Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt

1941
6.5| 0h8m| en
Details

Bugs Bunny is hunted by Hiawatha, a stereotyped Native American who fills roughly the same role as Elmer Fudd in other Bugs Bunny cartoons of this era.

Cast

Mel Blanc

Director

Producted By

Leon Schlesinger Productions

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Reviews

TrueJoshNight Truly Dreadful Film
Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.
Leoni Haney Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.
Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews This comes on the 2-Disc Special Edition DVD of The Maltese Falcon, as part of the Warner Night at the Movies portion. Back then, they would show films with stuff like this(remember, no one had TV's at this time). Bugs looks odd, not the look we know for him... he sounds exactly the way we're used to, though. I should perhaps say that I'm not really a fan of these. They didn't particularly amuse me when I was a kid, and I've only become less into cartoony violence(or any other kind of it where it's meant to be funny). I've never heard of Hiawatha, but I'll wager a guess that he's a historical(or legendary) figure. Given when it was made, it's no surprise that this is racially insensitive to Native Americans. The animation is great, no complaints there, it doesn't feel like any corners were cut and there are a couple of very nice visuals. This syncs up to the music used here and there, and the timing is good on the mild slapstick. There is a routine or two that you've heard of(even if you haven't watched one of these; they're part of pop culture, and at least one has been seen in another of these shorts), and the jokes and gags are reasonable, if this comes to a close so abruptly that you can tell they merely ran out of material. This keeps to a fine pace, if there could be more laughs for 8 minutes of running time. I recommend this to fans of the intrepid rabbit. 6/10
Lee Eisenberg Understanding the racial stereotypes in "Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt", it's got some funny stuff, as Bugs Bunny avoids getting trapped by the eponymous Native American. As I understand it, this cartoon is a parody of a Silly Symphony from Disney, but I've never seen that one. I first saw clips from this cartoon in "What's Cookin', Doc?", in which Bugs submits this cartoon for an Oscar nomination. Watching the later cartoon in "Bugs Bunny Superstar" as a little boy was the first time that I'd ever heard of the Academy Awards.Anyway, it's an OK cartoon. The tricks with the river are the best part. The cartoon even has a little twist at the end.PS: This was the first time that Friz Freleng directed Bugs Bunny, and also the first time that Gerry Chiniquy helped animate Bugs.
catradhtem "Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt" is Bugs Bunny's first film directed by Friz Freleng, and it's a wonderful sample of what Freleng would have in store for Bugs for the next 23 years.Freleng already starts throwing a curveball into the standard Bugs formula by inserting Bugs into the story of Little Hiawatha. While there is not much difference in intelligence between Hiawatha and, say, Elmer Fudd, Freleng does a great job at making the new character look funny (particularly in Hiawatha's run, which causes him to trip over himself often).Freleng also introduces a new traditional Bugs joke...having the wabbit climb into a boiling pot thinking it's a bathtub. This little sequence alone is also fun to watch, including the little puff of relaxing steam that comes out of Bugs' mouth once he gets both feet inside.And although Bugs acts more confident in this picture than he has in the recent past, even he is not safe from foolish mistakes. At the end of one scene Bugs leaps into the air, intending to land into a rabbit hole, but just misses and smacks his head on the ground. He sheepishly crawls into the hole, looking apologetically at the audience. How can you not like this character??Sadly, this cartoon is not seen often because it deals with a Native American character. But if you get the chance somehow, do sit down and watch this cartoon. It's one of the early Bugs' best.
Robert Reynolds This short, nominated for an Oscar, is a good, not great, cartoon. It does introduce a bit of Longfellow and any Bugs Bunny is a good cartoon and worth watching. There just isn't anything terribly funny or special about this particular cartoon besides the poem sections read at the beginning and end. But it is worth watching. It runs periodically on Cartoon Network.