Hiawatha's_Rabbit_Hunt Knowpia

Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt
Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt
Directed by	I. Freleng
Story by	Michael Maltese
Produced by	Leon Schlesinger
Starring	Mel Blanc
Music by	Carl W. Stalling
Animation by	Gil Turner
Color process	Technicolor
Production; company	Leon Schlesinger Productions
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date	June 7, 1941;
Running time	7:30
Language	English

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

VHS - Bugs Bunny Cartoon Festival Featuring "Little Red Riding Rabbit" ^[4]
DVD - Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Academy Awards Animation Collection
DVD - The Maltese Falcon 3-Disc Special Edition
Blu-ray - Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 3.
LaserDisc - The Golden Age of Looney Tunes, Volume 2, Side 2

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

^ 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.
^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 60–61. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
^ "Reviews of Short Subjects". The Film Daily. 79 (119): 5. June 19, 1941. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
^ "Looney Tunes DVD and Video Guide: VHS: Viddy-Oh! For Kids". Archived from the original on 2012-07-19. Retrieved 2012-10-17.
^ Watson, Pernell (2001-06-12). "NETWORK PULLS BUGS BUNNY SHOWS". Daily Press. Retrieved 2022-06-22.