When Shanghai Sam loses the last of his crew he finds himself with a pirate ship but no one to man it. Under the pretence of a free cruise, Sam tricks Bugs Bunny on board and then hits him with a cosh. Bugs wakes up to find himself swabbing decks and rowing the galleon across the ocean! However Sam soon comes to regret his choice of pressgang.
Usually the strongest cartoons Bugs made were the ones where he had a good foil to outsmart and trick. Here is no exception as Shanghai Sam is a worthy foe that tries to give as good as he gets, (but ultimately gets more than he gives). The film starts slowly but soon sees Bugs and Sam involved in a running battle of wits that involves a very funny running gag where Sam ends up in dry dock before being launched (again!) to a ticker-tape send off! This is typical of the rest of the cartoon as it is all pretty funny and slick.
Bugs is in very good form and is great value for money; he starts the cartoon easily being taken for a ride but it isn't long before he gets the upper hand. Sam is a great partner here and he takes the falls well, always getting back up and trying again to humorous effect.
Overall this is a typically good cartoon from Bugs Bunny that will please fans as it does exactly what we expect him to do. The material is smart and very funny at times and the two characters are very enjoyable in their roles.