''Jasper Goes Hunting'' is an animated short film in the '' Puppetoons'' series, directed by

George Pal George Pal (born György Pál Marczincsak; ; February 1, 1908 – May 2, 1980) was a Hungarian-American animator, film director and producer, principally associated with the fantasy and science-fiction genres. He became an American citizen after ...

and first released on July 29, 1944. The short was distributed by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

.Catalog (1943–1944), p. 119 The short includes a scene with

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 ...

as a cameo voiced by

Mel Blanc Melvin Jerome Blanc (born Blank ; May 30, 1908July 10, 1989) was an American voice actor and radio personality whose career spanned over 60 years. During the Golden Age of Radio, he provided character voices and vocal sound effects for comedy r ...

,Lawson, Parsons (2004), p. 63 which was animated by Warner Bros. animator

Robert McKimson Robert Porter McKimson Sr. (October 13, 1910 – September 29, 1977) was an American animator and illustrator, best known for his work on the ''Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons from Warner Bros. Cartoons and later DeP ...

. It marks the first time a

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. ...

character was officially used outside of a Warner Bros. related production.

Plot

The short features Jasper, his friend/nemesis Professor Scarecrow, and Blackbird.Sampson (1998), p. 36–37 The short opens with a brief view of the hovel where Jasper lives with his mother, then the camera moves to the

chicken coop Poultry farming is the form of animal husbandry which raises domesticated birds such as chickens, ducks, turkeys and geese to produce meat or eggs for food. Poultry – mostly chickens – are farmed in great numbers. More than 60 billion c ...

. Jasper's mother counts her chickens and realizes there is another one missing. She has realized that she is facing a chicken thief. Nearby, said thief, the Scarecrow, is seen finishing his meal. Next Jasper's mother prepares to leave her residence. She first arms Jasper and tasks him with guarding the chickens. Jasper fancies himself a soldier, and starts marching within his residence. When the Scarecrow appears at his window, Jasper immediately points the weapon at him. The Scarecrow is at first terrified. Then explains to Jasper that he should not be pointing the weapon at live targets, since it is likely to go off. Convincing the boy to hand him the gun, the Scarecrow claims that the "mean-looking" weapon reminds him of his past as a big game hunter. As the Scarecrow begins narrating his supposed past at the

Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (french: Congo belge, ; nl, Belgisch-Congo) was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960. The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in 1964. Colo ...

, the scenery changes around the characters. The interior of the hovel is replaced by a

jungle A jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past recent century. Etymology The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''ja� ...

environment. The trio are off to a hunting expedition. As the Scarecrow explains that they ate after big game, he fails to notice an African elephant standing behind him. When he does notice, the "brave" hunter flees in terror. In a 23-second scene, the Scarecrow points his gun at a rabbit hole and orders its resident to come out.

emerges, notices his surrounding and realizes that he is in "the wrong picture", and returns to his hole. A confrontation with an enraged elephant sends the trio flying back towards the hovel. The Scarecrow lands in the chicken coop and is soon confronted by Jasper's mother, who is also armed and figures that this guy is the chicken thief. The final scenes has the Scarecrow and Blackbird in prison.

Background

The Jasper series of shorts relied on a small, consistent cast. The titular character was a playful pickaninny, his mother a protective mammy, Professor Scarecrow being a black scam artist, and the Blackbird serving as his fast-talking partner-in-crime.Cripps (1977), p. 230 Pal described his protagonist as a

Huckleberry Finn Huckleberry "Huck" Finn is a fictional character created by Mark Twain who first appeared in the book ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' (1876) and is the protagonist and narrator of its sequel, ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' (1884). He is 12 ...

influenced by African-American folktales. Considering that the righteous boy consistently managed to outwit his plotting enemies, one can see some resemblance to

Br'er Rabbit Br'er Rabbit (an abbreviation of ''Brother Rabbit'', also spelled Brer Rabbit) is a central figure in an oral tradition passed down by African-Americans of the Southern United States and African descendants in the Caribbean, notably Afro-Bahami ...

.Cripps (1993), p. 197–198 The series' use of stereotypes did not seem to attract much criticism at first, but in 1946, ''

Ebony Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus '' Diospyros'', which also contains the persimmons. Unlike most woods, ebony is dense enough to sink in water. It is finely textured and has a mirror finish when ...

'' reported "

Negro In the English language, ''negro'' is a term historically used to denote persons considered to be of Black African heritage. The word ''negro'' means the color black in both Spanish and in Portuguese, where English took it from. The term can be ...

" groups protesting their depiction by Pal. In an apparent response to the criticism, Pal released '' John Henry and the Inky-Poo'' (1946), a short based on the folk hero John Henry. ''Ebony'' responded favorably at this more serious depiction of a "Negro" protagonist.

Sources

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References

{{George Pal 1944 films 1944 animated films 1944 short films 1940s American animated films 1940s animated short films Films directed by George Pal Films about hunters Films set in Belgian Congo Animated crossover films American animated short films Paramount Pictures short films Puppetoons Bugs Bunny films