| The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie | |
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 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Friz Freleng |
| Story by |
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| Produced by | Friz Freleng |
| Starring | |
| Narrated by |
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| Edited by | Jim Champin |
| Music by |
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Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
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Running time | 79 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie (credited onscreen asFriz Freleng's Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie) is a 1981 Americananimatedcomedypackage film with a compilation of classicLooney Tunes/Merrie MelodiesWarner Bros. cartoon shorts and animated bridging sequences produced and directed byFriz Freleng, hosted byBugs Bunny.[1] The new footage was produced byWarner Bros. Animation. It was the firstLooney Tunes/Merrie Melodies film with a compilation of classic cartoon comedy shorts produced by Warner Bros. Animation.
The animated comedy film starts with a showing of the 1958Academy Award-winning[2] Warner Bros cartoonKnighty Knight Bugs before going into its film opening credits. This is followed up by Bugs Bunny narrating how cartoons likeLooney Tunes andMerrie Melodies immediately replaced baggy-pants comedy, as well as showing cartoons featuringSylvester, before he introduces us to "a warm-hearted humble littleintrovert calledYosemite Sam".
In a nearlyshot-for-shot remake ofDevil's Feud Cake, Yosemite Sam courtsGranny with evil intentions for the$50,000,000 she has inherited, but while they are discussing this, Bugs overhears his scheming and thwarts Sam under the guise of another suitor and later Granny herself. In the end, Sam dies after being crushed by a safe that Bugs drops on him and lands in Hell. Satan offers to give Sam another chance in life on the condition that he brings someone else back in his place. Sam agrees to this with Bugs specifically in mind. Being sent back asa Roman guard captain,an Arab, andin his usual cowboy guise, Sam attempts to kill Bugs in order to bring him to Hell. His attempts are unsuccessful, but when Satan offers him one more chance, Sam refuses, stating Satan should get the rabbit himself and decides to stay.
Bugs Bunny explains about cops and robbers, as well as gangster films. In Act 2, there are three cartoons dedicated to the gangster characters,Rocky and Mugsy.
Immediately after becoming a police detective (with the codename "Elegant Mess"), Bugs iscaptured by Rocky and his gang, who try to drown him. Bugs promptly escapes that and then infiltrates Rocky's birthday party that night, disguised as a showgirl. Rocky soon sees through Bugs' disguise and, accompanied by Mugsy, chases him into a cereal factory, where Bugs traps the pair on the cereal manufacturing machine. Afterwards, he brings Rocky to court, but thanks to some manipulations and obfuscatinglegalese by Rocky'ssleazy and unethical lawyer at his trial, the mobster is free to go.
Bugs has problems finding Rocky's new hideout until word breaks out of farmerPorky Pig'sgolden egg, which was apparently laid byDaffy Duck. Upon reading of this, Rocky and his men capture Daffy and demand him to lay a golden egg. He eventually does after Rocky shoots him in the head, and is then ordered to lay more to fill up their collection of egg cartons. Bugs and the police suddenly bust in and arrest Rocky's troop. But another law loophole sets Rocky free again.
Rocky thencapturesTweety and holds him for ransom, and Bugs appoints Sylvester to find Tweety. Sure enough, the pussycat finds Tweety in Rocky's hideout. After several failed attempts by Sylvester to free Tweety, the police arrive and surround Rocky's hideout. When Sylvester ends up being hailed as a hero for having seemingly rescued Tweety, Bugs brings Rocky to justice, but is forced to go to jail with him and Mugsy (who was likely arrested too) because he lost the keys to his handcuffs.
In the third and final act, Bugs introduces the Oswald Awards, an award ceremony created by Friz for animated characters. He then hosts the ceremony himself, announcing the nominees - the Wolf fromThree Little Bops,Sylvester & Tweety andhimself. During Bugs' show, Daffy continually gripes about the fact that he hasnot been nominated. When Bugs wins the award, an infuriated Daffy challenges Bugs toa talent showdown. Bugs seems to have the audience's favor, but is puzzled when Daffy ultimately wins their applause by blowing himself up. Bugs gives the now-ghostly Daffy the award, with the duck responding, "It just goes to show you, you gottakill yourself to win an Oswald in this town!" He then bows, but is shocked when the audience stops applauding, so he leaves in a huff. The only explanation is they only applauded because he is now dead.
The cartoons used to make the animated film include:
Also, clips fromLittle Red Rodent Hood,Speedy Gonzales, andA Pizza Tweety-Pie can be seen in the introduction.
The film was released on VHS in 1982 by WCI Home Video. The film was re-released on VHS on October 26, 1999, and on DVD in the USA on April 28, 2009, fromWarner Home Video. Special features for the DVD release included three bonus animated shorts:Box-Office Bunny,From Hare to Eternity andPullet Surprise.
