''Rhapsody Rabbit'' is a 1946 American animated

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

in the '' Merrie Melodies'' series, directed by Friz Freleng and featuring

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 ' ...

. The movie was originally released to theaters by Warner Bros. Pictures on November 9, 1946. This short is a follow-up of sorts to Freleng's 1941 Academy Award-nominated '' Rhapsody in Rivets'', which featured the " Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2" by

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic music, Romantic period. With a diverse List of compositions by Franz Liszt, body of work spanning more than six ...

. The "instrument" used to perform the "Hungarian Rhapsody" in ''Rhapsody in Rivets'' is a skyscraper under construction, while this short features Bugs playing the piece at a piano while being pestered by a mouse. In 1946, film critic James Agee wrote in ''

The Nation ''The Nation'' is a progressive American monthly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper ...

'' that the short is "the funniest thing I have seen since the decline of sociological dancing," saying, "The best of it goes two ways: one, very observant parody of concert-pianistic affectations, elegantly thought out and synchronized; the other, brutality keyed into the spirit of the music to reach greater subtlety than I have ever seen brutality reach before." ''Rhapsody Rabbit'' was the first cartoon to be broadcast on

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...

when the channel launched on October 1, 1992.

Plot

Set against a backdrop of

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

's ''Siegfried'' funeral march, Bugs Bunny takes center stage as a piano virtuoso. Amidst thunderous applause, Bugs embarks on a performance of

's " Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2". The opening scene sees Bugs poised at the piano, only to be interrupted by a persistent cough from an unseen audience member. Unfazed, Bugs resorts to unconventional means to silence the disturbance, humorously wielding a revolver from his tailcoat. Throughout the performance, Bugs engages in playful banter, responding to a ringing phone inside the piano with his trademark catchphrase, "Eh, what's up, doc?" He cleverly incorporates musical references, such as singing "Fi-ga-ro!" during a familiar three-note sequence, adding a comedic twist to his piano playing. As Bugs navigates through the piece, he encounters a pesky mouse that becomes a persistent nuisance. The encounter escalates into a musical duel, culminating in a boogie-woogie showdown. Despite momentarily trapping the mouse, Bugs is ultimately outwitted as the mouse reemerges, performing a surprise finale on a miniature piano. In a comedic climax, Bugs confronts the final frenzied pages of the Rhapsody, culminating in exasperation as the mouse steals the spotlight with its unexpected performance. Frustrated yet undeterred, Bugs delivers the closing notes with characteristic wit, concluding the performance with a humorous flourish.

Voice cast

* Mel Blanc as

, Rat and Coughing Audience Member

Home media

The short is available on '' Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2'', with an optional commentary track by musical

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

Daniel Goldmark. It is also available on volume 2 of '' Looney Tunes: Spotlight Collection'', as well as Warner Bros. Discovery's two video streaming services, the Boomerang SVOD app and Max. It recently appeared on the Blu-Ray ''Looney Tunes: Collector’s Vault Vol. 1 ''.

Plagiarism dispute

One year after the release of ''Rhapsody Rabbit,''

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

cartoon studio (MGM) produced a comparable animated short titled '' The Cat Concerto'', featuring Tom and Jerry series. This production portrays Tom encountering distractions caused by Jerry, the mouse, during a piano concert performance. Noteworthy similarities between the two works include the replication of several comedic sequences and the utilization of

's " Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2" as their primary musical composition. ''The Cat Concerto'' received recognition by winning an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. Following the presentation of both films at the 19th Academy Awards Ceremony, allegations of plagiarism arose from both MGM and Warner Bros. studios. Technicolor was accused of sending a print of either cartoon to a competing studio, who then plagiarized their rival's work. Despite attempts to address the matter, uncertainties persist regarding the origins of the similarities. While ''Rhapsody Rabbit'' holds an earlier Motion Picture Association approval number and release date, MGM's production timelines extended over a longer duration. Additionally, the substantial resemblances between the two animations may also be attributed to mere coincidence. The controversy surrounding these productions received further examination in an episode of the

anthology series '' ToonHeads'', providing a platform for discussion and analysis of the issue.

References

External links