| Knighty Knight Bugs | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Friz Freleng |
| Story by | Warren Foster |
| Produced by | John W. Burton, Sr. |
| Starring | Mel Blanc |
| Music by | Milt Franklyn |
| Animation by | Gerry Chiniquy Arthur Davis Virgil Ross |
| Layouts by | Hawley Pratt |
| Backgrounds by | Tom O'Loughlin |
| Color process | Technicolor |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 6:28 |
Knighty Knight Bugs is a 1958Warner Bros.Looney Tunes cartoon directed byFriz Freleng.[1] The short was released on August 23, 1958, and starsBugs Bunny andYosemite Sam.[2]
Knighty Knight Bugs is the only Bugs Bunny cartoon to win anAcademy Award for Best Animated Short Film, which was awarded in1959.[3] The short was later included in the 1981 compilation filmThe Looney, Looney, Looney Bugs Bunny Movie. The cartoon's title is a pun on the phrase "nighty-night".
In the realm ofKing Arthur, trouble ensues when the infamous Black Knight Yosemite Sam steals the Singing Sword. King Arthur, along with his loyalKnights of the Round Table, seeks a volunteer to recover the stolen artifact. Reluctantly, court jester Bugs Bunny is assigned the mission by King Arthur, facing execution if he fails.
Upon infiltrating the castle of theBlack Knight, Bugs encounters a dragon, a companion to Yosemite Sam, suffering from a cold-induced sneezing fit. Taking advantage of the situation, Bugs retrieves the Singing Sword from the castle's chest. When Bugs wonders aloud why it is called the Singing Sword, it starts humming "Cuddle up a Little Closer, Lovey Mine" and causes Sam to wake up from his nap. As Bugs escapes, Yosemite Sam gives chase of the dragon, leading to a series of comical encounters. Bugs outsmarts Yosemite Sam by utilizing the castle's defenses against him, causing various mishaps, including Sam falling into the moat and being flattened by a failed catapult launch. Despite Sam's persistent pursuit, Bugs ultimately traps him and the dragon in an explosives stockade within the castle.
As Bugs departs with the Singing Sword, the dragon's sneeze triggers an explosion that propels Sam and the dragon towards the moon. Bugs bids them farewell as the Singing Sword plays "Aloha 'Oe" at the end.
Knighty Knight Bugs is the fifthMerrie Melodies/Looney Tunes entry to win theAcademy Award for Best Animated Short Film in1959. In doing so, it beat out cartoonsWalt Disney Studios'Paul Bunyan andTerrytoons'Sidney's Family Tree.[4] It was the third Oscar-nominated Bugs Bunny cartoon, afterA Wild Hare in1941[5] andHiawatha's Rabbit Hunt in1942.[6] The Oscar was presented toJohn W. Burton, the producer of this cartoon.[7] After Burton's death, the Oscar was handed to the director, Friz Freleng.[8]
In theTiny Toon Adventures episode "Who Bopped Bugs Bunny?", the Oscar win ofKnighty Knight Bugs is a major plot point. Mirroring the real-life loss of theTerrytoons short at the Academy Awards, a character named Sappy "Slaphappy" Stanley (a parody of "Silly" Sidney, here voiced byJonathan Winters) was defeated for theShloscar Award. As a result, Stanley scorned the U.S. film industry. He relocated to France, wheredespite becoming a national star still nursed a bitter grudge against Bugs, culminating in the episode's plot.
This cartoon is featured uncut on Disc 1 of theLooney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 4 DVD set,[9]Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Academy Awards Animation Collection,The Essential Bugs Bunny. It is also available in theLooney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 3 Blu-ray and DVD set, and theBugs Bunny 80th Anniversary Collection Blu-Ray set.
Bugs' White Water Rapids is aHopkins Rideslog flume themed toKnighty Knight Bugs that opened in 1998 atSix Flags Fiesta Texas inSan Antonio,Texas.[10][11][12]
| Preceded by | Bugs Bunny Cartoons 1958 | Succeeded by |