Rebel Rabbit (1949) User Reviews

Yes, Bugs Gets A Little Carried Away!

[ccthemovieman-1 · 8/10 · 9 June 2007]

The US. Game Commission has set a $50 bounty for each fox that is caught. Bugs, and we viewers, know that because it's on a poster nailed to a tree where Bugs Bunny lives. On the next tree is a similar sign offering $75 for a bear. A third and final sign has a rabbit's bounty at two cents! Bugs is furious. "That is an insult! They can't get away with it. Rabbits is worth more than mangy old foxes and bears and stuff," he says. "It's discrimination. I'm a taxpayer. I've got my rights."

He goes to the post office and mails himself to Washington. He is told rabbits are furry, harmless creatures, unlike the others, and that's why their bounty is so low. Bugs winds up having to prove how rabbits can be "as obnoxious as anybody." For Bugs, that is not a hard assignment.

Bugs goes on vandalizing spree in Washington and New York City. Normally, I might agree this is a horrible message - that vandalism pays - but it gets so ludicrous that you can't take the slightest thing seriously in here. I mean, Bugs Bunny shutting off Niagara Falls and filling in the Grand Canyon? Yes, it gets a little wild...all so Bugs can get a little respect. And, justice does prevail in the end in a very funny final minute that includes real-life footage.

Bugs sums it all up with a humorous line: "Could it be that I carried this thing too far?"

Yeah. This outrageous cartoon can be seen on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume three DVD.

Not quite a classic, but still extremely good

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 4 October 2012]

As a huge Looney Tunes fan, I have always thoroughly enjoyed Rebel Rabbit. Maybe it is not quite one of Bugs' or Looney Tunes' best, but it is one of my favourite Robert McKimson shorts. I do agree about the park bench gag, I have never really found that particular gag funny. Every other gag works though, with the ending especially memorable. The dialogue is also very fresh and witty, so on the humour side Rebel Rabbit scores with no problem. The animation is wonderful, the colours and character designs are classic McKimson and look beautiful, while the music is characterful energy personified. The story is engaging at the very least, and very crisply paced so there is rarely, if any, a dull moment. Bugs is on great form, he has been more likable before but his humour and personality do really shine here as you'd expect. Mel Blanc's voice work is right on the money, I've rarely heard Blanc put a foot wrong and Rebel Rabbit is no exception. Overall, not a classic for me, but still highly recommended with no hesitation. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Outrageous and original premise makes 'Rebel Rabbit' one of Robert McKimson's best cartoons

[phantom_tollbooth · 8/10 · 3 November 2008]

Robert McKimson's 'Rebel Rabbit' is an extremely original cartoon that casts Bugs Bunny as an egotistical anarchist to terrifying effect. Outraged that the bounty for hunted rabbits is only two cents each, Bugs visits Washington and demands it be raised. When his request is refused, he sets about proving that rabbit's are more dangerous than people think by causing chaos up and down the country until the bounty on his head reaches a million dollars. 'Rebel Rabbit' is one of McKimson's finest cartoons. Beginning with a novel premise, McKimson takes his time by having Bugs deal with all the administrative side of things first. When this approach fails, the cartoon goes crazy as Bugs lets himself off the leash. From hereon in, all bets are off as Bugs commits senseless acts of assault, vandalism and general indecency. McKimson heightens the anything-can-happen atmosphere by interspersing the animated antics with live action footage. Bugs's nationwide rampage is a thrill to behold and the unexpected result makes for a very satisfying climax. All in all, 'Rebel Rabbit' is a fascinating and fun character experiment that comes highly recommended.

A great cartoon classic for Bugs!

[fostersdf · 10/10 · 7 November 2005]

Maybe the best cartoon Bugs has ever had- he goes too far, and ends up in a heap of trouble, all because the bounty for a rabbit had been set at 2 cents...

Bugs' bounty becomes 1,000,000 dollars..

a classic- one of if not the best ever!

a classic that until a recent DVD release had not seen the light of day release wise unless you counted laser discs.. thanks Warner bros. for finally letting many see this classic cartoon! I'd rank it very highly, and would recommend this short to anyone who considers themselves to be fans of bugs and looney tunes.. a classic, and well worth the effort to see. Released April of 1949

Live Action Military Scenes

[brpco · 10/10 · 14 August 2009]

I loved the live action military scenes in this cartoon! I believe they were from film footage of the Louisiana Maneuvers of September 1941. The tanks coming out of the garages are variants of the M2 Medium Tank, the forerunner of the M3 Lee. Also, there is a shot of an M3 Stuart light infantry tank without its main 37mm gun. Furthermore, there are clips showing M3 Scout Cars and horse mounted cavalry. All these were present at the Louisiana Maneuvers.

The aircraft shown are possibly Douglas Devastators from the U.S.S. Lexington's air group. I believe this to be so because of the canopy and shape of the fuselage on each aircraft. However, they might be Douglas Dauntless dive bombers or the USAAC's variant of the same plane.

Could it be that Bugs carried this thing too far?

[slymusic · 17 April 2006]

Directed by Bob McKimson, "Rebel Rabbit" stars a pudgy Bugs Bunny, whose wise-guy disposition throughout the film is very amusing. Only one thing bothers him: the U.S. Game Commission is willing to dish out $50 for every fox hide and $75 for every bear hide, but rabbits, being the timid creatures that they are, are only worth two cents! For Bugs, this is quite an insult, so he decides to cause all kinds of havoc throughout North America (particularly by defacing many historical landmarks) in order to prove once and for all that rabbits can do more damage, and are worth much more for the bounty hunters, than any other animal.

My favorite moments from "Rebel Rabbit" include the following. When Bugs mails himself to Washington, he is rather appalled at the postmaster's unsanitary act of licking a stamp and sticking it on Bugs' body. Amidst all the wild damage that Bugs performs in order to increase the worth of his bounty, perhaps the funniest is his act of literally sawing off Florida from the rest of the United States and allowing it to set sail towards South America! Back in Washington, Senator Claghorn (based on a real-life radio personality, and a precursor to Foghorn Leghorn) demands a price on Bugs, with Bugs himself stealing the senator's line "That's a joke, son!" And at the end, Bugs finally stirs up so much trouble that the United States Army has no choice but to come after him; Bugs is surrounded by bombs and bullets as we see some exciting live-action footage of horsemen, tanks, jeeps, and fighter planes.

Bugs Bunny becomes a scourge all across the continent of North America, but at least this "Rebel Rabbit" accomplished what he hoped: he increased his bounty to one million dollars!

Every Liberal's dream: Cutting free Florida

[movieman_kev · 7/10 · 3 November 2005]

Bugs Bunny peeved over rabbit pelts being only worth 2 cents each(on account of the sheer volume of the rabbit population), while Bear and foxes go for considerably much more, goes to Washington where a flamboyantly gay Games commissioner feeds him some bull about rabbits being all cuddly and friendly (this was the pre-Quest for the Holy Grail days mine you). So Bugs goes around America vandalizing and terrorizing, including (in what is every Liberal's fantasy) giving New York back to the Indians and cutting off Florida from the USA. This is McKimson's best short ever, that side it still isn't that good and is quite a bit overrated. This animated short can be found on Disk 1 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 3.

My Grade: B-

Hilarious McKimson cartoon

[F Gwynplaine MacIntyre · 10/10 · 5 February 2005]

'Rebel Rabbit' is one of the funnier Bugs Bunny cartoons, with an exciting and unusual climax. This toon is a splendid example of the work of Robert McKimson, the most underrated figure in American animation. McKimson's cartoons are always bright, visually attractive and (oh, yeah) funny ... far more so than the repetitive, predictable and pretentious offerings of the grossly overrated Chuck Jones. Some of McKimson's best cartoons, including 'Rebel Rabbit', are downright hilarious.

SLIGHT SPOILERS. In this toon, Bugs decides he's been taken for granted when a wildlife commissioner tells him that 'rabbits are timorous creatures'. Bugs straight away becomes a public enemy, launching a one-rabbit crime wave. The climax is very funny and also visually distinctive, as live-action combat footage is intercut with animation to show the human race putting aside its petty squabbles to exterminate Bugs Bunny. The fadeout line is hilarious.

Many of the old Warners cartoons had topical references that are now incomprehensible to the kids who watch these things on television. In 'Rebel Rabbit', Bugs has an encounter with a blowhard Southern politician who is clearly meant to be Senator Claghorn, the character from Fred Allen's radio show. During Bugs's crime wave, he saws off the entire state of Florida from the U.S. coast line, and then -- as the state floats out to sea -- Bugs cheerily urges 'South America, take it away.' In 1949, when this cartoon was made, that line was the title of a hit song performed by Betty Garrett in the musical 'Call Me Mister'.

Most blatantly topical is the cartoon's one unfunny sequence, when Bugs vandalises a park bench that bears the peculiar sign 'Reserved for Barney Baruch'. Why would a park bench be reserved for one particular person? In fact, this refers to Bernard Baruch, Franklin Roosevelt's financial consultant who gave press conferences in the park while he sat on a bench and fed pigeons. This unfunny gag could be scissored from the cartoon with no loss.

I'll rate 'Rebel Rabbit' 10 out of 10. Hurrah for Robert McKimson! What a shame that he didn't live long enough to correct some of the (shall we say) erroneous statements made by Chuck Jones.

An extremely good Bugs Bunny!! :-D

[Mightyzebra · 9/10 · 31 January 2010]

I really enjoyed this original, hilarious, clever, America-spoofing episode! I enjoyed it for the reasons above (this episode does not spoof America in an insulting way, just really pokes at the things America loves and is proud of) and I also enjoyed it for Bugs Bunny's over-dramatic character, the animation, the plot idea and the way it is carried out. If there was one thing that I slightly did not enjoy about the episode, it is the fact that Bugs Bunny does very horrible things in this cartoon, which surely he would dislike if someone else did them, but I guess he had just gone psychotic in this episode.

Anyway, in "Rebel Rabbit", we see Bugs Bunny in the woods reading fox and bear hunting posters, which say that $50 will be awarded for a dead fox and $75 will be given for a dead bear. When Bugs Bunny comes to a rabbit poster, saying that 2 cents will be given for a dead rabbit, the bunny is FURIOUS, saying that he is "worth more" and goes all the way to Washington to complain. Will Bugs Bunny earn his revenge..?

I highly recommend this episode to any Looney Tunes watcher, anyone who likes Bugs Bunny and to anyone who loves crazy, screwball ideas in a Looney Tunes cartoon. Enjoy "Rebel Rabbit"! :-)

P.S Included in this cartoon are some full-blown (and crazily over the top for the cartoon) military scenes, including tanks, men on horses and aeroplanes. It does not need to be taken seriously (unlike some of the war references in Looney Tunes episodes such as "Scrap Happy Daffy" and "Daffy Duck Commando") and is a pretty good addition to the cartoon.

One of the best in the rabbit's career.

[llltdesq · 10/10 · 17 June 2002]

This is an excellent cartoon. While by their nature, cartoons are a visual medium and sight gags are a major part of most Warner Brothers shorts, Bugs Bunny is probably the most verbally oriented character they created and the best gags here are verbal in nature, rather than visual. This should be out on video and/or DVD. Hopefully, the much anticipated, long-overdue release on DVD will happen soon. It is much deserved. Well worth watching. Most highly recommended.

Unusual, but not particularly good

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 6 February 2018]

"Rebel Rabbit" is an American cartoon from 1949, so almost 70 years old and it runs the same slightly under 7 minutes as they usually do. This is another Warner Bros. production, not one of their most or least known and this one stars Bugs Bunny once again and he unites McKimson, Foster and Blanc of course, 3 of the company's most successful and most prolific. So what do I mean when I call this unusual? Well, first of all the live action parts of course that came out of nowhere and added almost nothing for me comedy-wise. But it is also not too often that you see Bugs not go against one of his usual antagonists like Elmer, Sam or Daffy even, but basically against the entire United States and that's a battle not even Bugs can win, no matter how hard he tries. Most of the comedy here comes from the damage that has been done to American soil irreparably and honestly, it is not too creative or funny. I guess Blanc's voice acting is fine once again, but honestly that and the animation may be the only components that fit the description I'd say. All in all, this is nowhere near Warner Bros' best or most entertaining. I have to give it a thumbs-down. Not recommended.

someone should separate Florida from the rest of the country

[lee_eisenberg · 9/10 · 24 February 2007]

When I saw the title and first minute of "Rebel Rabbit", I sort of assumed that it would be a Robin Hood-style story. Boy was I wrong! It portrays Bugs Bunny getting insulted when he finds that the government has placed exorbitant bounties on foxes and bears, but only 2 cents on rabbits (after all, rabbits are such cute little creatures). So, the carrot-chomping rascal proceeds to make a complete mess of the United States. The final scene reminded me of the Peter Sellers-Ringo Starr movie "The Magic Christian", how they ridiculously brought in the most elaborate weaponry to deal with so simple an animal (then again, Bugs isn't so simple to catch).

I especially agreed with one scene: Bugs cuts Florida off from the rest of the country. Considering that the Sunshine State is home to the rich Cubans who fled when Fidel Castro's army took over in Cuba, we should break that state off from the rest of the country and send it down to Cuba so that the current government there can prosecute Fulgencio Batista's henchmen.

But I digress. The point is, this is a really funny cartoon. That southern senator was obviously Mel Blanc doing Foghorn Leghorn's voice. Really neat.

Gray Lives Matter . . .

[oscaralbert · 8/10 · 26 October 2016]

. . . protesting agitator Bugs Bunny proclaims, embarking upon a nation-wide campaign of Vandalism, Sabotage, and Terrorism in the Looney Tune animated short, REBEL RABBIT. Miffed at seeing the bounty on rabbit scalps set at a measly TWO CENTS (compared to $75 for bear and $50 for fox), Bugs mails himself to Washington, DC (1st Class, of course) to confront the U.S. Game Commissioner. The latter proceeds to patronize America's Favorite Hare, provoking Bugs' rampage. On the plus side, he cuts Florida loose (Pre-Empting W.'s appointment to the White House five decades later), fills in the Grand Canyon (where tourists fall to their deaths every year), and persuades the Native Americans to take back Manhattan (cancelling out the S&L crisis, the Bernie Madoff Pyramid Scheme, the Tech Bubble, the Derivatives Scandal, the Crash of 2008, and countless other ills). Among the not-so-bright developments, Bugs destroys the American Railroad System, the Panama Canal, and mars the National Mall by candy-striping the Washington Monument. But at least this dumb bunny proves that Grey Lives Matter.

Bugs Bunny Gives - And Gets - Comeuppance

[fanstp · 8/10 · 28 July 2022]

Rebel Rabbit is among the.most unusual Warner Brothers cartoons in that the studio's most famous character is portrayed radically out of character, yet it is refreshingly and often hilariously done.

Angered that the US Game Commission places no bounty value to rabbits as opposed to foxes and bears, Bugs Bunny mails himself to Washington DC (the post office scene itself is a hoot) where his confrontation with the Game Commissioner leads to a nationwide spree of vandalism and sabotage executed with the comedic aplomb characteristic of Termite Terrace.

As Bugs' campaign escalates and gets funnier a Foghorn Leghorn-esque Congressman "demands, I SAY, demands a price on Bugs Bunny's head. NOGGIN, that is." This is another scene that by itself is worth it. One even regrets it isn't Foggy himself; chances are he'd tell Bugs, "pay attention, son."

The over the top antics of Bugs inevitably brings an over the top resolution and seeing Bugs as a villain - even a strikingly sympathetic one - is a refreshing change.