| The Abominable Snow Rabbit | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The Abominable Snow Rabbit is a 1961 Looney Tunes short directed by Chuck Jones and Maurice Noble.
Title
The title is a play on the phrase and 1957 horror film The Abominable Snowman.
Plot
Bugs burrows through the Himalayan mountains, followed by Daffy Duck. After a failed attempt by Daffy to go swimming in a frozen pond, the two realize they are not in Palm Springs, and Bugs works out they are in the, as he puts it, 'Hime-a-lay-as'. Daffy corrects him on the pronunciation, then realizes where they are. Angry, he gets back in the tunnel, and heads for Perth Amboy. But he misses a sign, which, in pseudo-Oriental writing, reads 'Beware of the Abominable Snowman'.
Daffy, whilst underground, crashes into said creature's foot. The Abominable Snowman grabs Daffy, names him George, and gives him crippling hugs, believing Daffy is a rabbit, when actually he just tied his sweater round his head for warmth, with the sleeves on top. Daffy reveals this, and 'George' is punished for his 'deception' with spankings. However, Daffy imparts to him where he can find a real rabbit, namely Bugs. As Bugs starts experiencing Hugo's tough love, Daffy sneaks away.
Hugo sits on Bugs like a hen, so he 'doesn't feel rejected.' But Bugs tunnels out next to Daffy. His tunneling pushes Daffy to Hugo. Bugs tells Hugo that he now has a rabbit. Daffy and Hugo agree that a rabbit has long ears. But Bugs cleverly pulls his own ears down, and puts his fingers behind Daffy's head. Hugo begins petting Daffy, but then realizes rabbits don't have feathers nor bills. Daffy points out the tunneling Bugs to Hugo, who chases him underground. In a hot climate, a profusely sweating Hugo, and a disguised Bugs, discuss Hugo's failure to catch Bugs. Daffy pokes his head out of the hole. Bugs puts fake ears on him, and gives him to Hugo. But Hugo has melted, for he really was a snowman.
Availability
- VHS - Looney Tunes Presents: Bugs Bunny: Big Top Bunny (1997 dubbed version)
- LaserDisc - Looney Tunes: After Dark: Ghoul, Ghost and Goblin Cartoon Classics
- DVD - Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 5, Disc 1
- DVD - Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection: Volume 5, Disc 1
- Streaming - Boomerang App
Notes
- This cartoon marks the debut of Hugo the Abominable Snowman, a parody of Lennie from John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men.
- Hugo would make another appearance in the 1980 short "Spaced Out Bunny".
- From this cartoon to 1964's "War and Pieces", Maurice Noble (and at times Abe Levitow) would work on the directional duties with Chuck Jones on his cartoons as co-directors.
- While this cartoon was used in the movie Daffy Duck's Quackbusters, the opening scene was reanimated so that Bugs and Daffy would go to their job site at the Himalayas.
- On the original ending card, both the "LOONEY TUNES", "A WARNER BROS. CARTOON" and "A VITAGRAPH RELEASE" bylines flash abruptly over the "That's all, folks!" line, unlike the other shorts of the period.
- The 1997 dubbed version print has the THIS VERSION (C) 1997 WARNER BROS. dubbed disclaimer appear the same time as for the "LOONEY TUNES", "A WARNER BROS. CARTOON" and "A VITAGRAPH RELEASE" bylines.[1]
- This short appeared in The Bugs Bunny & Tweety Show.
Gallery
Add a photo to this galleryReferences
External Links
- "The Abominable Snow Rabbit" at SuperCartoons.net
- "The Abominable Snow Rabbit" at B99.TV
