Rabbit Seasoning (1952) User Reviews

Daffy Loses His Head!

[ccthemovieman-1 · 9/10 · 15 February 2007]

The four signs on the road say "If You're Looking For Fun.....You Don't Need A Reason....All You Need Is A Gun....It's Rabbit Season!"

In the woods, we see hundreds of "Rabbit Season" signs posted on every tree. We see more and more signs pointing exactly to Bugs Bunny's hole. Who's putting up all these signs? Daffy Duck!

Daffy puts the last sign up, tiptoes away and says to us, the audience, "Awfully unsporting of me, I know. But, what the hey - I gotta have some fun! Besides, it's really duck season."

From that point, we now see Elmer Fudd, shotgun in hand.....and a war of semantics between Bugs and Daffy with Bugs winning every time. Only in cartoons, thankfully, can we see someone getting shotgun-blasted in the head five times and keep going!

"I'm hunting wabbits."

[utgard14 · 8/10 · 29 April 2014]

Very funny Bugs & Daffy cartoon. The second of their hunting trilogy with Elmer Fudd. The cartoon starts with a series of signs Daffy has put up to direct Elmer to Bugs' home, telling him it's rabbit season. He's hoping Elmer will shoot Bugs. Needless to say, things don't go as Daffy planned. The rest of the short is Bugs outsmarting Daffy and getting him to say or do the wrong things, which usually results in dimwitted Elmer shooting him. Sounds so simple but that's the beauty of it. It's brilliant in its simplicity. Classic comedy from Chuck Jones and Michael Maltese. Great voice work from Mel Blanc and Arthur Q. Bryan. One of the best Looney Tunes ever made.

A Battle of Words

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 30 December 2015]

Bugs Bunny almost always gets the last word, and this cartoon really promotes that. In this one, Daffy Duck has convinced Elmer Fudd it is rabbit season to deflect the fact that it is really duck season. Of course, he never has a chance against the clever rabbit. Since Elmer is no Rhodes Scholar himself, he falls for every verbal trap put forth and Daffy ends up paying for it with buckshot dismantling him. On several occasions, the clumsy hunter shoots the poor duck, usually rearranging his head in some way. There is the obligatory scene where Bugs dresses up as a Southern Belle and Elmer goes bonkers over him/her. Good animation. Nowadays, all the shooting and talk of death would never allow this to be shown to children the way it was in 1952.

Classic Looney Tunes

[StreepFan126 · 10/10 · 27 December 2002]

This is my all time favorite Looney Tunes cartoon. It's a common plot: Daffy Duck tries to convince Elmer Fudd that it is really rabbit season and shoot Bugs. But your can never outsmart that rabbit! In addition to usual cartoon comedy, this cartoon is supported by great word play that will keep you rolling on the floor.

The Hunting Trilogy

[Groucho734 · 10/10 · 21 August 2000]

The "Hunting Trilogy" of Rabbit Fire (1951), Rabbit Seasoning (1952), and Duck! Rabbit! Duck! (1953) should be considered the comedic high water mark of the Chuck Jones-Michael Maltese collaboration. While they are seldom mentioned in lists of the "greatest" or "most important" cartoons in the history of animation, they are certainly THE FUNNIEST cartoons I've ever seen. Michael Maltese never got the credit that directors like Jones, Freleng or Avery got, but it's his dialogue and situations that make Warner Bros. cartoons, and these three in particular, some of the FUNNIEST ever made.

The best of the trilogy

[kenny_c_hueholt · 17 March 2002]

While other people have said this is the weakest of the Chuck Jones "hunting trilogy," I actually think this one's the best. I always get a kick out of that "Would you like to shoot me now or wait till you get home?" gag. It's funny how no matter what, it's always Daffy that gets shot, not Bugs. Oh, and I liked Daffy's line at the beginning, "Awfully unthporting of me, I know, but hey I gotta have some fun!"

"I gotta have some fun! Besides it is really duck season!"

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 7 February 2010]

If you overlook the fact that the plot has been done many times, this is a hilarious and gleefully enjoyable Looney Tunes cartoon. The animation is wonderful, the backgrounds so detailed and a lot of audacious colouring too. The writing is razor sharp, and the sight gags especially Daffy constantly getting his head blown off are brilliantly timed. I really did love the arguments between Daffy and Bugs, and that Bugs wins every time. I also love it that Daffy is really greedy and nasty while being uproariously funny. I do prefer him when he's manic but he is great fun here too. Bugs is still his charming and rascally self, and Elmer is funny if rather dumb too. In short, this is absolutely brilliant, and actually my personal favourite of the Hunting Trilogy for sheer entertainment value. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Battle of wits again.

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 10/10 · 19 May 2004]

Once again Elmer is faced with the dilemma of who to shoot. Bugs of Daffy. He's unsure of what season it is and Bunny and Duck arguing help matters not. Though Bugs proves he's the smartest once more by repeatedly using reverse psychology on Daffy in increasingly subtle ways. And when that runs out he does his trademark cross-dressing thingy. Daffy freaks out and demands the bunny be shot. Though Elmer is too stupid he is hopelessly in love with the girl bunny thing. Elmer really is to blame for all this. If he weren't so dumb he'd know it REALLY is duck season and just blast Daffy. But poor old Daff can't believe the utter preposterousness of the situation. His cruel plans of misdirection have been foiled by Elmer's dumbness. Daffy is so shocked that he even goes home with Elmer to be blasted in his living room.

Poor Daff. He rules!

The most finely honed script in the Hunting Trilogy

[phantom_tollbooth · 10/10 · 18 August 2008]

Chuck Jones's 'Rabbit Seasoning', the second in the much beloved hunting trilogy, is often considered to be the best of the three. While I find it almost impossible to choose between this trio of fantastic cartoons, I would have to concede that 'Rabbit Seasoning' is the most finely honed script. Here, the emphasis is placed on language as Bugs and Daffy run through a series of complex dialogues in the grand tradition of Abbot and Costello's 'Who's on next' routine. As a long term Daffy fan, I have always been delighted by the hunting trilogy because it is consistently Daffy who gets all the best lines (the famous "Pronoun trouble" being one of the all time classics) and does most of the work. Bugs plays the role of cool manipulator while Elmer, as always, is the befuddled dupe. Part of what makes the hunting trilogy so much fun is that Daffy and Elmer pose so little threat to Bugs that he is basically just kicking back and having some easy laughs. Elmer falls into every trap that is laid for him but it is poor old Daffy who comes off worst, being shot in the face again and again, his beak ending up in more and more ridiculous positions. It all builds to the inevitable climactic declaration "You're despicable". As intricate an example of Chuck Jones's impeccable timing as you'll come across, 'Rabbit Seasoning' is a true classic.

Rabbit Seasoning is another hilarious Bugs/Daffy/Elmer cartoon

[tavm · 10/10 · 31 December 2007]

Rabbit Seasoning is one of three cartoons that feature Bugs Bunny/Daffy Duck/Elmer Fudd in a war of words and wits about whether it's rabbit season or duck season. Love Bugs and Daffy stirring up "pronoun trouble" with Daffy always the victim of Elmer's shotgun resulting with his beak always getting dismembered. Then there's the rabbit's cross-dressing that always gets Elmer in his love struck mode. Chuck Jones and Michael Maltese are always favorites of mine in the writer-director team category because of these hilarious hunting trilogy cartoons I've laughed at since I was a kid. And at least two of them end with Daffy's exclamation to Bugs: "You're despicable!" Can't get better that that!

Not I

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 26 September 2013]

In this short film, which runs for the usual roughly seven minutes and is one of the more famous ones from the giant Warner Bros' body of work, Daffy Duck should have read the above Beckett play for his own safety. It's duck season and he tries to distract trigger-happy hunter Elmer Fudd from him by putting "rabbit season"-signs everywhere. Sadly, Fudd is not exactly a mastermind and needs help in figuring out that Bugs Bunny is, in fact, a rabbit. Daffy leaves his safe hideout (oh no he shouldn't) to tell him so, yet Bugs Bunny's wit keeps teaching Daffy one thing over and over again: It's actually duck season. Before it all ends we get to see Bugs dressed up as a desirable femme fatale. By now, you can probably guess "fatale" to whom. Oh, what a despicable bunny!

Bugs, Daffy and Elmer at their best

[elisereid-29666 · 10/10 · 1 March 2020]

Though not my favorite of the "Hunting Trilogy", this is still downright classic. Daffy is malicious and dumb, Bugs never loses his cool, and Elmer is almost an innocent bystander. My favorite moment is when Bugs crossdresses to seduce Elmer, who is not only dumb enough to fall for it, but who is so blinded when Bugs kisses him that he will do anything he asks. Watch Elmer's facial expressions in that scene and you'll see just how detail-oriented the animation staff was. Highly recommended!

If you've ever wondered why only a third of Americans own guns . . .

[oscaralbert · 7/10 · 12 December 2015]

. . . this Warner Bros. "Merrie Melodies" animated short from the early 1950s goes a long way toward providing the answer. Since Warner's brass was Hell-bent upon warning us about the danger of firearms NOT covered by the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment Armory Musket Clause, they specialized in churning out flicks such as PUBLIC ENEMY, LITTLE CAESAR, and THE ROARING TWENTIES from their inception. These features show what kind of a country Americans would live in if the People ever permitted a Gun Nut Majority on the U.S. Supreme Court. Because Warner producers also were pragmatists, they realized that they needed to have a "Plan B" in case their cautionary feature films were NOT enough to squelch a prurient interest in guns among ALL adult Americans. Warner's animated shorts served this function. Slob hunter Elmer Fudd shoots Daffy Duck in the face six times by the end of RABBIT SEASONING (among his 20 total shots). Daffy bounces back good as new after each and every shooting. During my brief time on this planet I've read and heard about 72,306 separate instances in which kids have found a loaded gun in their home and decided to play "Elmer and Daffy" with fatal results. (I've probably missed one or two million other such "unpreventable" mishaps and I assume countless Woundings and near-misses never even make the news.) Though the Gun Nuts who run all branches of American Government have Out-Lawed any statistic-keeping more official than mine, I've seen enough to realize that Warner cleverly set out to thin the gene pool of Gun Crazy Families with "children's fare" such as RABBIT SEASONING.

Funniest Looney Tune ever made.

[ZED-30 · 11 September 1999]

Like most Looney Tunes, I could watch "Rabbit Seasoning" over and over. It's my favorite one that doesn't include Marvin the Martian. The "wabbit season/duck season" argument between Bugs and Daffy is comparable to Abbott and Costello's "Who's on first" routine. Animation at its best.

The best of the trilogy, needless to say

[m-86730 · 10/10 · 12 April 2020]

I have been a huge fan of the Looney Tunes works by Chuck Jones, and this one, without a doubt, is the one of the greatest masterpiece directed by Jones.

I like all of the hunting trilogy, but I liked this one best for Daffy's selfish personality reached its peak in here, while Elmer, often too dumb to live, almost reached his peak as well (second only to the last of the trilogy, when he looked completely an airhead).

Though Daffy was able to scold Elmer that he didn't notice Bugs, Daffy still didn't prove much brighter than Elmer, as he frequently fell for Bugs's pronoun trick. Believe it or not, I actually started to THINK like Daffy when I watched this cartoon for the first time back then.

Everything looked funnier when Elmer paired with Bugs, Elmer's stupidity helped him become one of the most famous and funniest partner of Bugs (perhaps second only to Daffy).

Overall, it's one of my best cartoons, I rate 10/10. The best one.

The Best in the Trilogy!

[TheMan3051 · 8/10 · 4 August 2002]

This is the second and best in the Hunting Trilogy! What makes it the best is the clever dialogue!

Bugs: Do you want to shoot me now or wait till you get home?

It was kind of funny how they kept that going through out the short!

a cartoon for all "season"s

[lee_eisenberg · 10/10 · 24 April 2006]

In one of the many Bugs Bunny-Daffy Duck cartoons, Elmer Fudd is out hunting, and Daffy tries to get him to shoot Bugs. Needless to say, Bugs has his own agenda. Moreover, "Rabbit Seasoning" makes interesting use of word order and pronouns (warning: it just might hilariously and royally mess up your speech).

I think that probably my favorite aspect of this cartoon is the costumes worn by Bugs and Daffy. One of them seems like it would have been risqué for 1952 (especially in a cartoon), but they pull it off perfectly, as they always did. All in all, this just goes to show what geniuses the people behind these cartoons were.

Perfection

[movieman_kev · 10/10 · 5 November 2003]

Having just got the "Loony Tunes Golden Collection"(which i HIGHLY recommend, by the way), I'm going to try to comment on most if not all of the cartoons individually. As such the starting statement might seem redundant for those whom read multiple reviews of them, for this i apologize.

Rabbit Seasoning is the middle short in a trilogy of like-minded shorts (the other two being "Rabbit Fire" and "Duck! Rabbit, Duck). Bags and Daffy argue about who Elmer Fudd should short. It makes me laugh EVERY SINGLE TIME!!! On the DVD it has a commentary, featurette, & option to play it music only.

My Grade: A+

DVD Extras: Disk 1: an introduction by Chuck Jones; The Boy of Termite Terrice part 1; clips from the films "Two Guys from Texas" and "My Dream is Yours", both with Bugs cameos; Bridging sequences for an episode of "the Bugs Bunny show"; the Astro Nuts audio recording session; 2 vintage trailers; "Blooper Bunny: Bugs Bunny 51st and a half anniversary" with optional commentary with writer Greg Ford & stills gallery

Daffy really should quit while he's behind

[llltdesq · 9/10 · 14 December 2000]

This is the middle cartoon of the three (between Rabbit Fire and Duck! Rabbit, Duck!) and is the weakest of the three, while still being quite funny. It simply depends on one gag for too much of the action. Still a good cartoon. I feel a definite sympathy for Daffy in this one, which is rare for me. Daffy is so clearly overmatched that it almost becomes painful to watch at times. Good cartoon in an excellent series. Recommended.

Always makes me laugh

[mickeythechamp · 10/10 · 25 March 2023]

One of the best animated short of all time. While you can find other shorts fun in the way where you smile or puff air out of your nose, this short always gets actually laughs out of me. The humor is so good, the animation fun and expressive and the voice performances are what really elevates this short to its height.

Daffy wants to get Bugs during a hunt by faking it being rabbit season.

What really lift this short to new heights is the incredible performance by Mel Blanc. The director Chuck Jones and Blanc are in sync here, really understanding to stretch the jokes and deliver them perfectly. Both Bugs and Daffy is voiced to perfection and making the humor land so well.

This is just one of Joneses normal sticks. Simple concept, how many jokes can we make of it in 7 minutes? The gags and jokes are so well done and are genuinely funny. Even to the extent where it gets actual laughs from you. It´s not normal for me to laugh that hard at animated shorts but this one really does it every time. The comedic timing, the absurd stretch of the concept, the fun animation of Daffy´s beak, it all culminates into comedy gold.

The expression of characters also really helps the humor. The way characters look and react translate so well into funny over the top faces and situations the trademark of Jones in my opinion. The backgrounds are actually also really nice with the faded autumn colors of the woods really sticking out in my mind.

As said, I see this short as comedic perfection. Everything the short sets out to do it done to perfection and every time I watch it I´m never disappointed.

Not my favourite episode of Daffy, Bugs and Elmer...

[Mightyzebra · 7/10 · 12 April 2008]

...And there were quite a few of these.

I do not like this cartoon as much as many others, partly because it was made in its period. I much prefer cartoons with Daffy and Bugs which are fifteen or so years before-hand. Many people will like this, particularly people who always find violence funny, cartoon or not.

The basic plot is a pretty well known one for Looney Tunes: Elmer goes out hunting, Daffy leads him to Bugs and Daffy ends up being shot instead. Also inserted are quite clever and highly entertaining jokes (some do not enhance the episode), ugly shooting and animation which is slightly mediocre. The plot is mainly geared by jokes - each joke keeps the episode going. This way of plot-going is not all that unusual in Looney Tunes (of course if you are pretty much a Looney Tunes boffin - or an eager one - like me, then you'll know this already).

For people who love everything about Looney Tunes and Daffy Duck and like the sound of what I have said about it, enjoy "Rabbit Seasoning"!

7 and a half out of ten.

You're despicable.

[Pjtaylor-96-138044 · 8/10 · 16 July 2023]

'Rabbit Seasoning (1952)' is a short film in which Daffy Duck tries to convince Elmer Fudd to shoot Bugs Bunny instead of him. It's actually the second in a trilogy of hunting season shorts starring the trio, but I don't think it's a big deal that I watched it before seeing either of the others. The flick essentially boils down to a series of gags in which Bugs outwits Daffy and tricks the duck into demanding his own demise. The various ways in which his face and beak, in particular, get distorted after being blown away at close range never fail to provoke a chuckle, and Bugs' devilishly simple self-defence constantly keeps you smiling. The dynamic between the charismatic characters is lively and vibrant, much like the satisfying animation and the iconic voice work. Overall, this a really enjoyable effort that keeps you laughing throughout.

What's funny about this classic cartoon starring Bugs, Daffy and Elmer? Every detail

[J. Spurlin · 5 March 2007]

Daffy Duck has signs hanging from every inch of every available tree announcing that it's rabbit season. But, you guessed it - it's really duck season. Elmer Fudd appears: he's the only hunter dumb enough to fall for the gag.

He's even dumber than that. When Bugs Bunny strides up to him and asks how the rabbit hunting is going, Elmer admits that he hasn't seen a rabbit yet. This is more than Daffy can stand. He emerges from his hiding place and immediately points to a rabbit: Bugs Bunny. "Shoot him now!" Daffy screams. "You be quiet," says Bugs. "He doesn't have to shoot you now." Daffy insists that he does.

After Daffy returns his blasted-off beak to his head, he is doomed to more arguments infected with "pronoun trouble" which all have the same result. Later, Bugs dresses as a sexy woman and flirtingly asks Elmer for a duck dinner. Will Daffy get the last laugh? "Ha, ha, very funny! Ha, ha, ha!"

What's funny about this classic cartoon? Bug recoils in fright as Daffy screams in his face. Bugs Bunny says "Yes?" while dripping with self-satisfaction. Daffy Duck stands on tiptoes demanding to be shot. Elmer Fudd whines that he "can't wait any wonger." Daffy sees Bugs in women's clothes and makes that little noise with his tongue. Carl Stalling plays "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" during Bugs's drag act. Daffy demands "sheer honesty" out of Bugs. Stalling plays "Home Sweet Home" at an inappropriately appropriate moment. Daffy tells Bugs he's "desthpicable."

In five words: every detail of this film.

NOTE: This short is available on "Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Volume One," Disc 1

Bugs / Daffy / Elmer Hunting Trilogy Part Two. With added pronoun trouble.

[TheComicsGuru · 9/10 · 16 August 2013]

This is part 2 of the now-classic "Hunting Trilogy" pitting Bugs against Daffy and Elmer. Word play, duck bill re-positioning, cross-dressing, and general mayhem are guaranteed. As usual Bugs outwits both adversaries with great ease.

One of the highlights of this particular cartoon is the famous "pronoun trouble" comment from Daffy during his battle of wits with Bugs. Not that this particular revelation does him any good.

No matter how many times I see this cartoon, it is impossible to make it through without laughing at least three times. The comedic timing is impeccable and never cease to amuse me.

Probably the best movie for Daffy Duck or Bugs Bunny...

[planktonrules · 10/10 · 22 August 2009]

There is only one film I can think of that might be as good or better than this one when it comes to Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck--ALI BABA BUNNY. However, determining which is THE best is irrelevant--just watch them both and enjoy.

I compared this to ALI BABA BUNNY because both feature Daffy at his absolute worst--greedy, nasty and very funny in the process. However, I think I prefer RABBIT SEASONING simply because Bugs is also pretty awful in this one--doing horrible things right back to Daffy every time Daffy tries a dirty trick.

The film begins with Daffy leaving rabbit tracks right up to Bugs' hole in the hope that a hunter (naturally, it's Elmer) will blast the rabbit and leave Daffy alone! Not to be outdone, Bugs time and again takes all of Daffy's tricks and turns them around--and in most cases it involves Daffy getting shot in the face! It's all very, very clever and funny and I don't care how old you are, this cartoon will make you laugh unless you are a grouch. I especially love the great and unexpected ending, but I won't say more, as I don't want to spoil the surprise.