‘Bugs’ movie rekindles pleasant memories

Press, 25 August 1980, Page 12

‘Bugs’ movie rekindles pleasant memories

“The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie”. Directed by Chuck Jones. Screenplay by Michael Maltese and Chuck Jones. One of the funny things about “The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie” is that adults will find it just as funny — if not funnier— than children. And although it was brought to the Masters cinemas in Christchurch specifically for the school holidays, this one. film that 1 have been eagerly awaiting for quite some time, 1 am certainly not disappointed.

Bugs Bunny has been round for 40 years and this film was put together to celebrate this anniversary with some of his best escapades and also those of the rest of the Warner Brothers

stable of cartoon characters. That duck is as daffy as ever and no such film would be complete without Porky Pig, with whom Bugs first came into show business in a rabbit hunt. The croaky-voiced Elmer Fudd and the amorous Pepe Le Pew are there and, of course, those two relatively latecomers to the group, Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. With the accompanying, “beep beep,” and “zoom,” these two have built up a surprising popularity for a series that consists only of variations of one theme — the eternal chase, ..with the Road Runner always outsmarting the eter-nally-frustrated coyote who, however, never gives up and manages to come up with new, elaborate plans for capture.

For this film, the director and creator of the creatures (Chuck Jones) has spliced together 16 of their sequences, which should be more than enough . to keep any Road Runner fan happy. For my personal tastes, however, I am much happier when we get some of the classics of Bugs and Daffy. Starting with . that well known tirikly tune and that equally familiar message, "That’s. All Folks,” we . are presented with a very updated version of Bugs, who acts as narrator for the show.

He introduces us to Elmer Fudd who is out looking for that “wascally wabbit,” also known as that-“ornery varmint.”

For some reason, Bugs also adds cartoon touches very reminiscent of “Star Wars,” while he explains that a long time ago a strange creature called man appeared, on a tenth-rate planet, to be followed by a very unusual rabbit that came into the “pitcher.” All this is followed by two outer space adventures involving Bugs and Daffy, who look somewhat out of place out there, and I was much happier when these two returned to their more familiar, down to earth hunting grounds. It is quite amazing how many of those brilliant, earlier cartoons that are included jog the memory back many, years to the time ’ I saw them at some Saturday matinee.

If you have seen them, It is difficult not to forget that musical classic, “What’s Opera, Doc?” with Bugs all dressed up and with a blond, braided wig as a Wagnerian Brunhilde, and Elmer Fudd as an ’ unlikely . hero; and who has not at least seen a still picture ,of Bugs as a bullfighter. Another one that took me back quite a few years was the amazing surrealistic effort with Daffy, in which the artist’s brush manages to change the background and everything else for the bewilderment of the duck. Full marks must go to the creator, Jones, and Mel Blanc who is responsible for most of' the voices. It is inevitable to make some coinparison to the animated work of Walt Disney, but I can only say that the Warner Brothers’ work was much funnier — “indubitably so,” !as Daffy would say.

AT THE' CINEMA Hans Petrovic