My favorite cartoon of all time, Bugs Bunny or otherwise. An absolutely hilarious spin on Little Red Riding Hood, during the war years, and with Bugs Bunny to put the exclamation point on it. I've actually had friends call me up to tell me, "Turn your TV to channel 'x'", because this cartoon was on, and I was known for it. While there's lots of Bugs cartoons that have me in stitches, this one hit me so hard, I know it verbatim. Before that was known to my friends, most of whom are also Bugs junkies, while playing poker 1 night I said to the guy w/ the winning hand, "That's a pretty good hand for you...TO HAVE!" And the table busted out laughing knowingly, leading to talk of our fave Bugs episodes. Actually, my fave cartoon character ever is Foghorn Leghorn. Everything about that character and his episodes is timeless and hilarious. But this Bugs cartoon has everything that could possibly make you laugh. It was years before I realized Red's voice was that of Bea Benaderet of Petticoat Junction fame. Though once I learned that, the cartoon is even funnier in what all it includes- the little twists played on the classic "Red Riding Hood" story line during the war years. To this day, I still use the line, "....TO HAVE!" when complimenting someone for whatever reason, and am not at all surprised to hear reactions in the unlikeliest of places, including when ordering a beer at a Cubs game- "That's a pretty big case of beer for you... TO HAVE!" Instant chuckles. I'm not at all surprised this ranked 39th in cartoon fame as voted by animators and such. But it does make me wonder how much funnier the first 38 are.

Friz Freleng's 'Little Red Riding Rabbit' is a much admired gem of a cartoon and another strong retort to those who accuse Freleng of being a dull director. Taking liberties with the original Red Riding Hood story, 'Little Red Riding Rabbit' deletes Grandma from the story entirely and features a wolf who is actually more interested in the contents of Red's picnic basket than the girl herself. These contents turn out to be Bugs Bunny, who sets about having enormous fun with the dumb wolf in a series of beautifully orchestrated routines including a truly inspired vocal sparring match in which Bugs repeats everything the wolf says and slyly switches places so that he controls the dialogue. As great as the battle between Bugs and the wolf is, however, the cartoon is completely stolen by the loud-mouthed Red who persistently bursts in on the action to try and get the traditional version of the story back on track. By the end even Bugs has had enough of her and teams up with the wolf to deal with the little annoyance. In 'Little Red Riding Rabbit', Bugs is neither the good-hearted moral crusader or the aggressively anarchic lunatic, he's simply a mischievous manipulator having a great time with the latest dupes he's been presented with. This lends 'Little Red Riding Rabbit' an enjoyable sense of ethical ambiguity which makes the cruel finale seem entirely appropriate. It's a perfectly paced, beautifully written and hilariously executed classic.

I wish I could say how much I loved this cartoon, as others seem to here. Overall, except for the last minute - which I loved - it wasn't entertaining, just grating. Of course, that "grating" was on purpose and led the final scene which was a pleasant surprise.Until, then, the first thing that hits you is, "This isn't the 'Little Red Riding Hood' I know! It's some bobby-soxer Judy Garland-with glasses and-an-attitude .....and a voice that makes you wince more than hearing nails on a blackboard. Anyway, with Bugs along for the ride in her lunch basket, the two travel on their way to Granny's. The big bad wolf beats them here, thanks to a false "short cut" signs he plants to fool Red.The wild stuff starts at Grandma's. beginning with the note Granny leaves on the door. Bugs and the wolf get into a long and silly chase that isn't really funny. Now that last part, beginning with the wolf trying save his.....umm....well....valuable parts, shall we say, from being burned off is hilarious. The last scene was almost too good to be true, but I loved it. Now there is some JUSTICE!

Everyone knows the story of Little Red Riding Hood, but Bugs Bunny has his own version, natch. This one is mostly more of Bugs's irreverence, but I liked how they gave the wolf a slightly different role than we usually know. A previous reviewer noted how they used sounds created by Bob Clampett (although Clampett didn't direct this one). Whether or not you notice that, this is still a great cartoon. It just goes to show why the Looney Tunes were truly the gold standard of their day (I can't say the same for their more recent cartoons). You're sure to like "Little Red Riding Rabbit". And that's certainly not all, folks.Might I hate myself for this review?