''Prince Violent'' (retitled ''Prince Varmint'' for television) is a 1961
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 ...
'' 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, Film director, director, Film producer, producer, and composer known for his work at Warner Bros. Cartoons ...
and Freleng's longtime layout artist
Hawley Pratt
Hawley B. Pratt (June 9, 1911 – March 4, 1999) was an American film director, animator, designer and illustrator. He is best known for his work for Warner Bros. Cartoons and as the right-hand man of director Friz Freleng as a layout artist and ...
.
The short was released on September 2, 1961, 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
Yosemite Sam
Yosemite Sam ( ) is a cartoon character in the ''Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' series of short films produced by Warner Bros. His name is taken from Yosemite National Park in California. His real name is ''Aloysius Bartholamew Sam''. ...
.
The title is a pun on "
Prince Valiant
''Prince Valiant in the Days of King Arthur'', often simply called ''Prince Valiant'', is an American comic strip created by Hal Foster in 1937. It is an epic adventure that has told a continuous story during its entire history, and the full s ...
", a long-running comic strip at the time.
Plot
A Viking named Sam the Terrible embarks on a mission of invasion, rowing towards a castle along a river. Observing his approach, Bugs Bunny, a resident of the castle's vicinity, initially dismisses Sam's attire as resembling a "broken loose electric can opener." However, upon witnessing Sam's forcible entry into the castle, Bugs resolves to confront the intruder.
Engaging Sam in a series of comedic skirmishes, Bugs employs clever tactics to outsmart the Viking. In their initial encounter, Bugs deftly disarms Sam and ridicules his costume, prompting Sam's expulsion from the castle. Subsequent confrontations see Bugs employing imaginative schemes, including painting a faux door on the castle walls and orchestrating the elephant's unwitting involvement in thwarting Sam's siege attempts.
Despite Sam's relentless pursuit, Bugs continuously outwits him, culminating in the Viking's humiliating defeat. Sam's various schemes, including catapulting rocks and mining beneath the castle, are foiled by Bugs' ingenuity and the inadvertent assistance of the elephant.
Ultimately, Sam's frustration escalates as his efforts are consistently thwarted. Vowing revenge against Bugs and the elephant, Sam departs, leaving behind a scene of chaos. As the narrative concludes, Bugs muses on the achievements attainable through resourcefulness, rewarding the elephant for its unwitting assistance.
See also
*
List of Bugs Bunny cartoons
This is a list of the various animated cartoons featuring Bugs Bunny. He starred in over 160 theatrical animated short films of the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons and distributed by Warner Bros. ...
*
List of Yosemite Sam cartoons
References
External links
*
{{Friz Freleng
1961 films
1960s American animated films
1960s Warner Bros. animated short films
Looney Tunes shorts
Animated films set in castles
Animated films set in the Viking Age
Short films directed by Friz Freleng
Films scored by Milt Franklyn
Prince Valiant
Bugs Bunny films
Yosemite Sam films
1960s English-language films
Films produced by David H. DePatie
Films directed by Hawley Pratt
Animated films about elephants
English-language short films
1961 animated short films