Bugs Bunny's Overtures to Disaster is a 1991 Looney Tunes television special directed by Greg Ford and Terry Lennon. In the new animation, Bugs, Daffy, Porky, Elmer and Sylvester are voiced by Jeff Bergman.
Shorts Used[]
- "Baton Bunny" (the first event; retried again as the last event which was ruined by a fly)
- "Porky and Daffy in the William Tell Overture" (the second event)
- "Back Alley Oproar" (used when Sylvester tried to ruin Elmer's "Hungarian Rhapsody")
- "Rabbit of Seville" (the fourth event)
- "What's Opera, Doc?" (the last event on the agenda but Bugs tried "Baton Bunny" again after)
- "Long-Haired Hare" (Audio of Giovanni's opera singing used during the end credits)
Plot[]
While reading the newspaper, The Three Bears decide to go to the opera. Also in the paper is the headline "Experimental Fly escapes, cannot be killed".
After a clip from "Rabbit of Seville" of the audience walking in, Bugs Bunny emerges from his dressing room and begins to conduct. In the audience, the fly lands on Papa Bear's head; Baby Bear tries to squash it with his toy wagon, but only succeeds in knocking Papa unconscious. The fly flies up to Bugs, whose conducting is ruined.
Porky Pig starts playing the "William Tell Overture" before Daffy Duck. Daffy is angered, and a fight ensues. The Lone Ranger and his horse Silver come in when the music is over.
Elmer Fudd is up, and Sylvester starts singing. In effect, Elmer decides to throw Sylvester out. Elmer starts to conduct "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2" when Sylvester runs up and down the stairs singing Hungarian Rhapsody. Elmer beats up Sylvester and walks back in, but sees that the audience loved Sylvester's act. Elmer quits, declaring that he has been "humiwiated fow the wast time."
Bugs introduces "The Barber of Seville" when Porky informs him that Elmer quit. Bugs goes to get him back and tricks him back onto set, performing "Rabbit of Seville". Bugs then tells him how they loved it and changes him into his Wagnerian warrior costume. Bugs tells him he'll like the next one because he gets to kill Bugs. They perform "What's Opera, Doc?"
Bugs then takes another shot at conducting, unaware that the fly has driven the audience away. The fly claps, Bugs shrugs and finally bows.
Notes[]
- Similar in vein to the "archive footage" used in "Mucho Locos" which was produced twenty-five years earlier, Sylvester's "Hungarian Rhapsody" from "Back Alley Oproar" is reused here, but with new animation because, while Warner/Chappell Music held the rights to the music in the cartoon, Turner Entertainment (through the 1956 a.a.p. sale and various mergers) owned the rights to the footage at the time (Warner would not regain the full rights to the entire cartoon until 1996, despite having its original negatives stored in the WB vaults at the time).
- Mr. Meek from "The Wise Quacking Duck", the two stranded castaways from "Wackiki Wabbit", and both Granny and Yosemite Sam in their designs from "Hare Trimmed" can be seen in the audience.
- "Porky and Daffy in the William Tell Overture" would later be re-released as a stand-alone short (with new animation) once it was released onto the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 4 DVD in 2006.
- Footage from the last "Baton Bunny" segment was used in the montage trailer for Warner Bros.' 75th anniversary in 1998.[1]