What's Opera, Doc?

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What's Opera, Doc?
Whats Opera Doc Lobby Card.jpg
Lobby card.
Production company Warner Bros. Cartoons
Distributor Warner Bros. Pictures
The Vitaphone Corporation
Release date July 6, 1957
Run time 7:03
Starring Mel Blanc
Music composed by Milt Franklyn
Story by Mike Maltese
Director(s) Chuck Jones
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Title card
What's Opera, Doc title card.png

What's Opera, Doc? is the four-hundredth and twenty-sixth Merrie Melodies theatrical short. It was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and The Vitaphone Corporation on February 28, 1957. It was written by Michael Maltese, and directed by Chuck Jones.

Elmer and Bugs do their usual chase scene in an epic parody of Richard Wagner's operas.

Detailed summary

Memorable quotes

Elmer: Kill the wabbit! Kill the wabbit! Kill the wabbit!
Bugs: Kill da wabbit?


Bugs: Oh, might warrior of great fighting stock... Might I inquire to ask, "Eh... What's up doc?"


Elmer: I'll kill the WABBIT! Awise, storm! Nowth winds blow! South winds blow! Typhoons... Huwwicanes... Earthquakes... SMOOOOOOOOG!!! Stwike, wightning! Stwike the WABBIT!!!


Bugs: Well, what did you expect from an opera? A happy ending?

Characters

Legend
Character debut Speaking debut Ep. debut No lines Mentioned

In order of appearance:

Character Actor
Elmer Fudd Arthur Q. Bryan
Mel Blanc (one line only)
Bugs Bunny Mel Blanc


Locations

Objects

  • Elmer's spear
  • Elmer's magic helmet

Vehicles

Production

Second Lobby Card
Second lobby card.

Development

Filming

Music

The music was composed by Milt Franklyn and is based on pieces from classical composer Richard Wagner. It consists of arrangements of Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung), Der Fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman), and Tannhäuser.

It also contains the following pieces:

  • The overture from Der Ring des Nibelungen, Act I - Elmer's leitmotif as Siegfried; opening and closing scenes
  • "Ride of the Valkyries" from Die Walküre, Act III, of Der Ring des Nibelungen - the "Kill the wabbit!" scene
  • "Siegfried's Horn Call" from Siegfried, Act II, scene 2 of Der Ring des Nibelungen - Bug Bunny's introduction
  • The overture from Tannhäuser, Act I - Bugs' entrance as the Valkyrie Brunhilde and duet with Elmer
  • The bacchanale from Tannhäuser, Act I - Bugs and Elmer's ballet scene
  • The "Pilgrims' Chorus" from Tannhäuser, Act III, scene 1 - closing scene

Release

Dates are in order of release:

  • United States: July 6, 1957 in theatres

Behind the scenes

  • The title is a play on Bugs' catchphrase "What's Up Doc?"
  • This is the last cartoon directed by Chuck Jones to star Elmer Fudd.

Errors

Legacy

In popular culture

  • In the March 20, 1993 (Miranda Richardson/Soul Asylum) episode of Saturday Night Live, Rob Schneider appears in the Weekend Update sketch defending cartoons after the FFC ruled out that they should not be considered educational. Schneider counters that kids learned "Ride of the Valkyries" from this short, although he then says that Elmer Fudd wrote it, instead of Richard Wagner. He then sings "Kill the wabbit! Kill the wabbit! Kill the wabbit!" to the march of "Ride of the Valkyrie."
  • In the Drawn Together episode "A Very Special Drawn Together After School Special," Spanky returns home from the opera singing "Kill the wabbit!"
  • In the Family Guy episode "Movin' In," while watching opera, Stewie tells Brian, "Bugs Bunny is about to make this tenor hold a note far longer than anyone should. Ain't he a stinker?"

Critical reception

In other languages

Language Name Meaning

Home availability

References