One of the most surreal and abstract Bugs Bunny cartoons: the scenes jump in vibrant and bold colors, swirling and changing in a mad scramble on a lush,tropical island. At one point Bugs breaks into fluent Hawaiian and says "humuhumunukunukuapua'a"! This is the name of the former state fish of Hawai'i (pending reinstatement as of April 2006). This little fish was a favorite at the Waikiki Aquarium hence, presumably, the title of the cartoon "Wackiki Wabbit". It's always refreshing when modern art, hallucinations, and ethno-linguistics join in a comic romp! Another interesting development is the characterizations of the castaways. Visually they play off each other in a Laurel and Hardy way, with a thin, tall man vs. fat, short man. As noted, they are the likenesses of the writers Pierce and Maltese, who also do the voices. This was a hallmark of the many Bugs cartoons that show real-life people on the cartoon "stage" via wonderful caricature---think Peter Lorre, Edward G. Robinson and Lauren Bacall, to name a few. This is one of my very favorites, and, I like to say "humuhumunukunukuapua'a"!
19 Reviews
Two Hungry Castaways v. One Clever R("W")abbit
theowinthrop23 April 2007
Warning: Spoilers
As fitting a Second World War cartoon we see two shipwreck survivors on a raft, presumably sunk in the war in the Pacific. The two men (who are caricatures of two of the Warners Cartoon artists) have not eaten in day. One is tall and thin, one is short and fat. They are beginning to think of each other as potential sources of food. They see an island and get onto it (almost sail through it due to the eagerness of the fat fellow), and they soon spot Bugs. He is quite a figure wearing Hawaiian costume and giving the men leis, and speaking to them in Hawaiian (although he does end a section of his speech with a popular American vulgarism). One of the best moments in this cartoon is that translations of his comments appear underneath his lines of dialog (oddly enough his longer messages are short in English, and vice versa). When the skinny castaway returns the friendly greeting he says something short and sweet, and two lines of translation into Hawaian appear underneath - the fat one points this out to him and says, "Did you say all that?".
The remainder of the cartoon deals with their attempts to catch Bugs and eat him. There is the almost obligatory Bugs having a warm "bath" in a cooking pot sequence, and a great bit dealing with a cooked chicken getting hot under the collar with the two thunderstruck castaways. A final getaway from the island and a permanent chase end the cartoon - almost perfect in construction and humor.
The remainder of the cartoon deals with their attempts to catch Bugs and eat him. There is the almost obligatory Bugs having a warm "bath" in a cooking pot sequence, and a great bit dealing with a cooked chicken getting hot under the collar with the two thunderstruck castaways. A final getaway from the island and a permanent chase end the cartoon - almost perfect in construction and humor.
A surprisingly clever Bugs Bunny episode
Mightyzebra30 July 2008
As this started, I was dreading terrible jokes from the two stupid men the whole way through. Instead - Bugs Bunny brings on a few clever gags! This is in no ways the best Looney Tunes episode, but it was worth it. :-)
This short begins with two castaways on a bobbing raft in the middle of the ocean, incredibly hungry (the bad jokes that this episode starts with do not follow on in the same way, by the way!). They wash upon, by good (or possibly not) fortune on a desert island. The first thing they see that looks like food is Bugs Bunny. Of course, the wacky wabbit realises that he may end up on the menu, so he beats it very quickly. Funny capers follow...
I like this episode because of the colourful backgrounds, the animation and character of Bugs Bunny (who always seems to be a good character in some way or another) and the humour. This is not the most funny of Looney Tunes, nor is it the most worth watching. If you are new to Bugs Bunny, I suggest you do not watch this first - perhaps try some real classics such as "What's Opera Doc" and "Bugs and Thugs" before you begin on this episode.
Anyhow, anyone who likes Bugs Bunny and stupid side characters will like this short. Enjoy "Wackiki Wabbit"! :-)
7 and a half out of ten.
This short begins with two castaways on a bobbing raft in the middle of the ocean, incredibly hungry (the bad jokes that this episode starts with do not follow on in the same way, by the way!). They wash upon, by good (or possibly not) fortune on a desert island. The first thing they see that looks like food is Bugs Bunny. Of course, the wacky wabbit realises that he may end up on the menu, so he beats it very quickly. Funny capers follow...
I like this episode because of the colourful backgrounds, the animation and character of Bugs Bunny (who always seems to be a good character in some way or another) and the humour. This is not the most funny of Looney Tunes, nor is it the most worth watching. If you are new to Bugs Bunny, I suggest you do not watch this first - perhaps try some real classics such as "What's Opera Doc" and "Bugs and Thugs" before you begin on this episode.
Anyhow, anyone who likes Bugs Bunny and stupid side characters will like this short. Enjoy "Wackiki Wabbit"! :-)
7 and a half out of ten.
LT Writers Spoof Themselves
ccthemovieman-19 June 2007
We see something unusual right off the bat in this cartoon: a quick picture of something that isn't animated. In this case, it's a giant hamburger. That's what one of two starving guys on a raft out in the ocean sees, instead of his partner. The other guy soon is hallucinating, too, seeing food where human body parts are! Thankfully, they are spared from these gruesome things as they spot an island and race there in their suddenly-speedy raft.
Bugs Bunny, probably the only living thing on the small island, spots this ravenous duo and quickly sets his brain in motion. How he does NOT become dinner is the focus of this story. Along the way are some funny bits with graphics regarding language translations. It's also interesting that the two LT writers are the guys characterized in the cartoon! Good for them! It's always good to be able to laugh at yourself, so kudos to Michael Maltese and Tedd Pierce.
I agree with the reviewers here: this is a classic cartoon, full of inventive sights that are guaranteed to make you laugh. No sense describing all of them. Suffice to say all three main characters are good in here. The ending's a little sappy, but it's hard to get everything perfect.
Bugs Bunny, probably the only living thing on the small island, spots this ravenous duo and quickly sets his brain in motion. How he does NOT become dinner is the focus of this story. Along the way are some funny bits with graphics regarding language translations. It's also interesting that the two LT writers are the guys characterized in the cartoon! Good for them! It's always good to be able to laugh at yourself, so kudos to Michael Maltese and Tedd Pierce.
I agree with the reviewers here: this is a classic cartoon, full of inventive sights that are guaranteed to make you laugh. No sense describing all of them. Suffice to say all three main characters are good in here. The ending's a little sappy, but it's hard to get everything perfect.
a timeless classic
movieman_kev3 November 2005
Two castaways (based on Warner Brother's writers Micheal Maltese and Tedd Pierces, who also voice themselves) find themselves on a tropical island inhabited by one Bugs Bunny. Seeing as not too long ago these two guys were eyeing each other like they were both food, they naturally start salivating when they see Bugs and proceed to chase him down in order to make some much needed stew. This is another classic from the early years of Bugs and still remains as fresh and funny as it undoubtedly was when it was first released. This one is totally timeless. This animated short can be found on Disk 1 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 3 and includes an optional commentary by John Kricfalusi and Eddie Fitzgerald.
My Grade: A+
My Grade: A+
That Wackiki Wabbit is at it again, starving his own writers!
rapt0r_claw-122 December 2003
Two shipwrecked shipmates are aimlessly floating about at the mercy of the waves before being washed up on a tropical island, where they find Bugs Bunny. They think they'll have roast rabbit, but Bugs objects (what would you do?).
The two shipwrecked sailors are voiced by Michael Maltese and Tedd Pierce, and they look like them, too. In case you didn't know, they're two of the three chief Bugs Bunny writers. Imagine humiliating them so blatantly in theaters! I'm not surprised they ended up wanting to get away from the rabbit.
I saw this cartoon yesterday on the Looney Tunes marathon on Cartoon Network, and it refreshed my memory. Mel Blanc, of course, is excellent as the rabbit, but the bunny is quite basic. He'd only been around for three years, you know. The layouts are detailed and interesting, including a panoramic view of the tropical island, and the detailed jungle environment. Some sequences are truly hilarious, but it doesn't really stick in the memory. The concept is original, and the jokes are fresh and new. Bugs was never seen as a puppeteer before was he?
WACKIKI WABBIT (1943) is a great second or third cartoon to show in a Bugs Bunny history, since it's the first cartoon in my memory to show the rabbit at his best in an under-developed form.
The two shipwrecked sailors are voiced by Michael Maltese and Tedd Pierce, and they look like them, too. In case you didn't know, they're two of the three chief Bugs Bunny writers. Imagine humiliating them so blatantly in theaters! I'm not surprised they ended up wanting to get away from the rabbit.
I saw this cartoon yesterday on the Looney Tunes marathon on Cartoon Network, and it refreshed my memory. Mel Blanc, of course, is excellent as the rabbit, but the bunny is quite basic. He'd only been around for three years, you know. The layouts are detailed and interesting, including a panoramic view of the tropical island, and the detailed jungle environment. Some sequences are truly hilarious, but it doesn't really stick in the memory. The concept is original, and the jokes are fresh and new. Bugs was never seen as a puppeteer before was he?
WACKIKI WABBIT (1943) is a great second or third cartoon to show in a Bugs Bunny history, since it's the first cartoon in my memory to show the rabbit at his best in an under-developed form.
Almost Cannibalism
Hitchcoc11 February 2019
When two men are starving, they start thinking of each other as hamburgers and hot dogs. After many efforts to act on their urges, they spot an island and make their way there. Unfortunately, the unflappable Bugs Bunny is a resident. They plan a rabbit stew but don't know what they are getting into as bugs plays them like a guitar. It has a couple funny moments, but overall, not anything special.
Survivor with fur....
Mister-625 February 2002
If you're a stranded castaway on a desert island and you find your nearest neighbor is Bugs Bunny...maybe it's time to build a getaway boat.
The two seagoing saps in "Wackiki Wabbit" don't take the hint, though, and make the mistake of trying to make Bugs part of their regularly balanced diet after days of starvation and considering each other as main courses ("...and hold the onions", one mutters).
Bugs holds his own well as if there were a doubt, and the big and little castaways make like a disheveled version of Abbott and Costello (even looking the part) and are voiced by Bugs' regular writers Maltese and Pierce (hey, at least they didn't have to hire out for new voices!) with a penchant for sing-songy tunes of joy ("We're gonna have roast rabbit!" and "We're going on a boo-ooat!" are their favorites).
Chuck Jones again proves why he is such a pro at this kind of thing with the breath-taking island vistas and Mel Blanc makes smart-aleck repartee a work of art. And creating a marionette out of a roast chicken never looked so easy before.
Ten stars and an authentic hula dance from Bugs for "Wackiki Wabbit". You can't get more "Wackiki" than this.
The two seagoing saps in "Wackiki Wabbit" don't take the hint, though, and make the mistake of trying to make Bugs part of their regularly balanced diet after days of starvation and considering each other as main courses ("...and hold the onions", one mutters).
Bugs holds his own well as if there were a doubt, and the big and little castaways make like a disheveled version of Abbott and Costello (even looking the part) and are voiced by Bugs' regular writers Maltese and Pierce (hey, at least they didn't have to hire out for new voices!) with a penchant for sing-songy tunes of joy ("We're gonna have roast rabbit!" and "We're going on a boo-ooat!" are their favorites).
Chuck Jones again proves why he is such a pro at this kind of thing with the breath-taking island vistas and Mel Blanc makes smart-aleck repartee a work of art. And creating a marionette out of a roast chicken never looked so easy before.
Ten stars and an authentic hula dance from Bugs for "Wackiki Wabbit". You can't get more "Wackiki" than this.
The crew at Termite Terrace certainly had a sense of humor
llltdesq21 June 2002
This one is a cartoon classic. The two castaways are not only voiced by Michael Maltese and Tedd Pierce, they are caricatures of the two writers as well. Now, you'd think the rabbit would know which side his carrots were buttered on and be nice to two of the writers putting words in his mouth, but they get the same treatment he gives Elmer. Of course, they ARE trying to cook and eat him, so I guess it is understandable that he treats them rather badly. Excellent short. Well worth watching. Most recommended.
Colourful, hilarious and wonderfully odd
TheLittleSongbird29 July 2015
While not my favourite Bugs Bunny or Chuck Jones cartoon, Wackiki Rabbit is still a great cartoon with lots of colour, great humour and a wonderfully odd atmosphere. One does wish that Bugs had more to do here, despite being the star he does agreed play more of a secondary character to the castaways, albeit a very memorable and funny one at that.
The cartoon does on the other hand some really colourful visuals with beautifully bold colours, impeccably detailed backgrounds, some inventive 'surreal' physical comedy and well-drawn characters (Bugs' design is in early stages but while different he's drawn well and moves easily). The music by Carl Stalling is typically outstanding, giving the cartoon so much energy while also being richly and cleverly orchestrated throughout, it's also a perfect match with the visuals, humour and action and even elevates them to a greater level. The writing is fresh, razor sharp and brilliantly funny, some of it is bizarre but in a hugely entertaining way, while the gags are oddly surreal but inventive and quite hilarious, especially when the castaways are first introduced to Bugs, with the cooked chicken and the ending.
Story-wise, it's crisply paced, has a constantly colourful atmosphere and it's not too routine or predictable because the humour is so well done. Bugs is as always great fun though as said he should have had more to do, while the castaways (caricatures of Michael Maltese and Tedd Pierce, who also voice the characters) are a hilarious and an oddly-but- well-matched double act. Mel Blanc, Maltese and Pierce all give fine vocal characterisations.
Overall, colourful, hilarious and wonderfully odd. Definitely worth seeing at least once. 9/10 Bethany Cox
The cartoon does on the other hand some really colourful visuals with beautifully bold colours, impeccably detailed backgrounds, some inventive 'surreal' physical comedy and well-drawn characters (Bugs' design is in early stages but while different he's drawn well and moves easily). The music by Carl Stalling is typically outstanding, giving the cartoon so much energy while also being richly and cleverly orchestrated throughout, it's also a perfect match with the visuals, humour and action and even elevates them to a greater level. The writing is fresh, razor sharp and brilliantly funny, some of it is bizarre but in a hugely entertaining way, while the gags are oddly surreal but inventive and quite hilarious, especially when the castaways are first introduced to Bugs, with the cooked chicken and the ending.
Story-wise, it's crisply paced, has a constantly colourful atmosphere and it's not too routine or predictable because the humour is so well done. Bugs is as always great fun though as said he should have had more to do, while the castaways (caricatures of Michael Maltese and Tedd Pierce, who also voice the characters) are a hilarious and an oddly-but- well-matched double act. Mel Blanc, Maltese and Pierce all give fine vocal characterisations.
Overall, colourful, hilarious and wonderfully odd. Definitely worth seeing at least once. 9/10 Bethany Cox
Some people are easily amused
Lupercali5 May 2006
I can't believe the rating this very ordinary Chuck Jones short has at the moment. Two starving castaways turn up on a desert island, already occupied by Bugs. A bunch or predictable, stupid jokes and not particularly outstanding animation ensues. Don't get me wrong, Warner were putting out some classic cartoons during this period, but Tex Avery had just stormed out the door, and frankly in 1943 he had it all over Chuck Jones, even if Jones was to perfect his craft and surpass Avery in the 1950's. I really can't understand how anyone but an animation buff could be more than passingly distracted by this completely ordinary and ever so predictable WB short. Plus it's yet another WB so-and-so wants to eat so-and-so cartoon. *yawn* Now watch the '0 out of 115 people found this helpful' stats pile up.
A feast for the eyes, the laughs are almost a bonus
phantom_tollbooth3 November 2008
Chuck Jones's 'Wackiki Wabbit' is a bizarre, brilliant piece of work. The opening sequence instantly indicates that this is quite different territory from the average Chuck Jones short. Two castaways on a raft eye each other as potential sources of food. The cartoon gets even stranger when the raft hits land and we are exposed to the extremely stylised backgrounds of the island. Stylised backgrounds in Warner Bros. shorts sometimes work wonders and sometimes are detrimental. In 'Wackiki Wabbit', the stylised backgrounds are the making of the cartoon. They perfectly capture the feel of an exotic island paradise while also reflecting the borderline insanity of the two castaways as they attempt to make a meal out of Bugs. Of course, beautiful backgrounds aren't enough and fortunately 'Wackiki Wabbit' is also blessed with a fantastic script full of great gags. Between the odd characters of the castaways(caricatures of the cartoon's writers, Tedd Pierce and Michael Maltese), the surreal and beautiful backgrounds and the fluid animation style, Bugs barely gets a look in! He's a secondary player in his own cartoon but, with visuals this sumptuous, that's hardly an insult. 'Wackiki Wabbit' is a feast for the eyes while also managing to be as funny as a straightforward Warner cartoon. Most casual viewers will probably find 'Wackiki Wabbit' a little too weird but for animation fans it's a genuine treat.
Bugs Bunny on a tropical island
Petey-1010 November 2011
In the beginning of this Merrie Melodies cartoon we see two castaways adrift on a small raft.Then they find land.But there, on that tropical island, is also Bugs Bunny.And what do these two men want to do, when they see a rabbit? They want to eat him.Wackiki Wabbit is a Chuck Jones direction from 1943.Mel Blanc can be heard as the voice of Bugs Bunny, as usually.Michael Maltese does the voice of Fat castaway.Tedd Pierce provides the voice for Thin castaway.He is also behind the story.The drawing used for the backgrounds is fascinating.It looks most abstract.We see a lot of wacky stuff here, like those two fools seeing each other as food.And the chicken marionette, hilarious.
If the Donner Party could have chosen a Winter Vacation Retreat . . .
oscaralbert13 July 2016
Warning: Spoilers
. . . Looney Tunes' "Humuhumunukukuapuaa Island" may well have filled the bill. Bugs Bunny opens WACKIKI WABBIT as the sole inhabitant of this barren ocean outcropping. The lack of any food source is no problem for Bugs, since hares grow carrots from thin air through the wonder of Aeroponics (a process which combines Hydroponics with Photosynthesis), which is where we get the term "dust bunnies." However, when the shipwreck survivors invade Humuhumunukukuapuaa, they're hungrier than the Donner Clan on a Meatless Friday. Not satisfied with the prospect of dining upon rump roast A La CANDIDE, the Cannibalistically-inclined castaway pair start a song and dance in anticipation of pigging out on charred hare. The arrival of a cruise ship just then is a dead giveaway that Humuhumunukukuapuaa is one of the Galapagos Islands. As Bugs swiftly sails off to safety, the Darwin Twins are left on Humuhumunukukuapuaa to test Sir Charles' Theory about The Survival of the Fittest. (My money here would be on the tall, thin gentleman of Color, as he would not only be more agile than the Fat White Slob, but presumably more desperate for grub, given his companion's obviously vast lard reserves.)
note: that translation couldn't have been Hawaiian
lee_eisenberg18 June 2007
If you thought that you'd seen every stranded-on-an-uncharted-island scenario, think again. When a pair of castaways (voiced by and resembling Tedd Pierce and Michael Maltese) wash up on an island and find Bugs Bunny, they quickly try to turn him into a meal, only to have him play every possible trick on them. As with many of the Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies cartoons, not only do the cast members break character in one scene, but there's a twist at the end. Oh, and Bugs cross-dresses in one scene.
One thing that's worth mentioning about the translation. I think that they implied that it was Hawaiian, but it couldn't have been, as some of the words featured F sounds, of which the Hawaiian language has none (to be certain, it only has about twelve sounds). I don't know whether or not any of the other Pacific island languages have F sounds.
But let's not dwell on that. "Wackiki Wabbit" is truly a classic. It'll never be Aloha Oe as long as we have the classic Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies cartoons.
One thing that's worth mentioning about the translation. I think that they implied that it was Hawaiian, but it couldn't have been, as some of the words featured F sounds, of which the Hawaiian language has none (to be certain, it only has about twelve sounds). I don't know whether or not any of the other Pacific island languages have F sounds.
But let's not dwell on that. "Wackiki Wabbit" is truly a classic. It'll never be Aloha Oe as long as we have the classic Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies cartoons.
Not too funny
Horst_In_Translation29 April 2016
Warning: Spoilers
"Wackiki Wabbit" is an American 7-minute cartoon from the 1940s, actually the days of World War II. But it is not political or I didn't see it. The movie has its 75th anniversary soon already and if you know a bit about Warner Bros. and Looney Toons, you will realize that Bugs changed a lot over the years. This is his very early self. I am a bit baffled by this cartoon and how it has such a good rating here on IMDb. it really is nothing special, not even for its time. Two men are shipwrecked, I don't think they appear in other cartoons again, so these poor fellows must have been forever on this island, probably died there. They try to catch Bugs and have him for dinner, but obviously Bugs is too smart and fast for them. The comedy is really only so-so in here and the music, usually Warner Bros.' strength, is not that compelling either. The ending is fine, but Warner Bros usually delivers there and even in the 1940s they have managed to close their films with better quality on several occasions. I personally give this one a thumbs down. Not a memorable watch despite some of the company's finest working on it.
Ageless classic
PeachHamBeach8 September 2003
Bugs Bunny lives on a tropical island paradise and meets two castaways voiced by Mike Maltese and Tedd Pierce, who are also renowned writers of Bugs' cartoons. I loved the part where Bugs is speaking some island language to them and then doing some crazy hula dance!!! These cartoons are ageless. They are far funnier today than anything new!!!
Completely idiotic and horrible background scribbles!
imdb-2528821 October 2021
This has to be the worst of the horrible Bugs Bunny cartoon. The whole thing is idiotic, made worse by the splotched-on "scribbled" backdrop. Just horrible. Skip this one, it's nothing to sneeze at, it's quite idiotic, actually!
They THINK they're gonna have roast rabbit!
slymusic22 July 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Two guys - one tall and lean, the other short and fat - become shipwrecked on a desert island. Who should be an inhabitant of this island but Bugs Bunny, the "Wackiki Wabbit"! And the two castaways believe they can easily capture Bugs for their supper. Sure they can. Yeah.
Here are my favorite scenes from this wonderful cartoon directed by Chuck Jones. When the two guys first meet Bugs, he does a hilarious dance and says "What's up, Doc?" in his native tongue. The tall guy then expresses his gratitude to Bugs, with the appropriate foreign subtitle appearing below, and the two guys actually READ the subtitle! Then more dancing ensues, ending with a slap on the face. I also love composer/orchestrator Carl Stalling's accompaniment of "Trade Winds" (when the short guy blows on the sail toward the island, and when Bugs bathes in the cooking pot) and his use of a frolicsome Raymond Scott tune (when the two castaways set up a table & cooking pot and chase Bugs swinging on a vine, and when Bugs later struggles with his "roast rabbit" marionette).
If you're a Bugs Bunny fan, then you can't miss "Wackiki Wabbit"! Catch it on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 3 Disc 1.
Here are my favorite scenes from this wonderful cartoon directed by Chuck Jones. When the two guys first meet Bugs, he does a hilarious dance and says "What's up, Doc?" in his native tongue. The tall guy then expresses his gratitude to Bugs, with the appropriate foreign subtitle appearing below, and the two guys actually READ the subtitle! Then more dancing ensues, ending with a slap on the face. I also love composer/orchestrator Carl Stalling's accompaniment of "Trade Winds" (when the short guy blows on the sail toward the island, and when Bugs bathes in the cooking pot) and his use of a frolicsome Raymond Scott tune (when the two castaways set up a table & cooking pot and chase Bugs swinging on a vine, and when Bugs later struggles with his "roast rabbit" marionette).
If you're a Bugs Bunny fan, then you can't miss "Wackiki Wabbit"! Catch it on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 3 Disc 1.
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