Elmer Fudd is again hunting rabbits - only this time it's an opera. Wagner's Siegfried with Elmer as the titular hero and Bugs as Brunnhilde. They sing, they dance, they eat the scenery.
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Title: What's Opera, Doc? (1957)
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Mel Blanc | ... | Bugs Bunny as Brunhilde / Elmer Fudd as Siegfried (screaming) (voice) | |
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Storyline
"What's Opera, Doc?" lampoons classic opera by using its elements to set up the latest chapter in Elmer Fudd's hapless pursuit of Bugs Bunny. We open with a silhouette of a mighty Viking arousing ferocious lightning storms ... only to find it's Elmer -- this time as the demigod Siegfried. Elmer admonishes the audience (in classical verse) to "be vewwy quiet, I'm hunting wabbits!" It's not long before Elmer comes upon Bugs' hole and sings out "Kill the wabbit!" not realizing that the hare has already climbed out and is viewing Elmer spearing fruitlessly in said hole. Bugs joins in the fun, querying his tagline in operatic verse and leaving Elmer in his dust (but not before "Siegfried" shows us an example of supposed "mighty powers" from his spear and magic helmet). Elmer goes after the wascally wabbit, but his pursuit is ended when he sets his eyes on the stunningly and awesomely beautiful Valkyrie Brunhilde (Bugs in disguise). After a "hard-to-get" pursuit" (brought on by Elmer's ... Written by Brian Rathjen <briguy_52732@yahoo.com>
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Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
6 July 1957 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
What's Opera, Doc? See more »Company Credits
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Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
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Did You Know?
Trivia
For the ballet scenes, Chuck Jones and his animators studied dancers Tatiana Riabouchinska and David Lichine, who were working for Warner Bros. at the time. Both dancers had previously worked on Fantasia (1940), as reference models for the "Dance of the Hours" sequence. See more »Quotes
Elmer Fudd as Siegfried: I'll kill the wabbit! Awise storm! North wind bwow! South wind bwow! Huwwicanes! Typhoons! Earthquakes! *Smog!*See more »
Crazy Credits
The opera music continues and concludes over the "That's All Folks!" logo, substituting the usual exit music. The "That's All Folks" text doesn't go through its usual animation. See more »Contribute to This Page
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In the style of a classic opera, Elmer Fudd, resplendent with magic helmet, seeks to kill the rabbit Bugs Bunny. However, dressing as an opera dame, Bugs attempts to outsmart and avoid Fudd the best he can. However, can he make the ruse last.
In terms of laughs, this is by no means Bugs's funniest cartoon. However it is easily one of my favourites of his simply because it is not a basic chase-em-up style comedy that relies on physical gags. In fact the reason I love this cartoon is part of the reason it isn't funny - simply because it is almost too clever to waste time making me roar with easy laughs. The plot is perfectly set to the music and it is surprisingly emotional for it. Bugs does his usual dressing up stuff but the music gives it all an edge it hasn't had before - and it is very interesting.
My favourite thing about this short is the style with which it is delivered. Look at some of the WB cartoons of the mid-sixties and you'd never believe those same drab animations could come from the same studio as this. Visually it is imaginative, style and very impressive - it easily matches the epic feel of the music. So much care has been put into it that it is difficult not to feel impressed by the look of the whole cartoon.
Fudd is a good character and here merges his usual meek personae with the epic operatic warrior to good effect. Bugs is his usual tricky self but he is down played a little bit as the cartoon seems less concerned about hilarity than about a witty, quality product. The two of them are adapted perfectly to the music and the cartoon is great with them.
Overall this is not the funniest of Bugs' shorts but it is easily my favourite. The cartoon is perfectly set to the music and it is intelligent and quite amusing. The look of the film is rich and well designed and fits the music really well - visually it is impressive, but then so is the whole cartoon.