''Ali Baba Bunny'' is a 1957

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

Merrie Melodies ''Merrie Melodies'' is an American animated comedy short film series distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It was part of the ''Looney Tunes'' franchise and featured many of the same characters. Originally running from August 2, 1931, to Septem ...

parody A parody is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satire, satirical or irony, ironic imitation. Often its subject is an Originality, original work or some aspect of it (theme/content, author, style, e ...

animated short directed by

Chuck Jones Charles Martin Jones (September 21, 1912 – February 22, 2002) was an American animator, painter, voice actor and filmmaker, best known for his work with Warner Bros. Cartoons on the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of shorts. He ...

. The short was released on February 9, 1957, and stars

Bugs Bunny Bugs Bunny is a cartoon character created in the late 1930s at Warner Bros. Cartoons (originally Leon Schlesinger, Leon Schlesinger Productions) and Voice acting, voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his featured roles in the ' ...

and

Daffy Duck Daffy Duck is an animated cartoon character created by animators Tex Avery and Bob Clampett for Leon Schlesinger Productions. Styled as an anthropomorphic black duck, he has appeared in cartoon series such as ''Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Me ...

. Bugs and Daffy are heading towards

Pismo Beach, California Pismo Beach ( Chumash: ''Pismuʔ'') is a city in the southern portion of San Luis Obispo County, in the Central Coast area of California, United States. Its estimated population was 8,072 at the 2020 census, up from 7,655 in the 2010 census. ...

, but somehow arrive instead to the

Arabian Desert The Arabian Desert () is a vast desert wilderness in West Asia that occupies almost the entire Arabian Peninsula with an area of . It stretches from Yemen to the Persian Gulf and Oman to Jordan and Iraq. It is the fourth largest desert in the ...

. They discover a cave with hidden treasure, but they have to outwit its guard. Bugs poses as a

jinn Jinn or djinn (), alternatively genies, are supernatural beings in pre-Islamic Arabian religion and Islam. Their existence is generally defined as parallel to humans, as they have free will, are accountable for their deeds, and can be either ...

to do so. Later, Daffy discovers an actual jinn in an

oil lamp An oil lamp is a lamp used to produce light continuously for a period of time using an oil-based fuel source. The use of oil lamps began thousands of years ago and continues to this day, although their use is less common in modern times. The ...

. After insulting the jinn, Daffy shrinks to miniature size. The film is named after the folk tale '' Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves'', and parodies some of its themes. The plot is primarily driven by Daffy's

greed Greed (or avarice, ) is an insatiable desire for material gain (be it food, money, land, or animate/inanimate possessions) or social value, such as status or power. Nature of greed The initial motivation for (or purpose of) greed and a ...

Plot

In the Arabian Desert, a dimwitted guard named Hassan guards a cave where a rich Sultan stores his treasure. Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck accidentally stumble upon the cave, thinking they have arrived at

. Daffy, enamored by the riches and determined to keep it all for himself, forces Bugs back into the burrow. When Hassan finally remembers the command to open the cave, chaos ensues. Mistaking Hassan for a porter, Daffy is attacked and seeks Bugs' help. Bugs, in turn, outwits Hassan by posing as a

. As Daffy steals a gem, Bugs tricks Hassan with an Indian rope trick, seemingly trapping him in the clouds. Daffy, however, discovers an

with a real jinn, whom he inadvertently angers by rudely forcing him back into the lamp. Bugs escapes as the jinn unleashes dire consequences on Daffy for his actions. Bugs reaches Pismo Beach and finds a pearl in a clam. A miniature Daffy, shrunk by the jinn, arrives and claims the pearl. The cartoon concludes with Bugs making the clam close on Daffy.

Voice cast

Mel Blanc Melvin Jerome Blanc (born Blank ; May 30, 1908 – July 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 come ...

, Hassan, Sultan and

Jinn Jinn or djinn (), alternatively genies, are supernatural beings in pre-Islamic Arabian religion and Islam. Their existence is generally defined as parallel to humans, as they have free will, are accountable for their deeds, and can be either ...

Reception

Linda Simensky writes, "''Ali Baba Bunny'' was produced in an era where Bugs and Daffy were often paired up, and while that didn't always work, in this cartoon they seem to be formidable opponents. In the early 1950s, Daffy Duck was no longer just daffy. He had progressed to being greedy, cheap, and without a trace of empathy. When put in the right circumstances, this worked. Bugs, as paired up with Daffy, lost a little of his ability to incite conflict, being given the job of mostly reacting and politely suffering Daffy's outbursts. But in this cartoon, Bugs has his classic moments too."

Legacy

''Ali Baba Bunny'' was voted No. 35 of the 50 Greatest Cartoons of all time by members of the animation field. The film was edited into the ''Looney Tunes'' greatest hits features '' The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie'' (1979) and '' Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales'' (1982).

In popular culture

During his ''

SportsCenter ''SportsCenter'' (SC) is an American television sports news broadcasting show broadcast by ESPN. Originally anchored by Chris Berman, George Grande, Greg Gumbel, Lee Leonard, Bob Ley, Sal Marchiano and Lou Palmer, it premiered on Septem ...

'' tenure,

Rich Eisen Richard Eisen ( ; born June 24, 1969) is an American television sportscaster and radio host. Since 2003, he has worked for NFL Network as a host of various pregame, halftime, and postgame shows and doing occasional play-by-play. He also hosts ...

would occasionally use Hassan's catchphrase, "Hassan chop!", when a highlight showed a baseball player tossing his bat in disgust.

The Offspring The Offspring is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Garden Grove, California, in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band currently consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Dexter Holland, Bryan "Dexter" Holland, ...

's 2021 album '' Let the Bad Times Roll'' features a song titled "Hassan Chop", which uses audio from the episode.

References

External links

* {{Chuck Jones 1957 films 1957 animated short films 1950s parody films 1950s English-language films 1950s Warner Bros. animated short films Animated films based on Ali Baba American parody films Fairy tale parody films Animated films about size change Genies in film Short films directed by Chuck Jones Merrie Melodies short films Warner Bros. Cartoons animated short films Bugs Bunny films Daffy Duck films Films scored by Carl Stalling Films scored by Milt Franklyn Animated films set in deserts Animated films set on beaches Animated films set in California Films set in the Arabian Peninsula Films with screenplays by Michael Maltese Films produced by Edward Selzer Animated films set in the Middle East English-language short films Films set in caves