Rabbit of Seville
1950 · 7m · USA
Directed by Chuck Jones
Genres: animation, comedy, musical
Tones: absurdist, tense, whimsical
Bugs Bunny is chased by Elmer Fudd into the Hollywood Bowl, where he tricks Fudd onto stage for a breakneck operatic barber-shop chase set to Rossini's overture to The Barber of Seville.
Picked by Margot
The scouts
Every gesture choreographed to Rossini — turning a hunting cartoon into a music-comedy hybrid that's funnier than most operas. Top-tier Jones.
Jones synchronizes Rossini's overture to slapstick choreography with the precision of an opera director, and the haircut routine alone is balletic. A foundational Looney Tunes-meets-opera essay.
Every gag synced to Rossini's overture — the barber-shop chase is literally conducted by the score, with cut points hitting the downbeats. Music as comedy weapon. Restored Archive print, color confirmed.
Reviews
The genius of Rabbit of Seville is how the wildly inventive comic action is perfectly timed to the Rossini music, offering some of the best sight gags in the history of the Warner Bros. animation studio.
Both laugh-out-loud hilarious and an artistic triumph that creates a slapstick masterpiece on the foundation of symphonic greatness.