Invasion of the Bunny Snatchers

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Invasion of the Bunny Snatchers
Production company Warner Bros. Cartoons
Distributor Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date August 25, 1992
Run time 11:30
Starring Jeff Bergman
Producer(s) Greg Ford
Music composed by Carl Stalling
Milt Franklyn
Virg Dzurinko
Nomi Rosen
Story by Greg Ford
Terry Lennon
Animation Nancy Beiman
Dog Compton
Tom Decker
Russel Calabrese
Frank Bagriel
Nelson Rhodes
Larry Ruppel
Edited by Rick Gehr
Director(s) Greg Ford
Terry Lennon
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Title card
Invasion of the Bunny Snatchers title card.png

Invasion of the Bunny Snatchers is the four hundred and eightieth short of the Looney Tunes theatrical series. It was released by Warner Bros. on August 25, 1992, and was originally the first segment of the Bugs Bunny's Creature Features television special. It was written and directed by Greg Ford and Terry Lennon, and produced by Ford.

While out heckling Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam and Daffy Duck, Bugs encounters some strange-looking carrots wherever he goes. But little does he know was that those carrots are not from Earth, and come the next day, Bugs learns that something has happened to his three targets.

Detailed summary

Memorable quotes

Bugs: It all began in a vast, uncharted region in outer space. A whole flock of strange-lookin' carrots, driftin' in space for billions of years, were floatin' down towards the Earth. But I didn't know about it at the time. As far as I'm concerned, it was just a typical day, except that I was late for work.


Sam: I've a-fallen and I... I can't get up!


Bugs: I'm telling ya, these long hours are moider. Like they say, a rabbits work is never done.


Bugs: There was somethin' different about him, but I couldn't put my finger on it. He had a big dopey grin around his face, and say... Could it be? Badly drawn.


Elmer's clone: Hewwo, I wanna spwead sunshine whenever I can... I can... I can... I can...
Bugs: Now, let me get this straight. You mean no more competition? No more, uh, adversarial interaction? No more battle of wits?
Elmer's clone: Bwing along these strange-looking carrots and all your twobules will be put to rest.
Bugs: Um, thanks anyway. I'll stick to my own brand.


Daffy's clone: Bugsy, old pal, I want you to know that I enjoyed our little tête-à-têtes over the years, but now it's all over. It doesn't matter anymore. You win! It is duck season! I admit it!


Bugs: Elmer Fudd is a pale stereotype of his former self, even paler than the original, if that's possible. And Sam wasn't Sam, but an unreasonable facsimile thereof; a not so incredible simulation. And that duck, sure it walked like a duck, and quacked like a duck, but it... Yes?
Bugs' clone: What's... up... Doc?
(the clone swings an axe at Bugs' bed, causing him to flee)
Bugs: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH — Y'know somethin', folks? This is the scariest part of the picture ― AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!


Porky's clone: Th-th-thh-th-th-that's a-a-all folks!
(Bugs kicks out the clone and places the real Porky back on the torn drum)
Porky: Oops! Th-th-th-that's all folks!

Characters

Legend
Character debut Speaking debut Ep. debut No lines Mentioned

In order of appearance:

Character Actor
Bugs Bunny Jeff Bergman
Elmer Fudd Jeff Bergman
Yosemite Sam Jeff Bergman
Daffy Duck Jeff Bergman
Bus driver N/A
Elmer's clone Jeff Bergman
Yosemite Sam's clone Jeff Bergman
Daffy's clone Jeff Bergman
Bugs' clone Jeff Bergman
E.T. N/A
Elliot Taylor N/A
Dog Star N/A
Porky's clone Jeff Bergman
Porky Pig Jeff Bergman


Organizations

Locations

Objects

  • Carrot-like replicating pods
  • Anvil

Vehicles

  • Grey Hare bus

Production

Development

The short was produced at a time when newer Looney Tunes shorts were being released to introduce the characters to a modern generation,[1] which continued until its discontinuation between 2003 to 2009 due to the box-office failure of Looney Tunes: Back in Action. The story, according to Terry Lennon, was written as an exploration of what would happen if the characters were reduced down to "their lowest common denominator," but have the fully-animated Bugs interact with them.[2] Lennon added, "We really put Bugs through the paces. At the same time, it was really fun to lovingly explore the characters."[2] Lennon and Greg Ford developed the story and recorded a scratch track with Jeff Bergman doing the voices.[3]

The clones' friendly personalities (except for the Bugs doppelgänger) were done as a critical jab toward the executives at Warner Bros. for their handling of the characters at the time (i.e. marketing them in the vein of Disney), instead of their portrayals in (Blooper) Bunny!, which Ford and Lennon worked on.[1][2][4]

Filming

According to animator Russell Calabrese, the clone's limited animation was a jab on "inconsistent" animation quality of Tiny Toon Adventures, as it was handled by different studios.[5] The animators had a contest on who could do the worst animation for the clones, with animator Nancy Beiman's Daffy winning.[6] After the short's production, Warner Bros. shut down its New York division to consolidate its operations in Burbank in December 1991.[2] The short was originally considered for a theatrical release, but later aired as part of Bugs Bunny's Creature Features.

The short was copyrighted in 1991 (MCMXCI).

Music

The score is comprised of archival music from Carl W. Stalling and Milt Franklyn, while the additional music was done by Virg Dzurinko and Nomi Rosen.

Crew credits

Release

Dates are in order of release:

  • United States: February 2, 1992 (as part of Bugs Bunny's Creature Features), August 25, 1992 (standalone)

Behind the scenes

  • The title and plot are a parody of the 1956 science-fiction horror film Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
  • It is one of three modern day Looney Tunes cartoons to utilize music from the classic shorts instead of an original composition, with the other two being The Duxorcist and The Night of the Living Duck.
  • Several parts of Bugs' encounter with Elmer, including Bugs' description of a rabbit and Elmer's breakdown, are lifted from similar scenes in A Wild Hare.
  • The scene where Bugs tricks Yosemite Sam into falling a cliff by crossing multiple lines is lifted from a similar scene in Bugs Bunny Rides Again.
  • Sam's line after falling off a cliff, "I've a-fallen and I can't get up!", is directly lifted from a catchphrase that originated from a medical alarm commercial by LifeCall.
  • The bus driver that drives over to the duck hunting area bears a resemblance to Jackie Gleason.
  • The scene where Daffy gets shot by multiple hunters is similar to the ending scene in Duck! Rabbit, Duck!
  • The art style and animation of the clones are likely inspired by the works of UPA, United Artists' Mel-O-Toons, Jay Ward, and Gene Deitch.
  • Bugs' comment when Sam's clone falls over a cliff, "That's one for Ripley's", is likely a reference to Ripley's Believe It or Not!
  • When Daffy's clone tells Bugs that "it doesn't matter anymore," his beak changes to a live action mouth. The specific animation technique used in this scene is called Syncro-Vox, which is a filming method that combines static images with moving images, and was notably used in the 1959 animated television series Clutch Cargo.
  • The planet Nudnik is named after the character Nudnik, created by Gene Deitch.
  • E.T. and Elliot Taylor from the 1982 feature film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial make a cameo in this short.
  • The Dog Star is a play on Sirus, the brightest star in the night sky whose constellation is designated Canis Majoris.
  • Russell Calabrese provides the voice of the black hole who swallows the clones.[7]
  • The Porky clone that appears at the end of the short is animated in a stop motion cutout style akin to Terry Gilliam.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Comics Scene Yearbook #1: The New Looney Tunes Pages 1-4 (1992)". Twitter. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Comics Scene Yearbook #1: The New Looney Tunes Pages 5-8 (1992)". Twitter. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Jeff Bergman on Bugs Bunny, Mel Blanc, and Looney Legends". CBR. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  4. ↑ S. Sandler, Kevin (June 1, 1998). Reading the Rabbit: Explorations in Warner Bros. Animation, p.15-16. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 978-0813525389. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  5. ↑ Calada, Pat (November 11, 2020). "My professor worked on this and I faintly recall him admitting that it was more of a slap-in-the-face at the lackadaisical quality of Tiny Toons." Twitter. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  6. ↑ Henderson, Steve (May 8, 2012). "An Interview with Nancy Beiman: Animator, Author and Educator". Skwigly. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  7. ↑ ANIMATOR. Russell Calabrese Artwerks. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
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