What's Opera, Doc?

What's Opera, Doc?
	; 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? 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

Earth

Objects

Elmer's spear
Elmer's magic helmet

Vehicles

Production

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.

Songs

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

Everlasting influence

This cartoon would be used as a segment in The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie, Bugs Bunny's Overtures to Disaster and Bugs Bunny at the Symphony.
In 1992, the United States Library of Congress deemed the short "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant," and made it first animated short to be inducted to the National Film Registry.
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?"
Elmer Fudd's Siegfried persona would be inspired by this cartoon and used in the video game Bugs Bunny and Taz: Time Busters.
The personas of Siegfried Elmer and Valkyrie Bugs would be used as playable characters in Looney Tunes: World of Mayhem.

Critical reception

In other languages

Language	Name	Meaning

Home availability

In the United States:

References