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| The fictional ] character '''Bugs Bunny''' was "born" in 1940 in ], ] (or so his bio says), but his accent, according to his real-life voice, ], is an equal blend of someone from ] and someone from ]. He soon wound up on the ] studio lot |
The fictional ] character '''Bugs Bunny''' was "born" in 1940 in ], ] (or so his bio says), but his accent, according to his real-life voice, ], is an equal blend of someone from ] and someone from ]. He soon wound up on the ] studio lot. | ||
| According to film and ] historians, Bugs Bunny was originally seen in early Warner Bros. cartoons as an insane rabbit, cast in the image of the equally nutty ]. He was given the name "Bugs" by the ] animators in honor of his creator, Ben "Bugs" Hardaway. Early cartoons featuring the character include ''Elmer's Candid Camera'' by ], though his true personality first emerged in ] when he made his first feature appearance in ]'s ''A Wild Hare'' (]). It was in this cartoon that he emerged from his ] hole to ask ], "]?" His calm, flippant insouciance endeared him to American audiences during and after ]. | |||
| His calm, flippant insouciance endeared him to American audiences during and after World War II. | |||
| He appeared in numerous cartoon shorts in the ] series as well as a Saturday morning and syndicated ]. Considered an ideal actor, he was directed by ], ], ] and ] and starred in feature films, including '']'' which co-starred ]. | He appeared in numerous cartoon shorts in the ] series as well as a Saturday morning and syndicated ]. Considered an ideal actor, he was directed by ], ], ] and ] and starred in feature films, including '']'' which co-starred ]. | ||
Revision as of 12:53, 13 January 2003
The fictional cartoon character Bugs Bunny was "born" in 1940 in Brooklyn, New York (or so his bio says), but his accent, according to his real-life voice, Mel Blanc, is an equal blend of someone from the Bronx and someone from Brooklyn. He soon wound up on the Warner Brothers studio lot.
According to film and animation historians, Bugs Bunny was originally seen in early Warner Bros. cartoons as an insane rabbit, cast in the image of the equally nutty Daffy Duck. He was given the name "Bugs" by the Termite Terrace animators in honor of his creator, Ben "Bugs" Hardaway. Early cartoons featuring the character include Elmer's Candid Camera by Chuck Jones, though his true personality first emerged in 1940 when he made his first feature appearance in Tex Avery's A Wild Hare (1940). It was in this cartoon that he emerged from his rabbit hole to ask Elmer Fudd, "What's Up Doc?" His calm, flippant insouciance endeared him to American audiences during and after World War II.
He appeared in numerous cartoon shorts in the Looney Tunes series as well as a Saturday morning and syndicated animated series. Considered an ideal actor, he was directed by Friz Freleng, Robert McKimson, Tex Avery and Chuck Jones and starred in feature films, including Space Jam which co-starred Michael Jordan.
He is noted for his feuds with Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, Daffy Duck, and even Wile E. Coyote, who usually takes on the Roadrunner. Almost invariably, Bugs comes out the winner in these conflicts, because that is in his nature. This is especially obvious in films directed by Chuck Jones, who likes to pit "winners" against "losers". When Bugs meets other characters who are also "winners", however, like Cecil the Turtle or, in WWII, the Gremlin, his record is rather dismal; his overconfidence tends to work against him.
The Bugs Bunny short, Knighty Knight Bugs, in which a medieval Bugs Bunny traded blows with Yosemite Sam (as the Black Knight) and his fire-breathing dragon, was awarded an Oscar. What's Opera, Doc?', Chuck Jones' cartoon starring Bugs and Elmer parodying Wagner's Ring, has been deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. It was, at the time, the only cartoon short to have achieved this honour.
Recommended reading
- Bugs Bunny: 50 years and Only one Grey Hare, by Joe Adamson (1990), Henry Holt, ISBN 0805018557
- Chuck Amuck : The Life and Times of an Animated Cartoonist by Chuck Jones, published by Farrar Straus & Giroux, ISBN 0374123489
- That's Not All, Folks! by Mel Blanc, Philip Bashe. Warner Books, ASIN 0446390895 (Softcover) ASIN 0446512443 (Hardcover)