A Wild Hare

A Wild Hare (retitled on its rerelease as The Wild Hare) is an animated short film produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions, directed by Tex Avery, and released on July 27, 1940 by Warner Bros. Pictures. Part of the Merrie Melodies series of animated cartoons, it is a key film in the development of the characters of Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd.

Related Topics:
Animated - Short film - Leon Schlesinger Productions - Tex Avery - July 27 - 1940 - Warner Bros. Pictures - Merrie Melodies - Animated cartoons - Bugs Bunny - Elmer Fudd

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Various directors at the Warner Bros. cartoon studio had been experimenting with cartoons focussed on a hunter pursuing a rabbit since 1938, with varied approaches to the characters of both rabbit and hunter. A Wild Hare is noteworthy as the first appearance of a rabbit that is a clearly recognizable as Bugs Bunny, as well as for settling on the classic voice and appearance of the hunter, Elmer Fudd. The design and character of Bugs Bunny would continue to be refined over the subsequent years, but the general appearance, voice, and personality of the character was established in this cartoon. The rabit is unnamed in this film, but would be christened "'Bugs' Bunny" in his very next short, Elmer's Pet Rabbit, directed by Chuck Jones. The opening lines of both characters—"Be vewy, vewy quiet, I'm hunting wabbits" for Elmer, and "Eh, what's up Doc?" for the rabbit—would become catchphrases throughout their subsequent films.

Related Topics:
Elmer's Pet Rabbit - Chuck Jones

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The basic plot of A Wild Hare, which centers on Elmer Fudd's hopeless pursuit of the much smarter Bugs, would serve as a template for many subsequent cartoons. In addition, many of the specific gags and plot devices in this cartoon became part of the template for later Bugs/Elmer confrontations, with subsequent shorts repeating them or varying them for comic effect. Examples include Elmer failing to recognise Bugs as a rabbit, Bugs kissing Elmer, and Bugs feigning death.

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Rich Hawkins is credited with the story, Virgil Ross with the animation, and Carl Stalling with the musical score. Uncredited talent on A Wild Hare include animator Robert McKimson, layout man Robert Givens (who redesigned Elmer and the rabbit for this film), and voice artists Mel Blanc (as the rabbit) and Arthur Q. Bryan (as Elmer Fudd).

Related Topics:
Virgil Ross - Carl Stalling - Robert McKimson - Mel Blanc - Arthur Q. Bryan

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The short was nominated for an in 1941. Another contestant was Puss Gets the Boot, a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer short, directed by Joseph Barbera, William Hanna and produced by Rudolph Ising, notable for introducing Tom and Jerry. Both nominations lost to The Milky Way, another Rudolph Ising short which featured three nameless kittens.

Related Topics:
Puss Gets the Boot - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer - Joseph Barbera - William Hanna - Rudolph Ising - Tom and Jerry - The Milky Way - Kitten

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