Looney Tunes Super Stars: Bugs Bunny Hare Extraordinaire

Looney Tunes Super Stars: Bugs Bunny Hare Extraordinaire Review

Looney Tunes Super Stars: Bugs Bunny Hare Extraordinaire Feature

• LOONEY TUNES SUPER STARS BUGS BUNNY HARE EXTRAORDI (DVD MOVIE)

None of the 15 cartoons in Hare Extraordinaire have been released on DVD before. The best film in the collection is Friz Freleng's "Hare Trimmed" (1953), with its brilliant animation of Bugs disguised as Granny, daintily lifting his skirts as he prances about on his outsize rabbit feet. "Mutiny on the Bunny" (1950), one of several shorts Freleng made with Yosemite Sam as a pirate, offers plenty of laughs, as do "Napoleon Bunny-Part" (1956) and "Bedeviled Rabbit" (1957). "Lumber Jack-Rabbit" (1955) was the only Warner cartoon made in 3-D as part of the mid-50's craze, but it's not a distinguished film. Many of these cartoons rank as B- and C-level entries in the Warner Bros. canon. Robert McKimson's "Bushy Hair" (1950) is essentially a remake of his "Gorilla My Dreams" (1948)--as is Freleng's "Apes of Wrath" (1959). In the very late McKimson cartoons "The Million Hare" (1963) and "False Hare" (1964, the last theatrical Bugs short), the energy has gone out of the animation, the direction, and even Mel Blanc's vocal performances. In contrast to the six Looney Tunes Golden Collections, Hare Extraordinaire feels sloppily produced. Several of the films have been ineptly cropped to give the impression they were made for a widescreen format: when Bugs dresses up as Josephine in "Napoleon Bunny-Part," most of his bonnet is cut off. Areas of color shimmer and boil in "Lumber Jack-Rabbit." Warner cartoon fans will want Hare Extraordinaire to complete their collections, but it's a disappointing follow-up to the exemplary Golden sets. (Unrated, suitable for all ages: cartoon violence) --Charles Solomon

(1. Mutiny on the Bunny, 2. Bushy Hare, 3. Hare We Go, 4. Foxy by Proxy, 5. Hare Trimmed, 6. Lumber Jack-Rabbit, 7. Napoleon Bunny-Part, 8. Bedeviled Rabbit, 9. Apes of Wrath, 10. From Hare to Heir, 11. Lighter than Hare, 12. The Million Hare, 13. Mad as a Mars Hare, 14. Dr. Devil and Mr. Hare, 15. False Hare) Episodes: Mutiny on the Bunny, Bushy Hare, Hare We Go, Foxy by Proxy, Hare Trimmed, Lumber Jack-Rabbit, Napoleon Bunny-Part, Bedevilled Rabbit, Apes of Wrath, From Hare to Heir, Lighter than Hare, The Million Hare, Mad as a Mars Hare, Dr. Devil and Mr. Hare, False Hare