''Knighty Knight Bugs'' is a 1958 Warner Bros. ''

Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series '' Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation. ...

'' cartoon directed by

Friz Freleng Isadore "Friz" Freleng (August 21, 1905May 26, 1995), credited as I. Freleng early in his career, was an American animator, cartoonist, director, producer, and composer known for his work at Warner Bros. Cartoons on the ''Looney Tunes'' and ...

, The short was released on August 23, 1958, and stars

Bugs Bunny Bugs Bunny is an animated cartoon character created in the late 1930s by Leon Schlesinger Productions (later Warner Bros. Cartoons) and voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his starring roles in the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merr ...

and Yosemite Sam. ''Knighty Knight Bugs'' is the only Bugs Bunny cartoon to win an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, which was awarded in 1959. The short was later included in the 1981 compilation film '' The Looney, Looney, Looney Bugs Bunny Movie''.

Plot

King Arthur King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as ...

is sitting with his

Knights of the Round Table The Knights of the Round Table ( cy, Marchogion y Ford Gron, kw, Marghekyon an Moos Krenn, br, Marc'hegien an Daol Grenn) are the knights of the fellowship of King Arthur in the literary cycle of the Matter of Britain. First appearing in lit ...

, talking about hard times that have befallen the kingdom ever since the Black Knight stole the Singing Sword. He asks his knights—among them Sir Osis of Liver and Sir Loin of Beef—for a volunteer to get the sword back. The knights complain that the Black Knight has a fire-breathing dragon guarding the sword and is invincible. King Arthur angrily demands to know if the knights are all chicken, and is dismayed when he hears clucking and sees chicken feathers flying. Bugs, dressed as a court jester, dances in and tells King Arthur that "only a fool" would be crazy enough to go after the Singing Sword. The King agrees, and tells Bugs that he has to get the singing sword, or else face being put to the

rack Rack or racks may refer to: Storage and installation * Amp rack, short for amplifier rack, a piece of furniture in which amplifiers are mounted * Bicycle rack, a frame for storing bicycles when not in use * Bustle rack, a type of storage bin ...

;

burnt at the stake Death by burning (also known as immolation) is an execution and murder method involving combustion or exposure to extreme heat. It has a long history as a form of public capital punishment, and many societies have employed it as a punishment f ...

and

beheaded Decapitation or beheading is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and most other animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood, while all other organs are deprived of the au ...

. Bugs stops laughing and begins crying. At the castle of the Black Knight—shown to be Yosemite Sam dressed in black armor—there is a fire-breathing dragon that belongs to Sam, but the dragon has come down with a cold from allowing its fire to get low, and thus, is prone to fits of sneezing, causing jets of flame to shoot from its nostrils. Sam feeds the dragon some coal to fuel the dragon's internal fire, and then goes back to taking a nap on his chair. Bugs sneaks in to the castle, past Sam and the dragon and to the chest where he pulls out the singing sword. He openly wonders why it is called a "singing sword" and finds out when it starts vibrating, making noises like a musical saw, to the tune of " Cuddle up a Little Closer, Lovey Mine". Sam wakes up and chases Bugs, but Bugs slams the door in Sam's face, causing his armor to fall off. Sam then wakes up the dragon, who unintentionally breathes fire on him. Bugs runs outside the castle, chased by Sam on the dragon. Bugs ducks into a hole, and Sam slides off the dragon when trying to stop. Bugs then runs back to the castle and raises the drawbridge as Sam approaches, causing Sam to fall into the moat. When Sam demands that Bugs lowers the drawbridge, Bugs lowers it right onto Sam's head, who yells in a muffled voice to raise it back up. Sam then uses the dragon to pull a catapult in place, gets on it and launches himself to the castle, but misses the window Bugs is looking out of, flattening his front. Next, Sam lassos a rope around one of the battlements of the castle, but as he is climbing up, Bugs whacks Sam on the head with a mallet, causing Sam to slide down the rope outside of his armor. Thinking the coast is clear, Bugs sneaks out of the castle. Sam and his dragon are hidden behind a rock waiting for Bugs, but the dragon sneezes on Sam again, alerting Bugs to their presence. Bugs then runs back into the castle, followed by Sam and the dragon (who stops briefly to sneeze again). Bugs runs into a room, Sam and the dragon follow, then Bugs sneaks out and locks the door to what is now shown as an explosives stockade. Surrounded by all kinds of explosives, Sam tries to keep the dragon from sneezing again, warning the dragon "No, no, no! Don't sneeze, you stupid dragon, or you'll blow us to the moon!". As Bugs walks away from the castle, the dragon sneezes, and the tower, Sam and the dragon are indeed sent flying upwards towards the moon. Bugs waves goodbye, saying: "Farewell to thee". The singing sword picks up on this and starts humming " Farewell to Thee" as Bugs walks off.

Awards

''Knighty Knight Bugs'' is the fifth ''Merrie Melodies/Looney Tunes'' entry to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1959. In doing so, it beat out cartoons Walt Disney Studios' '' Paul Bunyan'' and

Terrytoons Terrytoons was an American animation studio in New Rochelle, New York, that produced animated cartoons for theatrical release from 1929 to 1973 (and briefly returned between 1987 and 1996 for television in name only). Terrytoons was founded by P ...

' ''Sidney's Family Tree''. It was the third Oscar-nominated Bugs Bunny cartoon, after '' A Wild Hare'' in

1941 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January–August – 10,072 men, women and children with mental and physical disabilities are asphyxiated with carbon monoxide in a gas chamber, at Hadamar E ...

and ''

Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt ''Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt'' is a 1941 ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. Mel Blanc voiced all characters. This film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Short Subject (cartoons). This was the first Bugs Bunny cartoon di ...

'' in 1942. The Oscar was presented to John W. Burton, the producer of this cartoon. After Burton's death, the Oscar was handed to the director, Friz Freleng. In the ''

Tiny Toon Adventures ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' is an American animated comedy television series that was broadcast from September 14, 1990, to December 6, 1992. It was the first collaborative effort of Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television and Warner Bros. Animation a ...

'' episode "Who Bopped Bugs Bunny?", the Oscar win of ''Knighty Knight Bugs'' is a major plot point. Mirroring the real-life loss of the

short at the Academy Awards, a character named Sappy "Slaphappy" Stanley (a parody of "Silly" Sidney, here voiced by Jonathan Winters) was defeated for the Shloscar Award. As a result, Stanley scorned the U.S. film industry and relocated to France, where despite becoming a national star still nursed a bitter grudge against Bugs, culminating in the episode's plot.

References

* The phrase "Sir Loin of Beef" was used in Bugs Bunny parody ''

Rabbit Hood ''Rabbit Hood'' is a 1949 ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon released on December 24, 1949. The entry was directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese, and features Bugs Bunny. Plot There is a wall covered with anti- poaching notices and want ...

'' by Bugs to con the gullible Sheriff of Nottingham. * The phrase "Sir Osis of the Liver" was used in the Bugs Bunny parody ''

Knight-mare Hare ''Knight-mare Hare'' is a 1955 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' theatrical cartoon directed by Chuck Jones and written by Tedd Pierce. The short was released on October 1, 1955, and stars Bugs Bunny. Plot Loosely based on Mark Twain's 1889 nove ...

''. * The gag on a dopey fire breathing dragon was also used in ''Knight-mare Hare'' and on the cartoon series ''

Here Comes the Grump ''Here Comes the Grump'' is an animated cartoon series produced by DePatie–Freleng Enterprises and aired on NBC from 1969 to 1970. It was later shown in reruns on Sci-Fi Channel's Cartoon Quest. Structured as a battle between good and evil, the ...

''.

Home media

This cartoon is featured uncut on Disc 1 of the '' Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 4'' DVD set, '' Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Academy Awards Animation Collection'', and ''

The Essential Bugs Bunny ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

''. It is also available in the '' Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 3'' Blu-ray and DVD.

Attractions

Bugs' White Water Rapids is a Hopkins Rides

log flume A log flume is a watertight flume constructed to transport lumber and logs down mountainous terrain using flowing water. Flumes replaced horse- or oxen-drawn carriages on dangerous mountain trails in the late 19th century. Logging operations pr ...

themed to ''Knighty Knight Bugs'' that opened in 1998 at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_ ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

References

External links

* * {{AcademyAwardBestAnimatedShortFilm 1941–1960 1958 films 1958 animated films 1958 short films Arthurian animated films Best Animated Short Academy Award winners Short films directed by Friz Freleng Films set in the Middle Ages Films set in England Films scored by Milt Franklyn Looney Tunes shorts Warner Bros. Cartoons animated short films Animated films about dragons Bugs Bunny films Films set in castles 1950s Warner Bros. animated short films Yosemite Sam films

Plot

Awards

References

Home media

Attractions

See also

References

External links