Lighter Than Hare
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| Lighter Than Hare | |
|---|---|
 Lobby card. | |
| Production company | Warner Bros. Cartoons |
| Distributor | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Release date | December 17, 1960 |
| Starring | Mel Blanc |
| Producer(s) | John W. Burton |
| Music composed by | Milt Franklyn |
| Story by | Friz Freleng |
| Animation | Virgil Ross Art Davis Gerry Chiniquy |
| Director(s) | Friz Freleng |
| Series navigation | |
| ← Previous | Next → |
| Title card | |
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| Second title card | |
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Lighter Than Hare is the four hundred and sixty-fifth Merrie Melodies theatrical short. It was released by Warner Bros. Pictures on December 17, 1960. It was written by Friz Freleng, produced by John W. Burton, and directed by Freleng.
Yosemite Sam of Outer Space, an invader working for The High and Mighty Potentate, is sent to Earth to abduct one living creature from the planet. His target: Bugs Bunny, who thwarts all of Sam's attempts to get him.
Detailed summary
Memorable quotes
Bugs: Hee-hee-hee-hee-hee... I wonder if "Amos and Andy" is on yet?
Characters
In order of appearance: | ||||||||||||||||||
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Locations
- Earth
- United States
- Highway 17
- City dump
- United States
Objects
- Table scraps
- Explosive canisters
- Dynamite
- Rivets
- Magnet
- Plunger
- Jetpack
- Dynamite stick
- Fake Bugs Bunny costume
- Ham radio
Vehicles
- Sam's spaceship
- Sam's tank
- Bugs' high-clearance mechanical tractor
Production
Development
Music
The music was composed by Milt Franklyn.
Raymond Scott's Powerhouse theme plays when Bugs uses the high-clearance mechanical tractor to foil Sam's attempt to use his tank.
Crew credits
- Layouts: Hawley Pratt
- Backgrounds: Tom O'Loughlin
- Film editor: Treg Brown
Release
Dates are in order of release:
- United States: December 17, 1960
Behind the scenes
- The title is a pun on the phrase, "lighter than air."
- This is first Friz Freleng cartoon to revolve around science fiction.
- This cartoon was released to theaters just one month after Amos 'n' Andy was cancelled on the radio. Friz Freleng chose this gag instead of having Bugs watch a television and decide to switch over to I Love Lucy after hearing the Robot Decoy's explosive demise.
Errors
- Despite being released past From Hare to Heir, this cartoon lacks the A Vitaphone Release byline on the ending titles. It is the last Merrie Melodies cartoon to lack this byline until the 1964 cartoon, Bartholomew versus the Wheel.
- When the short was Looney Tunes Super Stars' Bugs Bunny: Hare Extraordinaire DVD, it was cropped to a widescreen format. However, as of 2024, it will be released and restored in full screen on the Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volume 4 Blu-Ray release.
Legacy
- Clips from this short were used in the DTV special, Bugs Bunny's Lunar Tunes.
- Yosemite Sam's spaceman persona would be used in the video game, Looney Tunes: World of Mayhem.
Home availability
- United States
