Hare-Way to the Stars

Hare-Way to the Stars is a Warner Bros. Looney Tunes theatrical cartoon short released on March 29th, 1958. The cartoon, which was directed by Charles Jones, features Bugs Bunny.

Other crew members of the cartoon include: story by Michael Maltese, animation by Richard Thompson, Ken Harris and Abe Levitow, and layouts by Maurice Noble. The cartoon also features backgrounds by Philip De Guard, and effects animation by Harry Love. The film editor is Treg Brown, and the voice characterization is by Mel Blanc who does both Marvin the Martian's and Bugs Bunny’s voice. The music is by Milt Franklyn, and as said earlier, the director is Charles Jones. The cartoon starts when Bugs Bunny mistakenly climbs out of his hole and into a rocket ship that is taking off. He realizes what has happened once he opened the door on the ship, and is immediately hit by a meteor and lands on Mars.

While there, Bugs Bunny meets a Martian named Marvin Martian who is trying to blow up earth with the Illudium PU-36 Explosive Space Modulator. Bugs Bunny steals his explosive and Marvin Martian uses different tricks to try and catch Bugs Bunny. One of which is using ‘just add water’ Martians that grow when watered. In true Bugs Bunny fashion, he tricks the Martians into flying off the road and falling through a trap door. Bugs Bunny then steals one of the Martian's spaceships, and while flying by, trades the explosive he stole from Marvin Martian for the bottle of 'just add water' Martians. The explosive is lit, and soon exploded in Marvin Martian’s hand while Bugs Bunny is flying back to Earth. When Bugs Bunny arrives at Earth he has to crash land and finds himself and the bottle of Martians falling into the sewer. The Martians begin to grow and as that happens Bugs Bunny, climbs out of the sewer, frantically replaces the manhole cover and warns the audience to flee before he takes his own advice as the ground shakes with the invaders underneath.

Notes

The instant Martians resemble the Martian from another Chuck Jones cartoon, "Jumpin' Jupiter", they resemble green buzzard like aliens with purple tufts of feathers around their necks and little palm tree shaped antennas they are also apparently mute.

Availability

The cartoon has not been restored or released in the Looney Tunes Golden Collection yet, although a clip from it is featured in the documentary "Behind the Tunes, Crash! Bang! Boom! – The Wild Sounds of Treg Brown" on the second volume of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection DVD set (disc two). This cartoon was also made part of the feature film "The Great American Chase" (more commonly known as The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie).

Censorship

*When this cartoon aired on CBS, the part where Marvin the Martian finds the dynamite stick he needs in his machine to blow up Earth in the glass of Instant Martians and the resulting explosion was cut.