The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie

From Looney Tunes Wiki
Jump to navigationJump to search
The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie
TBBRRM Poster.jpg
Theatrical poster by Chuck Jones
Production company Chuck Jones Enterprises
Warner Bros. Cartoons
Distributor Warner Bros.
Release date September 14, 1979
Run time 97 minutes
Starring Mel Blanc
Stan Freberg
Paul Julian
Arthur Q. Brian
Nicolai Shutorev
Producer(s) Chuck Jones
Music composed by Dean Elliot
Milt Franklyn
Carl W. Staling
William Lava
John Seedly
Screenplay by Chuck Jones
Michael Maltese
Director(s) Chuck Jones
Phil Monroe (co-director)

Classic material:
Chuck Jones
Maurice Noble
Tom Ray

Series navigation
Previous Next
Title card
TBBRRM Title Card.png

The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie, originally released under the title The Great American Chase Movie, is an American animated package film directed by Chuck Jones, consisting of classic Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies cartoon shorts and newly animated bridging sequences. It was distributed by Warner Bros. on September 14, 1979, in celebration of Bugs Bunny's 40th anniversary.

Bugs, while giving a tour of his home, talks about some of the famous rivalries, battles, and chases from the Looney Tunes shorts, which serves as introductions to footage from the classic short subjects. The final segment of the film consists of an extended chase sequence between Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner.

The combination of classic animated footage and new scenes in the film would become the template for all of the theatrically released Looney Tunes films, until Daffy Duck's Quackbusters in 1988.

Summary

The film begins with Bugs Bunny giving a tour his luxourious mansion, which is cantilevered over a carrot-juice waterfall. He gives an explanation on the tounge-in-cheek history of the chase, and how it led to the invention of comedy. After introducing his "several fathers", consisting of notable people involved in Looney Tunes productions, Bugs discusses some of his famous rivalries, battles, and chases, all of which are provided by footage from the classic shorts.

The film's last segment focuses on Wile E. Coyote and his many attempts to catch the Road Runner. At the end of Bugs' tour, they appear as constellations in a chase in the night sky.

Cartoons in order of appearance

Memorable quotes

Bugs: I have also been known by other flatterin' names. For instance, I'm called "that wascally wabbit" by a certain E. — Elmer Fudd, who has spent many fruitless and rather frustratin' years chasing me. I have also been know as "That ornery, carrot-eatin' varmint!" by a certain Yosemite Sam, who for some reason hates rabbits. I can't imagine why. What started all this chasin'? When was the very first chase? Well, in order to answer that question, we'll have to swing back in time a little bitty bit.


Bugs: Instead of havin' hundreds of children, like your ordinary "run-of-the-mill" rabbit, I have several fathers. Fathers with odd names like Tex Avery, Friz Freleng, Chuck Jones, and Bob McKimson, the ones who directed me pictures. Fathers like Tedd Pierce, Warren Foster, and Mike Maltese, who wrote most of me biography. And, of course, a father figure named Mel Blanc, who had thousands of voices and was nice enough to give me one of them.


Bugs: Eat ya hart out, Burt Reynolds.

Characters

Legend
Character debut Speaking debut Ep. debut No lines Mentioned

In order of appearance:

Character Actor
Bugs Bunny Mel Blanc
Elmer Fudd Arthur Q. Bryan
Wile E. Coyote Mel Blanc
Yosemite Sam (picture) N/A
Neanderthal man Mel Blanc
Neanderthal woman Unavailable
Early 20th century man Mel Blanc
Early 20th century woman Unavailable
Marvin the Martian Mel Blanc
Daffy Duck/Duck Dodgers Mel Blanc
Dr. I.Q. Hi Mel Blanc
Porky Pig/Space Cadet/Friar Tuck Mel Blanc
Rich traveller N/A
Toro Mel Blanc
Hassan Mel Blanc
Ali Baba Mel Blanc
Genie Mel Blanc
Elephant Mel Blanc
Perfume shop owner Mel Blanc
Pepé Le Pew Mel Blanc
Gendarme Mel Blanc
Penelope Pussycat Mel Blanc
Giovanni Jones Nicolai Shutorov
Mel Blanc (speaking voice)
Conductor Mel Blanc
Leopold Stokowski
Road Runner Paul Julian


Locations

Objects

  • "Most Mild Mannered Forest Creature" award
  • "Most Easily Frieghtened Shy Rabbit" award

Crew credits

Release

Dates are in order of release:

  • United States: September 14, 1979

Behind the scenes

  • The film was dedicated to the memory of Chuck Jones' first wife, Dorothy Webster, who died a year before it was released.
  • Bugs' mansion is modeled on Frank Lloyd Wright's "Fallingwater" house in Bear Run, Pennsylvania.
  • The scene in which Bugs discusses his "several fathers" was written by Chuck Jones as a way to debunk fellow animation director Robert Clampett's claims throughout the 1970s that he alone created Bugs; Clampett's name is notably missing from Bugs' list, as a result of a personal conflict between Jones and Clampett. The documentary movie Bugs Bunny: Superstar featured Bob Clampett, and is another compilation of cartoon shorts, which under-played Bugs' other "several fathers" and is part of the aforementioned conflict.
  • In some cable TV airings, the second half of the Rabbit Fire segment (following the scene with Bugs and Daffy disguised as each other) was removed.

Errors

Home availability

  • In the United States:

References