A Wild Hare
1940 · 8m · USA
Directed by Tex Avery
Genres: adventure, animation, comedy
Tones: darkly comic, humorous, whimsical
Elmer Fudd goes rabbit hunting but finds himself thoroughly outwitted by a cool, carrot-chomping rabbit who casually greets him with 'What's up, Doc?' — marking the first official appearance of Bugs Bunny.
Picked by Margot
The scouts
The actual birth of Bugs Bunny as a smartass — eight minutes that rewired American comedy. The carrot, the catchphrase, the casual contempt for the hunter. Foundational.
Tex Avery's coronation of Bugs Bunny as a fully ironic figure, where prey rewrites the rules of pursuit. The film's place in the comedic canon is structural, not nostalgic.
The first moment Bugs is fully Bugs — Tex Avery's casual carrot-chomping reaction to Elmer's gun is a beat that depends entirely on holding stillness when slapstick would be expected. That subversion is the whole character's DNA.
Reviews
Avery's expert timing, Mel Blanc and Arthur Q. Bryan's instant chemistry as Bugs and Elmer, and a solid script by Rich Hogan all contribute to creating an Academy Award nominated classic.
It is a groundbreaking cartoon on all fronts, with Bugs Bunny in close to his most familiar form — he immediately became a star.
Festivals
- Academy Awards 1941, Nominated