. . . protesting agitator Bugs Bunny proclaims, embarking upon a nation-wide campaign of Vandalism, Sabotage, and Terrorism in the Looney Tune animated short, REBEL RABBIT. Miffed at seeing the bounty on rabbit scalps set at a measly TWO CENTS (compared to $75 for bear and $50 for fox), Bugs mails himself to Washington, DC (1st Class, of course) to confront the U.S. Game Commissioner. The latter proceeds to patronize America's Favorite Hare, provoking Bugs' rampage. On the plus side, he cuts Florida loose (Pre-Empting W.'s appointment to the White House five decades later), fills in the Grand Canyon (where tourists fall to their deaths every year), and persuades the Native Americans to take back Manhattan (cancelling out the S&L crisis, the Bernie Madoff Pyramid Scheme, the Tech Bubble, the Derivatives Scandal, the Crash of 2008, and countless other ills). Among the not-so-bright developments, Bugs destroys the American Railroad System, the Panama Canal, and mars the National Mall by candy-striping the Washington Monument. But at least this dumb bunny proves that Grey Lives Matter.

Robert McKimson's 'Rebel Rabbit' is an extremely original cartoon that casts Bugs Bunny as an egotistical anarchist to terrifying effect. Outraged that the bounty for hunted rabbits is only two cents each, Bugs visits Washington and demands it be raised. When his request is refused, he sets about proving that rabbit's are more dangerous than people think by causing chaos up and down the country until the bounty on his head reaches a million dollars. 'Rebel Rabbit' is one of McKimson's finest cartoons. Beginning with a novel premise, McKimson takes his time by having Bugs deal with all the administrative side of things first. When this approach fails, the cartoon goes crazy as Bugs lets himself off the leash. From hereon in, all bets are off as Bugs commits senseless acts of assault, vandalism and general indecency. McKimson heightens the anything-can-happen atmosphere by interspersing the animated antics with live action footage. Bugs's nationwide rampage is a thrill to behold and the unexpected result makes for a very satisfying climax. All in all, 'Rebel Rabbit' is a fascinating and fun character experiment that comes highly recommended.

When I saw the title and first minute of "Rebel Rabbit", I sort of assumed that it would be a Robin Hood-style story. Boy was I wrong! It portrays Bugs Bunny getting insulted when he finds that the government has placed exorbitant bounties on foxes and bears, but only 2 cents on rabbits (after all, rabbits are such cute little creatures). So, the carrot-chomping rascal proceeds to make a complete mess of the United States. The final scene reminded me of the Peter Sellers-Ringo Starr movie "The Magic Christian", how they ridiculously brought in the most elaborate weaponry to deal with so simple an animal (then again, Bugs isn't so simple to catch).I especially agreed with one scene: Bugs cuts Florida off from the rest of the country. Considering that the Sunshine State is home to the rich Cubans who fled when Fidel Castro's army took over in Cuba, we should break that state off from the rest of the country and send it down to Cuba so that the current government there can prosecute Fulgencio Batista's henchmen.But I digress. The point is, this is a really funny cartoon. That southern senator was obviously Mel Blanc doing Foghorn Leghorn's voice. Really neat.

This is an excellent cartoon. While by their nature, cartoons are a visual medium and sight gags are a major part of most Warner Brothers shorts, Bugs Bunny is probably the most verbally oriented character they created and the best gags here are verbal in nature, rather than visual. This should be out on video and/or DVD. Hopefully, the much anticipated, long-overdue release on DVD will happen soon. It is much deserved. Well worth watching. Most highly recommended.