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Devil May Hare is a 1954 Looney Tunes short directed by Robert McKimson.
Plot
Bugs Bunny is doing a bit of spring cleaning, getting rid of carrot heads. He ducks into his hole when a small bird (Bugs refers it as a low-flying plane) zooms past. He then sees a deer jump over him, and wonders what's going on. Then a whole stampede of animals appears, and Bugs tries to query them to find out what's going on, all of which go unanswered. He manages to stop a turtle by putting a shovel in front of his path. Bugs asks the turtle what was happening, with the turtle explaining that "the Tasmanian Devil's on the loose! Run! Run! Run for your life!". Bugs then goes back into his hole and looks in the encyclopedia to find this character in it. This cartoon, in fact, is the Tasmanian Devil’s first appearance in any of the Warner Bros.' Looney Tunes cartoons. Bugs Bunny gets himself into this situation because he offers to help the disheveled Tasmanian Devil find his dinner.
The following quote illustrates Bugs’ realization that Taz is in fact a threat and danger to him: "Q..R..S..T, Tasmanian ... Here it is! 'A strong, murderous beast, jaws powerful as a steel-trap — has ravenous appetite and eats tigers, lions, elephants, buffaloes, donkeys, hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, giraffes, octopuses, moose, ducks," the Tasmanian Devil then appears behind him and interjects, "Rabbits" and hand writes it into the encyclopedia.
This is when Bugs Bunny realizes that he is in danger and that the Tasmanian Devil could in fact potentially attack and eat him. He then convinces Taz that he (Bugs) would not satisfy his appetite. He tells him that groundhogs would do so; Bugs hands him a shovel and ends up burying him. Just when Bugs thinks he's done with him, the Tasmanian Devil asks: "What for you bury me in the cold, cold ground?" Taz then attacks him, Bugs then feigns smelling chicken nearby which excites Taz. Bugs makes the chicken from liquid bubble gum and baking soda which Taz immediately devours. He then starts hiccuping and creates a giant bubble and begins to drift away. Bugs takes out a slingshot and shoots Taz down causing him to become entangled in the gum caught in a tree branch.
Next Bugs makes a pig out of an inflatable raft. Taz swallows it and Bugs pulls the string causing the raft to inflate inside of him. Then Bugs creates a deer out of wood. He then sees the Tasmanian Devil after him and climbs up a tree, which Taz chomps down on causing it to become smaller with each bite. Bugs diverts his attention to the crudely made wooden deer ("N-n-now, devil, control yourself. That's no way to act. Now, now, take it easy, I can explain everything, doc. Uh, I just rounded up something very extra special for ya, a nice, fat deer!") and tells him to knock it out with a giant slingshot ("Not so fast, you'll scare him away! Foist knock hm out with this slingshot, then go get him."). As Taz pulls down on the slingshot, Bugs saws down the tree that is used for the slingshot causing Taz to go flying off and crash.
As Bugs laughs at Taz's misfortune, a real fawn (resembling Bambi) appears next to him. He warns the fawn of the Tasmanian Devil (making some insulting comments in the process), not knowing that Taz is right behind him. "Flattery will get you nowhere," Taz says, "and you can't fool me again." Bugs attempts to convince him that the fawn is made of straw. Taz replies: "But you're not!" He starts to chase him, devouring everything he comes across. Bugs hides in a treehole and calls a delivery service for the lonely Tasmanian She-Devil with whom Taz immediately falls in love. Bugs pretends to be a minister and pronounces them "Devil and Devilish." The couple then kiss and ride off in the airplane that the Female Tasmanian Devil came on, leaving Bugs saying "All the world loves a lover, but in this case I'll make an exception."
Availability
- (1982) VHS - The Looney Tunes Video Show, Volume 1
- (1996) VHS - Stars of Space Jam: Tasmanian Devil
- (1998) VHS - Looney Tunes Presents: Taz's Jungle Jams
- (1999) VHS - Looney Tunes: The Collectors Edition Volume 3: The Vocal Genius
- (2003) DVD - Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1, Disc 4.
- (2003) DVD - Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection: Volume 1, Disc 2.
- (2011) Blu-ray, DVD - Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1, Disc 2
- (2018) DVD - Stars of Space Jam: Tasmanian Devil
- (2018) DVD - Stars of Space Jam Collection Volume 1
Censorship
- Versions of this short shown on CBS's "The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Hour" cut out the scene of Bugs using a slingshot to pop the bubble that Taz blew. The edited version plays out as if the bubble broke without provocation.[1]
Gallery
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References
External Links
- Devil May Hare at SuperCartoons.net
- Devil May Hare at B99.TV
- Baxter's Breakdowns
