Devil May Hare is a 1954 Looney Tunes short directed by Robert McKimson.
Title[]
The title is a pun on the phrase "devil-may-care."
Plot[]
Bugs Bunny is doing a bit of spring cleaning, emptying out carrot heads from his vacuum cleaner. He ducks into his hole to avoid a small bird (which Bugs refers to as a low-flying plane) zooming past. He then ducks as a deer jumps over him, and wonders what's going on. As if to answer, a whole stampede of animals appears, and Bugs tries to ask them why they are running, but all his "What's up, doc?" queries go unanswered. He manages to block the path of a turtle (who looks like Cecil Turtle) with a shovel and asks him what was happening, with the turtle explaining that "the Tasmanian Devil's on the loose! Run! Run! Run for your life!" as he runs off. Not knowing what a Tasmanian Devil is, Bugs goes back into his hole to look in an encyclopedia and find out more about this character. However, at that moment the Tasmanian Devil spins into the area and comes upon Bugs' hole as the latter reads the following: "Q..R..S..T, Tas... Tasmanian ... Here it is! 'A strong, murderous beast, jaws powerful as a steel-trap — has ravenous appetite, eats tigers, lions, elephants, buffaloes, donkeys, hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, giraffes, octopuses, moose, ducks...'" The Tasmanian Devil appears behind him and interjects, "Rabbits". Bugs, not knowing Taz is behind him, notes that the entry doesn't say "rabbits", until Taz hand writes "and Rabbits" onto the page.
As Taz tries to eat Bugs, the rabbit convinces Taz that he would not satisfy his appetite. Bugs then suggests to Taz that if they work together, he could provide the Devil with a substantial meal; he first suggests finding groundhogs. Later, out in the forest, Bugs and Taz arrive at a spot supposedly to dig for groundhogs. Taz starts digging into the ground, only for Bugs to then bury him alive. Just when Bugs thinks he's done with him, Taz appears right next to him asking, "What for you bury me in the cold, cold ground?" Taz tries to attack him, but Bugs feigns smelling chicken nearby which excites Taz. Bugs makes the chicken from liquid bubble gum and baking soda which Taz immediately devours. He 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. Later, Bugs creates a crude deer out of wood, a barrel and a bucket. He sees the Tasmanian Devil after him and climbs up a tree, which Taz chomps down on causing it to become smaller with each bite. Just as Bugs is brought down to ground level, he diverts Taz's attention to the "nice, fat deer" and tells him to knock it out with a giant slingshot made from another tree before getting the "deer". As Taz pulls down on the slingshot, Bugs jumps down a nearby hole and saws down the tree by the trunk, causing Taz to go flying off and crash into more trees.
As Bugs laughs at Taz's misfortune, a real fawn appears next to him. He warns the fawn of the Tasmanian Devil, making some insulting comments about the Devil as he does so, 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, though Taz simply replies "But you're not!" After an attempt to bite Bugs' face off, he starts to chase him, devouring everything he comes across. Bugs hides behind a tree and, once the coast is clear, brings out a telephone from the treehole with which he calls the Tasmanian Post-Dispatch newspaper in Tasmania, informing them to insert a singles ad: "Lonely Tasmanian Devil, would like to meet lonely lady Devil. Object, matrimony." No sooner does the call end than an airplane from Tasmania arrives seconds after, from which the "She-Devil" emerges, with whom Taz immediately falls in love. Bugs dons a preacher's hat and, after asking them in gibberish if they take each other for better or for worse, pronounces them "Devil and Devilish." The couple kiss and board the airplane that the female Tasmanian Devil arrived on, which takes off for Tasmania. The cartoon closes with Bugs telling the audience "All the world loves a lover, but in this case we'll make an exception."
Availability[]
The Looney Tunes Video Show, Volume 1
_(UK_VHS).jpeg "Bugs Bunny (1990) (UK VHS).jpeg (49 KB)")
Bugs Bunny (1990)
Stars of Space Jam: Tasmanian Devil
Bugs Bunny
Special Bumper Collection (Vol. 4)
Space Jam Double Feature
Special Bumper Collection (Vol. 5)
Classic Bumper Collection
Japanese Looney Tunes LaserDiscs Tasmanian Devil
Looney Tunes Presents: Taz's Jungle Jams
Looney Tunes: The Collectors Edition Volume 3: The Vocal Genius
Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1, Disc Four
Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection: Volume 1, Disc 2
Looney Tunes Collection All Stars Volume 2
Looney Tunes Collection All Stars Volumes 1 & 2, Disc 2
KFC Scooby-Doo/Looney Tunes DVDs (Australia) Volume 2
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1, Disc Two
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1, Disc Two
Looney Tunes Center Stage Volume 2
Stars of Space Jam: Tasmanian Devil
Stars of Space Jam Collection Volume 1
Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection Volumes 1-3 Repack
Streaming[]
Censorship[]
- Versions of this short shown in 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]
Goofs[]
- When Bugs hums "Tales from the Vienna Woods" as he empties his vacuum cleaner, his mouth does not move, hence he is out of sync.
- During the wedding ceremony between Taz and She-Devil, the voices for the two are switched before Bugs pronounces them "Devil and Devilish."
Notes[]
- This was Taz's only appearance in the Looney Tunes series. The rest of his Golden Age appearances were in the Merrie Melodies series.
- This cartoon marks the debut of Tasmanian Devil and the Tasmanian She-Devil.
- This cartoon was originally intended to be Taz's only appearance, due to producer Eddie Selzer's dislike of the Taz character at the time, believing it was too violent for children and distasteful to parents.[2] After a few years with no new Taz shorts, Jack Warner requested Selzer to bring back the Taz character in his next cartoon "Bedevilled Rabbit" in response to "boxes and boxes" of fan mail were coming from people who liked the character and wanted to see more of him.[3][4]
- This cartoon was featured in Bugs Bunny's Valentine, but it was shortened for time.
- This cartoon premiered with Them!.
- This was the last short to feature the old-style "Bugs Bunny in" card which was used from 1945-1953.
Gallery[]
_Devil_May_Hare_@.mkv_20230817_154636.679.png "(1954-6-19) Devil May Hare @.mkv 20230817 154636.679.png (1.35 MB)")
_Devil_May_Hare_@.mkv_20230817_154639.115.png "(1954-6-19) Devil May Hare @.mkv 20230817 154639.115.png (1.44 MB)")
TV Title Cards[]
References[]
- ↑ http://www.intanibase.com/gac/looneytunes/censored-d.aspx
- ↑ Owen, David; Pemberton, David (2005). Tasmanian Devil: A Unique and Threatened Animal (in en). Allen & Unwin, page 157. ISBN 978-1-74114-368-3.
- ↑ https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/two-more-notorious-animation-myths/
- ↑ https://tralfaz.blogspot.com/2022/04/mckimson-meets-tazmanian-devil.html