''Bully for Bugs'' is a 1953

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 ...

Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American media franchise produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The franchise began as a series of animated short films that originally ran from 1930 to 1969, alongside its spin-off series ''Merrie Melodies'', during t ...

'' theatrical cartoon 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 ...

and written by

Michael Maltese Michael Maltese (February 6, 1908 – February 22, 1981) was an American screenwriter and storyboard artist for classic animated cartoon shorts. He is best known for working in the 1950s on a series of '' Merrie Melodies'' cartoons with director ...

. The cartoon was released on August 8, 1953, 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 ' ...

Plot

Bugs Bunny finds himself inadvertently embroiled in a bullfighting spectacle while en route to the

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for a carrot festival. Upon stumbling into a Spanish bullring, Bugs becomes the target of Toro the Bull, who is engaged in a confrontation with a matador. Despite attempting to seek assistance from the matador for directions, Bugs is met with disregard, prompting him to confront Toro himself. Determined to retaliate against Toro's aggression, Bugs dons matador attire and employs clever tactics to outwit the bull. Utilizing an anvil concealed within his cape, Bugs manages to subdue Toro momentarily, only to face a resilient adversary capable of detaching his horns for a counterattack. The ensuing battle between Bugs and Toro unfolds with comedic flair, marked by inventive strategies and physical slapstick humor. Amidst the escalating conflict, Bugs employs inventive traps and comedic banter to outsmart Toro, culminating in an explosive finale orchestrated through a series of humorous mishaps and Rube Goldberg –esque contraptions. Ultimately, Bugs emerges victorious, utilizing quick thinking and resourcefulness to outmaneuver Toro and secure his escape.

Development

In his biography ''Chuck Amuck'',

claims that he made this cartoon after producer Eddie Selzer burst into Jones' workspace one day and announced, for no readily apparent reason, that there was nothing funny about bullfighting and no cartoons about it were to be made. Since Selzer had, in Jones' opinion, consistently proven himself to be wrong about absolutely everything (having once barred Jones from doing any cartoons featuring Pepé Le Pew, on the grounds that he perceived them as not being funny, which led to Jones and Maltese to do '' For Scent-imental Reasons'', which won an Oscar, which Selzer accepted), the only possible option was to make the cartoon. The sounds of the crowd and the bull are recorded from a genuine bullfighting crowd in

Barcelona, Spain Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a pop ...

. The boulder to the face gag was reused from '' Rabbit Punch'' five years earlier, which was also directed by

Reception

Darrell Van Citters writes

This film hits squarely in director Chuck Jones' sweet spot and features most of the creative team we've come to associate with his best work... Both the writing and directing are self-assured, and there is no wasted effort anywhere in the film. Jones was a master of timing and the expressive hold. Often his holds would be followed up by the movement of one body part, such as an eyebrow raise, making the statement even more effective. In his best films, such as ''Bully for Bugs'', his timing revealed character, making the moment all the funnier.

Home media

* VHS: ''Bugs Bunny's Wacky Adventures'' * VHS: ''From Hare to Eternity'' * Laserdisc: ''Bugs Bunny: Winner by a Hare'' * DVD: '' Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1'' * DVD/Blu-ray: '' Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 3'' * DVD: ''Looney Tunes: Bugs Bunny and Friends'' (full frame)

References

External links

* {{Chuck Jones 1950s English-language films 1950s Warner Bros. animated short films Looney Tunes shorts Short films directed by Chuck Jones Films set in Mexico Bullfighting films Films scored by Carl Stalling Bugs Bunny films 1953 comedy films Films with screenplays by Michael Maltese American animated short films Animated films about rabbits and hares Films about cattle English-language short films 1953 animated short films