The Abominable Snow Rabbit

Infobox Hollywood cartoon
cartoon_name = The Abominable Snow Rabbit
series = Looney Tunes/Bugs Bunny/Daffy Duck


caption =
director = Chuck Jones
Maurice Noble
story_artist = Tedd Pierce
animator = Philip DeGuard
Ken Harris
Tom Ray
Bob Bransford
Richard Thompson
voice_actor = Mel Blanc
musician = Milt Franklyn
producer = John Burton
studio=Warner Bros. Cartoons
distributor = Warner Bros. Pictures
Vitaphone Corporation
release_date = May 20, 1961 (USA)
color_process = Technicolor
runtime = 8 min
movie_language = English
imdb_id = 0054593

"The Abominable Snow Rabbit" is an eight minute 1961 Warner Bros. "Looney Tunes" theatrical cartoon starring Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. The cartoon was directed by Chuck Jones and co-directed by Maurice Noble, with a story by Tedd Pierce. The cartoon's title, is taken from the phrase and horror film, "The Abominable Snowman".

ummary

At the start of this cartoon, Bugs and Daffy set out for a vacation in Palm Springs (traveling via Bugs' underground burrowing). Once Daffy (wearing an old-fashioned bathing suit of shirt and matching pants) emerges topside and makes a break for a "pool", only to find he has leaped headfirst into a frozen lake surrounded by a snowy landscape, the pair realize that they have gone far off course. Freezing and shivering, Daffy pulls his shirt up over his head and ties his sleeves around his head. Bugs re-reads his map, and realizes that he and Daffy are in the Himalayas. An appalled Daffy promptly decides to turn back and leave Bugs. Declaring his intent to go back to Perth Amboy, the duck hops back into the rabbit hole and begins burrowing on his own.

Upon his return, Daffy hits a snag in the road, running into the Abominable Snowman named Hugo. Daffy arises out of the tunnel only to be mistaken for a pink snow rabbit (his sleeves from his shirt look like rabbit ears). Hugo (echoing the character Lenny from "Of Mice and Men") picks up Daffy, and proclaims, "Oh boy! A little bunny rabbit! Just what I always wanted! I will name him George, and I will hug him..."

"I'm not a bunny rabbit," responds Daffy in an uncharacteristically calm tone, "You're hurting me. Put me down, please." When Hugo does not comply, Daffy finally becomes fed up and screams: "I ain't no bunny rabbit!""

Once Hugo realizes that Daffy isn't a bunny rabbit, and punishes him for lying, Daffy tells him where he can get a "real bunny rabbit", leading him to Bugs, who is studying his maps, trying to figure out where they missed the turnoff to Palm Springs. Daffy and Bugs then spend some time trying to trick Hugo into believing the other character is a rabbit. As usual, Bugs wins out, and hastily jumps back in his hole and burrows away. Upon realizing Daffy is not a rabbit, Hugo jumps in the hole after Bugs. Eager to see the Hugo own Bugs at their new destination, Daffy decides to follow.

By the time Daffy makes it to Palm Springs, he finds Hugo and the rabbit (in disguise) having a heart-to-heart talk. The snowman, "sweating" because of the heat, is distraught over losing sight of his bunny rabbit, and the disguised Bugs feigns sympathy. Just as Daffy arrives, Bugs produces a rabbit mask and holds it over the rabbit hole Daffy is set to emerge from. Sure enough, Daffy pops his head into the mask unwittingly, and Hugo, giddy to have his "bunny rabbit" back, rushes over to Daffy. Although Hugo begins his "I will name him George" spiel once again - with Bugs imitating him - Bugs is shocked to suddenly discover a puddle standing where Hugo was a few seconds ago.

"Well, what do you know; he melted," Bugs says to the camera. "He really was a snowman after all!" At this, a soaked Daffy emerges from the puddle and quips "Abominable", that is," as the cartoon irises-out to its end title.

Home video releases

"The Abominable Snow Rabbit" is included on the DVD collection ' as well as the VHS collections "Looney Tunes After Dark" and '.

Trivia

*Hugo is based upon Lenny from "Of Mice and Men". His mental ineptitude, his desire for a pet rabbit, and his calling Bugs "George" are evidence of this relationship.
*Hugo the Abominable Snowman returned in the "Looney Tunes" comic books.
*For once, Bugs arriving at the wrong destination is "not" due to missing "that left turn at Alba-koi-kee," although, as Bugs tries to figure out where he "did" go wrong, he notes that he and Daffy stopped there for lunch during their trip.
*When he first sets out on his own, Daffy's intended destination is Perth Amboy, New Jersey; in a rare bit of inter-cartoon continuity, the later cartoon "Transylvania 6-5000" reveals that Perth Amboy is the location of Bugs' travel agent.

ee also

*List of Bugs Bunny cartoons
*List of cartoons featuring Daffy Duck