shark has been after his hide (as well as nails, organs, bones, etc.) for two decades (and is likely to chow down in the end, since sharks are immortal). Sam has become pretty self-centered after 20 years of nothing to do but count the waves. When he hears Bugs Bunny singing on an incoming raft, does he say to himself, "Oh joy! Someone with whom to talk!" No sir, what the deplorable pirate ACTUALLY shouts out is "A rabbit! A STEWING rabbit!!" Naturally, things go downhill for Sam from here. What else is new?

How interesting...

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 28 October 2010]

I love Rabbitson Crusoe, it is not only interesting but it is very funny. It is very well animated, with lovely colours, good backgrounds and flowing character designs particularly on Dopey Dick the shark. It has energetic and lively music. It has some juicy dialogue, good pacing and an interesting story. It has some very funny sight gags with Dopey Dick getting the most of the laughs just by getting in the way continually. It has Bugs as great as ever, Yosemite Sam a worthy foil for him and Dopey Dick surprisingly great fun. And lastly, it has some witty vocals from the one and only Mel Blanc. In conclusion, interesting and of course funny. 10/10 Bethany Cox

That made me laugh

[KevinB12 · 9/10 · 4 November 2010]

I find this cartoon very funny. That Yosamite Sam makes me laugh when he said "Eeewww.... I HATE COCONUTS! 20 years of coconuts, I can't STAND coconuts!" which made me laugh all the time. Sam even hits Dopey Dick the Shark several times with a wooden mallet, made Dopey Dick go back into the water which also made me laugh. This has to be Yosamite Sam's best laughing cartoon I have ever seen in my entire life. Even when Sam tries to get coconuts from the coconut tree, Dopey Dick goes after Sam. Sam tries to cook Bugs Bunny for him to have rabbit stew. Sam has no vegetables to add to the rabbit stew because he cannot find any vegetables on the tropical island.

This is a perfect cartoon

[nnwahler · 10/10 · 23 July 2010]

Definitely the best of any of the Bugs-and-Sam cartoons made after the early 50s. Time this cartoon with your watch sometime (even if it means not being able to SEE the cartoon). Although the traditional opening titles display Bugs munching on his carrot, the star himself doesn't appear till a good minute-and-a-half into the film......this is taken up with Sam's struggles with Dopey Dick, the shark (flowingly animated by Gerry Chiniquy). Then, when Bugs finally enters the picture, it's WHAM-BAM-BOOM!! Actually, as in most of these Sam episodes, Bugs has to do little or nothing to vanquish his adversary. One-and-a-half minutes--in a cartoon totaling six-and-a-half minutes--is quite a dare in terms of timing, but director Freleng pulls it off with verve and virtuosity.

shades of things to come

[lee_eisenberg · 9/10 · 6 January 2007]

The stranded-on-an-uncharted-island premise has been used so many times, that the Termite Terrace crowd had to use it (and they would use it later for the feature film "Daffy Duck's Movie: Fantastic Island"). In "Rabbitson Crusoe", Yosemite Sam - as foul-mouthed as ever - has been stranded for 20 years and is tired of eating coconuts and battling a shark (aka Shark-Livered Varmint, aka Hammerheaded Halibut) named Dopey Dick. So when Sam catches sight of Bugs Bunny floating around the ocean, he gets the rascally rabbit to come to the island...with the intention of turning him into rabbit stew. Sure enough, Bugs has ways of escaping this...which most likely involve Sam getting in danger.

As always, it's great fun to see Bugs turn the tables on individuals. And besides, Yosemite Sam is always asking for it. Maybe "Gilligan's Island" took a few tips from this cartoon. Really funny.