''Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales'' (also known as ''Bugs Bunny's 1001 Rabbit Tales'') is a 1982 American

animated Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby image, still images are manipulated to create Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on cel, transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and e ...

fantasy comedy film Fantasy comedy or comic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that is primarily humorous in intent and tone. Typically set in imaginary worlds, fantasy comedy often involves puns on, and parodies of, other works of fantasy. Literature The subgenre ro ...

produced and 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 ...

. It combines classic

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 ...

cartoon shorts with new animation, with

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 ' ...

serving as the story host.

Plot

Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck assume roles as sales representatives for the Rambling House Publishing Company, competing for a prestigious grand prize awarded to the top-performing salesman. Each assigned to different locales — Bugs to

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. ...

and Daffy to

Thermopolis Thermopolis is the county seat and most populous town in Hot Springs County, Wyoming, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the town population was 2,725. Thermopolis, Greek for "hot city", is home to numerous natural hot springs, in which ...

— the two embark on separate journeys characterized by a series of absurd and humorous encounters. Daffy's misadventures commence when he inadvertently crashes into Porky Pig's residence during a winter storm, seeking refuge after destroying a stuffed duck. Meanwhile, Bugs finds himself in a jungle and adopts the guise of a baby ape to evade danger. Their paths converge as they reunite and venture towards Pismo Beach, only to stumble upon a cave filled with treasure in a dry desert. Bugs subsequently finds himself coerced into entertaining Sultan Yosemite Sam's spoiled son, Prince Abba-Dabba, with a series of parodied fairy tales. Despite attempts to escape, Bugs remains ensnared in the storytelling duties, while Daffy, in pursuit of riches, encounters a magic lamp in the cave. His attempt to exploit the lamp for profit backfires when a genie emerges, prompting Daffy's chaotic flight through the desert in search of water. Bugs devises a clever escape plan involving a ruse with boiling oil, allowing him to elude Sam's clutches and reunite with Daffy. However, Daffy's eagerness to exploit the palace for book sales results in further misfortune. Bugs and Daffy ultimately depart into the sunset, with Daffy stripped of his feathers.

Featured shorts

The following films were featured in ''Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales'': * '' Cracked Quack'' * ''

Apes of Wrath ''Apes of Wrath'' is a 1959 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' animated short directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on April 18, 1959, and stars Bugs Bunny with a cameo from Daffy Duck at the end. This cartoon recycles the plot from the ...

'' * ''

Wise Quackers ''Wise Quackers'' is a 1949 Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The film was released on January 1, 1949, and stars Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd. The short's title should not be confused with the 1939 Bob Clampett short ' ...

'' * ''

Ali Baba Bunny ''Ali Baba Bunny'' is a 1957 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' parody animated short directed by Chuck Jones. The short was released on February 9, 1957, and stars Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. Bugs and Daffy are heading towards Pismo Beach, Califo ...

'' * '' Tweety and the Beanstalk'' * '' Bewitched Bunny'' * ''

Goldimouse and the Three Cats ''Goldimouse and the Three Cats'' is a 1960 Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' animated cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on March 15, 1960, and stars Sylvester and Sylvester Jr. This cartoon was included in the 1982 feature f ...

'' * '' A Sheep in the Deep'' * '' Red Riding Hoodwinked'' * '' The Pied Piper of Guadalupe'' * ''

Mexican Boarders ''Mexican Boarders'' is a 1962 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon short directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on May 12, 1962, and stars Speedy Gonzales and Sylvester. Voice actors are Mel Blanc (doing the voices of Sylvester and Speedy ...

'' * ''

One Froggy Evening ''One Froggy Evening'' is a 1955 American Technicolor animated musical short film written by Michael Maltese and directed by Chuck Jones, with musical direction by Milt Franklyn. The short, partly inspired by a 1944 Cary Grant film entitled ''O ...

'' * ''

Aqua Duck ''Aqua Duck'' is a 1963 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon directed by Robert McKimson and written by John Dunn. The short was released on September 28, 1963, and stars Daffy Duck. Plot Daffy is wandering across a Dalí-style desert. Und ...

Notes

* Most of the rest of the movie consists of the stories played out as classic cartoons. Some of the classic cartoon shorts were abridged. In the ''

'' sequence, the ending where the construction worker from 2056 finds Michigan J. Frog and makes off with him was cut, making it seem as if the cartoon ended with the construction worker from 1955 getting rid of the frog and running off. * This was the first ''Looney Tunes'' compilation film to use a completely original story and treat the included cartoon shorts as part of the story, as opposed to having the characters introduce the cartoons. * Early television airings (like the

Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...

in 1991) of the film had one sequence that was cut from the original theatrical version of the film. It took place after Bugs finished reading the story of Goldimouse and the Three Cats to Prince Abba-Dabba, when he told the next story to Abba-Dabba, the "Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" which featured the 1962

Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog are characters in a series of animated cartoons in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoons. The characters were created by Chuck Jones. Ralph Wolf has virtually the same character design as a ...

cartoon '' A Sheep in the Deep''.

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 ...

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 ...

Porky Pig Porky Pig is a cartoon character in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons. He was the first character created by the studio to draw audiences based on his celebrity, star power, and the animators created man ...

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''. ...

Sylvester the Cat Sylvester J. Pussycat Sr. is a fictional character, an anthropomorphic Bicolor cat, cat in the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons. Most of his appearances have him often chasing Tweety Bird, Speedy Gonzales, or Hippety Hop ...

, Sylvester Jr.,

Speedy Gonzales Speedy Gonzales is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons. He is portrayed as "The Fastest Mouse in all Mexico" with his major traits being the ability to run extremely fast ...

Tweety Tweety is an animated character, a yellow canary bird in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' series of animated cartoons. His characteristics are based on Red Skelton's famous "Junior the Mean Widdle Kid". He appeared in ...

, Rover, Hassan, Hansel, Prince Charming, Big Bad Wolf, Genie, Beanstalk Giant, Elvis Gorilla, Stork (also archive footage) *

June Foray June Foray (born June Lucille Forer; September 18, 1917 – July 26, 2017) was an American Voice acting, voice actress and radio personality, best known as the voice of such animation, animated characters as Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Natasha F ...

as Granny, Mother Gorilla, Goldimouse, Little Red Riding Hood (archive footage) *

Shepard Menken Shepard Menken (November 2, 1921 – January 2, 1999) was an American character and voice actor. Early life Menken began his career at the age of 11, when he started appearing on children's radio programs. After high school, Menken attend ...

as Old Storyteller *

Lennie Weinrib Leonard Weinrib (April 29, 1935 – June 28, 2006) was an American actor, comedian and writer. He is best known for playing the title role in the children's television show '' H.R. Pufnstuf'', Grimace in McDonaldland commercials, the title role i ...

as Prince Abba-Dabba *

Bea Benaderet Beatrice Benaderet ( ; April 4, 1906 – October 13, 1968) was an American actress and comedienne. Born in New York City and raised in San Francisco, she began performing in Bay Area theatre and radio before embarking on a Hollywood career that s ...

Witch Hazel Witch-hazels or witch hazels (''Hamamelis'') are a genus of flowering plants in the family Hamamelidaceae, with three species in North America ('' H. ovalis'', '' H. virginiana'', and '' H. vernalis''), and one each in Japan ('' H.&nb ...

, Gretel (archive footage) *

Arthur Q. Bryan Arthur Quirk Bryan (May 8, 1899 – November 30, 1959) was an American actor and radio personality. He is best remembered for his longtime recurring role as well-spoken, wisecracking Dr. Gamble on the radio comedy ''Fibber McGee and Molly'' and f ...

Elmer Fudd Elmer J. Fudd is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes''/''Merrie Melodies'' series and the archenemy of Bugs Bunny. Elmer Fudd's aim is to hunt Bugs, but he usually ends up seriously injuring himself and other antag ...

(archive footage) * Tom Holland as Slowpoke Rodriguez (archive footage) * William "Bill" Roberts as Michigan J. Frog (archive footage)

Production

* The main plot point, setting up Bugs and Daffy as

Scheherazade Scheherazade () is a major character and the storyteller in the frame story, frame narrative of the Middle Eastern collection of tales known as the ''One Thousand and One Nights''. Name According to modern scholarship, the name ''Scheherazade ...

-like figures, is in itself similar to the 1959 short '' Hare-Abian Nights'', which itself used considerable stock footage and also featured Yosemite Sam as the sultan. * Many voice artists that were not credited in the original shorts are billed as "additional classic voices". For the first time, 23 years after his death,

finally receives credit on a

production, even if it does not explicitly credit him as the voice of

. * The film marks the first time that a Warner cartoon compilation feature used classic cartoon footage from more than one director. ''

'', '' Bewitched Bunny'' and ''

'' were 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 ''

'' was directed by

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 DePa ...

, while all other classic shorts included were directed by Friz Freleng.

Reception

Carrie Rickey, reviewer for the ''Village Voice'', remarked that Bugs and Daffy "used to be burrowers, explorers; now they're traveling salesmen imprisoned by the nuclear family." Beck, Jerry. ''The Animated Movie Guide'' (2005).

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

Chicago Review Press Chicago Review Press, or CRP, is a U.S. book publisher and an independent company founded in 1973. Chicago Review Press publishes approximately 60 new titles yearly under eight imprints: Chicago Review Press, Lawrence Hill Books, Academy Chicago, ...

Home media

The film was released from

Warner Home Video Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment, Inc. (doing business as Warner Bros. Home Entertainment; formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the American home video distribution ...

on VHS in 1983, and again on July 3, 2001, and is included along with ''

The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie ''The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie'' (originally entitled as ''The Great American Chase'') is a 1979 American animated comedy package film directed by Chuck Jones, consisting of a compilation of classic ''Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies'' shorts ( ...

'' on the 2005 '' Looney Tunes Movie Collection'' DVD set.

References

External links

* * {{Navboxes , title = ''Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales'' , list1 = {{Friz Freleng {{Looney Tunes & Merrie Melodies {{Bugs Bunny in animation {{Daffy Duck in animation {{Yosemite Sam in animation {{Sylvester the Cat in animation {{Tweety in animation {{Sylvester Jr. in animation {{Speedy Gonzales in animation {{Granny (Looney Tunes) in animation {{Witch Hazel (Looney Tunes) in animation {{Porky Pig in animation {{Elmer Fudd in animation {{Warner Bros. animation and comics {{Warner Bros. theatrical animated features 1982 films 1982 American animated films 1982 children's films 1980s children's animated films 1980s fantasy comedy films 1980s parody films 1980s English-language films American children's animated adventure films American children's animated comedy films American children's animated fantasy films American anthology films American parody films Fairy tale parody films Animal adventure films Animated anthology films Looney Tunes films Big Bad Wolf Bugs Bunny films Daffy Duck films Elmer Fudd films Granny (Looney Tunes) films Porky Pig films Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog films Speedy Gonzales films Sylvester the Cat films Sylvester Jr. films Tweety films Witch Hazel (Looney Tunes) films Yosemite Sam films Animated films based on One Thousand and One Nights Animated films about gorillas Animated films about sheep Animated films about frogs Animated films about talking animals Films about vacationing Animated films set in country houses Animated films set in jungles Animated films set in deserts Films set in the Arabian Peninsula Animated films set in the Middle East Animated films set in palaces Animated films set in forests Films set in 1982 Films directed by Friz Freleng Films with screenplays by John Dunn (animator) Films with screenplays by Michael Maltese Films scored by Robert J. Walsh Warner Bros. films Warner Bros. animated films Warner Bros. Animation films