The essay analyses the Warner Brothers classic animated short film The Wabbit Came Who Came to Supper (1942). The movie is a classic animation produced in the post Second World War period. The movie featured two classic cartoon characters Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd.
This essay analyses the movie in relation to its social discourse and theme. One of the themes apparent in the movie is that of a rabbit as a trickster. The figure of a trickster has often been popular in classical and modern mythology and it has often been associated with other animals like fox, which captures the imagination of common mind as a charlatan.
In modern mythology of the popular culture, rabbits have become a common insignia of a trickster. The character of Bugs Bunny has been popularized as a comic charlatan through children’s animated cartoon. Further, the gendering of Bugs in the movie is apparent and is discussed with its effect on the audience.
The movie The Wabbit Came Who Came to Supper begins with Elmer having cornered Bugs Bunny in a hunting trip with the help of his hounds. Bugs Bunny is saved due to a telegram Elmer receives from his Uncle Louise.
The telegram states that Elmer had inherited 3 million dollars from his uncle, however, this fortune is conditional to Elmer’s treatment of animals, especially rabbits. Bugs, with characteristic panache, take advantage of the situation and moves into Elmar’s house. As Elmer, mesmerized at his own good luck, enters his home, he finds Bug taking a shower, singing “Angel in Disguise”.
This infuriates Elmer, but the Bug reminds him of his uncle Louie’s will. Daunted by the possibility of being disinherited from 3 million dollars property, Elmer gently wheedles Bugs Bunny to leave his house. He softly pats on Bugs Bunny’s head, however, the latter accuses Elmer of having hurt him on the head, and threatens to tell Uncle Louie.
Bugs Bunny even calls a number, however, is humbly requested by Elmer to refrain from informing him of his misdeed towards the rabbit. Elmer skillfully apologizes, to the rabbit but throws him out of the house deceitfully. Nevertheless, Bug fakes illness and enters the house again. Later, another telegram arrives informing Elmer of his uncle’s death and the news of his inheritance.
However, the irony of the situation is apparent as the telegram is directly shown to the audience who can see that all the fortune was taken away as tax payment by the government and Elmer now inherited a debt of $1.98. Furious at Bug’s intrusion in his life, Elmer throws Bug out of the house. Elmer then receives an Easter present. When he opens it, he finds several baby bugs Bunnies who leaps around the house.
The short animated film was made in 1942. The director of the movie was Friz Freleng, considered the creator of the character of Bugs Bunny. Michael Maltese wrote the story and Richard Bickenbach did the animation of the movie. The music director was Carl W. Stalling. Mel Blanc performed the voice for Bugs Bunny, and Arthur Q. Bryan did that of Elmer.
The year of production of the movie is significant as it was produced in 1942. The character of Bugs Bunny was popularized during the Second World War period. In this era, the Bugs bunny movies saw a few changes in the design of the characters. Elmer was altered to a fat, beer-bellied character. Further, there was a reversal in the characterization and the position of the characters in this era.
Traditionally, Elmer ahs been the archenemy of Bugs Bunny and he was always hunting for Bugs. However, in the movies produced in the Second World War period, there was a marked role reversal, and Bugs became the tormentor of Elmer. Similar trend was observed in the movie The Wobbit Who Came to Supper.
The character of bugs Bunny is a typical trickster who cannot be connected with any literary creations or folklore. Apparently, he appears to a figure generated to entertain. However, Bugs too have certain atypical characteristics of a trickster. Bugs Bunny is a personification of a real trickster famed in popular culture. Bugs Bunny has a typical rabbit shape and figure.
The long ears of the bunny and the short tails also enhance the movements and schema of certain scenes. Further, the fetish the rabbit has for carrots is atypical in most of the other movies. However, in this particular movie carrots were not shown. In this movie, Bugs has been made human in many ways. First, Bugs Bunny is the hunted in the beginning of the movie, where his being a rabbit is emphasized.
However, as he moves to Elmer’s home, he retains the image of a smart, cunning, conniving human, ready to pounce on any opportunity to better his position. He wears symbolic clothes, and is shown wearing a towel when he was taking a bath, and when he disguised himself in female undergarments.
In this movie, Bugs is engaged in extremely human activities, like playing the piano, singing a son, taking bath, shaving, etc. however, Bugs is cunning enough to utilize his characteristic small size to his advantage. However, prevalence of violence in the cartoon movie is apparent.
Elmer running with his gun to shoot Bugs Bunny whenever he is infuriated, beating up, throwing away, are frequent scenes in the movie. Further, a few other human traits that are apparent in the characters of the movie are cunning and opportunistic as we see in Bugs Bunny and greed in Elmer.
Though the story of The Wabbit Who Came to Supper is one of the unlikely movies to have explicit sexual images, it is famous for one of such depictions. When Elmer holds Bugs at gunpoint in the bathroom, he comes out of the tub, wrapped around in a towel, and accidently the towel slips, displaying his genitals to the audience. Further, cross dressing ahs often been observed in Bugs Bunny movies.
This was seen in this movie too. Bugs disguises as a woman in her underwear, who shouts out when Elmer opens the door. Such sexual innuendo were common in Bugs Bunny movies, however, they remained a trifling and minor part of the movies.
One reason for these hidden and trivial subliminal message in the movies may have been because cartoon movies were historically targeted to children audiences. In modern society, overt expression of sexuality remains a taboo, especially to children.
Further, such covert messages in the movies can also be observed as a resistance to the conventionality prevalent in the 1940s America, an era known for its resistance towards sexual openness.
The movie analyzed demonstrates Bugs Bunny as a trickster who intrudes in the life of Elmer, and the traditional hunter becomes the hunted – a typical depiction in the 1940s Bugs Bunny movies. Further, the implied sexuality and gendering in the movie is also discussed against the conservative society of the 1940s America.
Reference
Schlesinger, L. (Producer). (1942). The Wabbit Who Came to Supper [Motion Picture]. USA: Warner Bros. Pictures.