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Rabbit Hood is a 1949 Merrie Melodies short directed by Chuck Jones.

Title[]

The title is a parody of Robin Hood.

Plot[]

The Sheriff of Nottingham catches Bugs eating the King's carrots and is about to arrest him, when Little John shows up and tells them that Robin Hood is on his way.

"The real" Robin Hood finally appears in a clip from the classic 1938 movie, The Adventures of Robin Hood, which starred Errol Flynn.

Animation Breakdown[]

The film starts out with a lengthy sequence animated by Phil Monroe where Bugs tries to silence an alarmed carrot patch. Monroe did the scenes up to where the Sheriff is lying on the ground with little kings spinning around his head.

Ken Harris handles the next short bit where Bugs is standing examining a wall and musing how he might get out. He is interrupted by the Sheriff who chases him.

Ben Washam animates the entire section where Bugs and the Sheriff are in the Royal Rose garden and Bugs turns the whole situation around and acts like a real estate agent. Washam's scenes continue to the point where Bugs is climbing the same brick wall that we saw him musing over before. The sheriff, who we see in the distance brandishing a bow and arrow, shoots Bugs down by grazing him.

Bugs falls into Little John's arms (he was introduced ignominiously in the first part of the film) in a Ken Harris scene.

Phil Monroe animated the introduction sequence between Little John and the Sheriff.

Lloyd Vaughan handles the next sequence, a protracted one in which Bugs laboriously heralds the arrival of an unseen king. The Sheriff knows it's probably a trick but because Bugs is so insistent he almost challenges Bugs to prove his assertions.

Ken Harris animates Bugs Bunny emerging in royal garb, bedecked with a crown and holding a sceptre, much to the surprise of the Sheriff, who bows down to him, and the knighting speech above. Harris' animation continues as the Sheriff sings "London bridge is falling down" while he's staggering in a stupor.

Lloyd Vaughan does the cake baking sequence, then it's back to Ken Harris as Bugs positions the cake so the Sheriff's face will fall into it when he collapses. Harris continues with Bugs' head nod and a lovely acting scene where he makes fun of Little John continually talking about Robin Hood's arrival.

Ben Washam animates the close-up of Little John and Bugs' take when he sees the live-action Errol Flynn from The Adventures of Robin Hood.

Cutting back to Ken Harris animating Bugs, the latter ends the cartoon with, "Nah, that's silly. It couldn't be him."

Availability[]

Streaming[]

Censorship[]

The ABC version of this cartoon cut two scenes involving head-bashing violence:[3]

  • The part after The Sheriff of Nottingham is duped into building a house in the King's garden was edited to remove the part where The Sheriff gnashes his teeth (with carpenter nails in them) and shouts, "Oooh! I hate myself!" then hits himself over the head with the hammer several times while yelling, "I do, I do, I do!"
  • The infamous "knighting scene" (where Bugs bashes the Sheriff over the head several times with a scepter) was drastically cut short so Bugs only bashes the Sheriff over the head once instead of seven times, which makes the "Got lots of stamina!" line inexplicable.

Notes[]

  • Errol Flynn received a personal copy of this film in exchange for the right to use his earlier live-action footage.[citation needed] (November 2018)
  • This cartoon is the origin of the infamous "knighting" exchange, where Bugs Bunny is dressed up like a king, and proceeds to brain the Sheriff with his scepter while dispensing an oddball title with each strike:
    Sheriff: Your most gracious majesty. *bows*
    Bugs: In the name of my most royal majesty, I knight thee. *strikes Sheriff over the head with his sceptre* “Arise, Sir Loin of Beef!” *strike*
    “Arise, Earl of Cloves!” *strike*
    “Arise, Duke of Brittingham!” *strike*
    “Arise, Baron of Münchhausen!” *strike*
    “Arise, Essence of Myrrh!” *strike*
    “Milk of Magnesia” *strike*
    “Quarter of Ten” *strike*
    Sheriff: (dazed, slurred) “You are too kind, your majesty.”
    Bugs: (to audience) “Got lots of stamina!”
  • The original "Bugs Bunny In" title to the cartoon was plastered over when it was reissued in the 1959-64 season.
  • This is the final Warner Bros. cartoon to be released in Leon Schlesinger's lifetime; he died the following day (25 December 1949).
  • When Bugs and the Sheriff are walking through the royal garden, Bugs' left arm briefly flickers between holding the Sheriff's arm and gesturing out towards the grounds.

Gallery[]

References[]

External Links[]

Bugs Bunny Shorts
1938 Porky's Hare Hunt
1939 Prest-O Change-OHare-um Scare-um
1940 Elmer's Candid CameraA Wild Hare
1941 Elmer's Pet RabbitTortoise Beats HareHiawatha's Rabbit HuntThe Heckling HareAll This and Rabbit StewWabbit Twouble
1942 The Wabbit Who Came to SupperAny Bonds Today?The Wacky WabbitHold the Lion, PleaseBugs Bunny Gets the BoidFresh HareThe Hare-Brained HypnotistCase of the Missing Hare
1943 Tortoise Wins by a HareSuper-RabbitJack-Wabbit and the BeanstalkWackiki WabbitFalling Hare
1944 Little Red Riding RabbitWhat's Cookin' Doc?Bugs Bunny and the Three BearsBugs Bunny Nips the NipsHare Ribbin'Hare ForceBuckaroo BugsThe Old Grey HareStage Door Cartoon
1945 Herr Meets HareThe Unruly HareHare TriggerHare ConditionedHare Tonic
1946 Baseball BugsHare RemoverHair-Raising HareAcrobatty BunnyRacketeer RabbitThe Big SnoozeRhapsody Rabbit
1947 Rabbit TransitA Hare Grows in ManhattanEaster YeggsSlick Hare
1948 Gorilla My DreamsA Feather in His HareRabbit PunchBuccaneer BunnyBugs Bunny Rides AgainHaredevil HareHot Cross BunnyHare SplitterA-Lad-In His LampMy Bunny Lies over the Sea
1949 Hare DoMississippi HareRebel RabbitHigh Diving HareBowery BugsLong-Haired HareKnights Must FallThe Grey Hounded HareThe Windblown HareFrigid HareWhich Is WitchRabbit Hood
1950 Hurdy-Gurdy HareMutiny on the BunnyHomeless HareBig House BunnyWhat's Up Doc?8 Ball BunnyHillbilly HareBunker Hill BunnyBushy HareRabbit of Seville
1951 Hare We GoRabbit Every MondayBunny HuggedThe Fair Haired HareRabbit FireFrench RarebitHis Hare Raising TaleBallot Box BunnyBig Top Bunny
1952 Operation: RabbitFoxy by Proxy14 Carrot RabbitWater, Water Every HareThe Hasty HareOily HareRabbit SeasoningRabbit's KinHare Lift
1953 Forward March HareUpswept HareSouthern Fried RabbitHare TrimmedBully for BugsLumber Jack-RabbitDuck! Rabbit, Duck!Robot Rabbit
1954 Captain HareblowerBugs and ThugsNo Parking HareDevil May HareBewitched BunnyYankee Doodle BugsBaby Buggy Bunny
1955 Beanstalk BunnySahara HareHare BrushRabbit RampageThis Is a Life?Hyde and HareKnight-Mare HareRoman Legion-Hare
1956 Bugs' BonnetsBroom-Stick BunnyRabbitson CrusoeNapoleon Bunny-PartBarbary-Coast BunnyHalf-Fare HareA Star Is BoredWideo WabbitTo Hare Is Human
1957 Ali Baba BunnyBedevilled RabbitPiker's PeakWhat's Opera, Doc?Bugsy and MugsyShow Biz BugsRabbit Romeo
1958 Hare-Less WolfHare-Way to the StarsNow, Hare ThisKnighty Knight BugsPre-Hysterical Hare
1959 Baton BunnyHare-abian NightsApes of WrathBackwoods BunnyWild and Woolly HareBonanza BunnyA Witch's Tangled HarePeople Are Bunny
1960 Horse HarePerson to BunnyRabbit's FeatFrom Hare to HeirLighter Than Hare
1961 The Abominable Snow RabbitCompressed HarePrince Violent
1962 Wet HareBill of HareShishkabugs
1963 Devil's Feud CakeThe Million HareHare-Breadth HurryThe UnmentionablesMad as a Mars HareTransylvania 6-5000
1964 Dumb PatrolDr. Devil and Mr. HareThe Iceman DuckethFalse Hare
1979 Bugs Bunny's Christmas CarolFright Before Christmas
1980 Portrait of the Artist as a Young BunnySpaced Out Bunny
1990 Box Office Bunny
1991 (Blooper) Bunny
1992 Invasion of the Bunny Snatchers
1995 Carrotblanca
1997 From Hare to Eternity
2004 Hare and Loathing in Las VegasDaffy Duck for President
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