Looney Tunes: Rabbits Run (2015)

Good concept, poorly executed.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

I LOVE The Looney Tunes show, and have rewatched it several times - the episodes manage to make me laugh every time with their often absurd but well timed humor and quirky memorable characters. So imagine my surprise that I only found out a month ago that the show got a movie! I got to checking it out instantly... and was severely disappointed. Don't take it the wrong way - the movie is by no means bad. It is a decent enough flick and certainly has a much more cohesive plot than most other Looney Tunes movies. A big plus is that unlike Back in Action or Space Jam, they finally understood that Looney Tunes needs no live action characters and stand on its own. The problem is, that despite the identical designs and many voice actors returning... this movie does not take place in the same continuity as the Looney Tunes Show. In fact, many characters have totally different roles than on the show, have widely different personalities, or in some cases, are totally absent altogether. In a way, it all reminds me of another big disappointment - Superman: Brainiac Attacks, which used the animation design of Superman TAS but without all the heart or good writing of the original. The plot is, in short, that Lola - who works as a perfume salesperson for Giovanni Jones - tries to discover the perfect perfume. She unknowingly uses a super rare flower for this, given to her by her landlord, Speedy Gonzales - but the flower has properties to turn everything invisible, hence both the government agencies, led by general Foghorn Leghorn with FBI agent Elmer Fudd, and two thugs with Cecil Turtle, want to take the perfume. Lola escapes in the taxi of cab driver Bugs Bunny, while being chased by all parties, including bounty hunter Yosemite Sam and Giovanni as well. It all turns into an international spy movie chase from here with cameos from Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, the Gophers, Pepe le Pew, and culminating on a showdown on Mars with the real villain, Martin the Martian.What can I say, the movie just squanders the opportunities for good jokes. Lola isn't the scatterbrained and super random lady we know and love from the show, she is too much aware of what is going on around her to be like that. Bugs is a bit satirical but again, not enough to be funny. The biggest problem is that the movie focuses on the two of them, and their budding romance, instead of the jokes, and many characters remain 'blink and you will miss them' appearances. The worst case is easily Daffy, who was the cornerstone of the show - here, his appearance is little more than an extended cameo, he soon drops out of the picture. Porky, Speedy, Yosemite and Foghorn and Cecil aren't any better off, even in the short scenes they have, as their personalities are totally unlike on the show. Notably absent are many characters as well, most importantly Tina Russo, Daffy's girlfriend from the show, as well as Granny, Sylvester and Tweety, Witch Hazel, Gossamer and Taz. In conclusion, if you are unfamiliar with the show, you will find it an average quality Looney Tunes movie with a few jokes, nothing to write home about. If you liked the show though, you'll be baffled why someone at WB made the decision to create a movie that looks exactly like it, but feel totally different from it. I cannot recommend it, really.

Reviewed by: Dare Devil Kid (DDK)Rating: 4/5 starsDevoted fans of the classic 1940s and 50s "Merry Melodies" and "Looney Tunes" cartoons from Warner Brothers never know what they're going to get these days when they see their favorite characters revived in new, updated versions. It's pretty hit-or-miss since some current writers and animators get what made the old characters tick, while others, bless 'em, just plain don't.The people behind the original feature-length, direct-to-video cartoon movie "Looney Tunes: Rabbit Run" get it. But to their credit, instead of simply recreating the old stuff, they've taken familiar characters such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Foghorn Leghorn, Elmer Fudd, Marvin the Martian, and Speedy Gonzales, among others, and cast them in a dizzying screwball comedy that's a cross between a "Bringing Up Baby" and "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World".As a world-weary New York cabbie, Bugs gets to downplay his old wise-guy persona, and serve as straight man for Lola Bunny, a flighty, valley-girlish, amateur perfume inventor who hopes to take the Paris fragrance industry by storm with her intoxicating new formula. But when the military finds out that Lola's new perfume is also an invisibility formula, they'll stop at nothing to get it. The sight of Foghorn Leghorn as an overbearing Army general ordering around his minions, including agents Elmer Fudd and Cecil Turtle is refreshingly exuberant. The secret of the formula is also discovered by Lola's former department store boss, Giovanni Jones (the opera singer in the 1948 classic "Long-Haired Hare"). He follows her and Bugs all the way to Paris along with an avaricious Yosemite Sam (smuggling himself aboard the plane squeezed into an old lady's dog carrier) and everyone else who can't wait to get their paws on the precious formula.Bugs and Lola make a great team and add their chemistry adds verve to every frame they're in, whether it be leading the bad guys in a frenetic car chase through the streets of New York, posing as stewardesses on a flight to Paris (Bugs manages to get into drag again, of course) during which they end up falling out of the plane, and finally being kidnapped by none other than Marvin the Martian and taken to his deep space headquarters where he plans something nefarious with Lola's formula.More hilarity ensues with the appearance of those eternally giddy, stereotypically-gay gophers, Mac and Tosh, in their fabulous yacht. Their song-and-dance extravaganza, "Girl, You're Fabulous", is a hoot, as is Lola's big number "Smell in My Mind". The great Daffy Duck brings his own prodigious persona into the mix in fine style as a fellow cab driver unwillingly caught up in the action. Also appearing in lesser but no less welcome capacity are Speedy Gonzalez as Lola's landlord and Pepe Le Pew as an eau-de-cologne magnate.For pure fun that's fun to look at, "Looney Tunes: Rabbit Run" is well worth getting caught up in for its 70-minute duration. It's made by people who appreciate the original Looney Tunes cartoons while easily avoiding being just a pallid facsimile of them. It's not your typical Looney Tunes plot, but if you love the old cartoons, in addition to appreciating the cockeyed appeal of screwball comedies, you should find yourself having a rollicking good time with this breezy, lightning-paced, lighthearted adventure as much as your kids. (Or if you're like me; somebody else's kids.)

Lola Bunny makes a perfume out of a flower that unbeknown to her is sort after by unscrupulous characters including the government due to its invisibility properties. Set in New York anyone familiar with the recent Looney Tunes sitcom style series will feel at home with the sharp writing, witty one liners and great set ups. While the background plates and background animation is a bit flat and static the animation of the main characters and forefront action is spot on great fun. The voice characteristics sound correct with every day taxi drivers Bugs and Daffy (voiced by Jeff Bergman), along with an array of other well know characters come to life perfectly. Loved Looney Tunes including Speedy Gonzales, Porky Pig, Foghorn Leghorn (who is in charge of the operation), Pepé Le Pew, Marvin the Martian, Yosemite Sam, Lola Bunny (who is very funny), Cecil Turtle, Elmer Fudd appear to name a few.This direct to video from WB Home Entertainment offers a sharp, Hitchcock-ish set up in this Bourne meets Bugs adventure.

Content: AWESOME! Near the beginning of the film, Lola Bunny does sing a song that does leans heavy on the Autotune, and is a bit painful, but then the movie kicks into high gear and the movie is fun and surprising through out.These are most definitely The Looney Tunes Show versions of these characters, but without the history from the show. Lola talks endlessly, Bugs Bunny feels put-upon all the time. Daffy is a jerk, Speedy is understanding, but not putting up with disrespect. And the Gophers are in a relationship, so the being extraordinarily nice to each other has sort of gone out the window. (So cool!)Foghorn Leghorn, Cecil the Turtle and Elmer Fudd are involved in a government plot to secret to mention that Lola Bunny inadvertently gets mixed up in. Bugs, Daffy and Yosemite Sam get pulled along for the ride. A ride that takes us from New York to Paris and eventually Mars, because you can't have a Looney Tunes movie without Marvin the Martian.Unlike many many many Looney Tunes movies from before, this is not cobbled together from old clips. This is all new animation. And a great ride.Packaging: Fine. DVD in a light DVD Case (w/ the recycle holes) and a cardboard slip sleeve. (No Blu Ray or Ultraviolet included)Languages: Audio: English, Thai, French, Spanish, Portuguese Subtitles: English, Thai, French, Spanish, Portuguese.Special Features: GREAT! This DVD features the first episode of The Looney Tunes Show, "Best Friends" as well as 3 theatrical CGI Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote shorts, "Coyote Falls", "Fur A Flying", and "Rabid Rider" as well as a Tweety and Sylvester CGI theatrical short, "I Tawt I Taw A Puddy Tat". These were released in theaters and on home video with various animated Warner Bros releases. But if you didn't see those movies, these are new to you.Trailers: No front loaded trailers and only 2 in the special features. Scooby Vs KISS and the upcoming Batman Unlimited 2: Monsters Mayhem.Buy/Don't Buy: Yes. Buy. This is a really fun movie. With Looney Tunes characters in parts big and small. This is probably the last time we will see these versions of these characters. Hopefully Warners will get around to releasing season 2 of The Looney Tunes show. (Also season 3 of Duck Dodgers and seasons 2-5 of The Tweety and Sylvester Mysteries.)