Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt

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Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt
Directed byI. Freleng
Story byMichael Maltese
Produced byLeon Schlesinger
StarringMel Blanc
Music byCarl W. Stalling
Animation byGil Turner
Color processTechnicolor
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
Release date
  • June 7, 1941 (1941-06-07)
Running time
7:30
LanguageEnglish

Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt is a 1941 Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng.[1] Mel Blanc voiced all characters. This film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Short Subject (cartoons), but lost to Walt Disney's Lend a Paw. This was the first Bugs Bunny cartoon directed by Friz Freleng.[2] The short makes several direct references to The Song of Hiawatha, an epic poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Plot[edit]

Bugs is reading The Song of Hiawatha out loud to himself and the saga turns real as a pint-sized, Elmer Fudd-like Hiawatha (minus the speech impediment) turns up, paddling his canoe. Hiawatha is looking for a rabbit for his dinner. Hiawatha manages to trick Bugs into thinking he is preparing a hot bath for him. It is actually a cooking pot, which Bugs quickly vacates once Hiawatha casually mentions that he is having rabbit stew for supper.

Reception[edit]

The Film Daily called the short a "very funny cartoon", saying, "the result is a howl from start to finish. The serious-minded Indian's efforts to catch the screwball rabbit for stewing purposes makes a lively and comical race. Bugs Bunny gets better and funnier with every screen appearance."[3]

Home media[edit]

Notes[edit]

Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt was one of the 12 Bugs Bunny cartoons that were pulled out of Cartoon Network's June Bugs 2001 marathon by order of AOL Time Warner due to having a negative caricature of a Native American.[5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 117. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
  2. ^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 60–61. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  3. ^ "Reviews of Short Subjects". The Film Daily. 79 (119): 5. June 19, 1941. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  4. ^ "Looney Tunes DVD and Video Guide: VHS: Viddy-Oh! For Kids". Archived from the original on 2012-07-19. Retrieved 2012-10-17.
  5. ^ Watson, Pernell (2001-06-12). "NETWORK PULLS BUGS BUNNY SHOWS". Daily Press. Retrieved 2022-06-22.

External links[edit]

Preceded by Bugs Bunny Cartoons
1941
Succeeded by