“What’s up Doc” who else but Bugs Bunny, Looney Tunes favorite sarcastic Rabbit?
“Who goes where no man has gone before”..... Mars
500 words on old cartoon history and connection to the audience (because rabbits are expendable).
Ofcoures all does not go to plan as Bugs’ rocket hits Marvins the Martian’s home on Mars. Marvin the Martian was created in 1948 Marvin is over 50 years old now by Chuck Jones and was given the voice of Mel Blanc. This is the first time we meet Marvin, the super intelligent Martian, well maybe not that intelligent, more like miss informed.
He sees Humans as nothing more than insects and not the superior and dominate race, well he hasn’t met Bugs yet. Look out Marvin! The balance of this tale is turned around by our laid back hero Bugs Bunny who on arrival confronts the war like Marvin without the aid of any space suit or breathing equipment. After all there cartoons so no problem and no weapons other than a carrot: This is the same carrot which was used by NASA to bribe Bugs into this mission for Earth in the first place. Looney Tunes Studios aimed more at the crazy satire of the situation rather than the out right humour or cheesiness of the image to capture their audience. Looney by name cartoon by nature. The title is from another famous character created by Lewis Carrol in Alice in Wonderland. “Mad as a MARS Hare” plays on both words and meaning to getour attention. Meanwhile back on Mars, Bugs and Marvin, now wants to disintegrate each other. Could this be an observation or a social comment about the world at the time when this animation was made in 1948 just three years after World War II. Animators comments on the world around them are apparent through out the history of animation in all cartoons, none more than Looney Tunes Studios. MAD AS A MARCH HARE.
Meanwhile back to Bugs and Marvin. Bugs as turned the tables on the little Martian and disarmed him, but not undone by this Marvin decides to turn Bugs into a superior future-self which ofcourse back fires and Bugs is turned into a Neanderthal Bunny. Could this reflect the anxieties about mutation by radiation, featured in many of the sci/fi films of the forties. Finally Bugs engages with audience, and turns to us and say “wait until the rest of my Looney tunes mates see me, they better look-out, when I gets home.

No comments:

Post a Comment