Rabbit Punch (1948)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

best movie i've ever seen.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Chuck Jones's 'Rabbit Punch' is a great cartoon in which Bugs is drawn into a boxing match with The Champ (later redubbed The Crusher in the far inferior wrestling-based sequel 'Bunny Hugged') and ends up going 110 rounds with him, each round escalating in its levels of violence until finally Bugs finds himself tied to a train track! A fast paced, beautifully orchestrated cartoon which eventually turns into a series of unusual spot-gags, 'Rabbit Punch' is full of great sequences, the best being Bugs's grease-assisted ice skating routine which is abruptly ended by a glove to the head. There's also a famous ending in which Bugs admits psychical defeat by resorting to tampering with the very cartoon itself. Unlike the lifeless follow-up 'Bunny Hugged', 'Rabbit Punch' is filled with invention and moves along at a fast lick, making it an enormously enjoyable short.

Written by Tedd Pierce & Michael Maltese, and directed by Chuck Jones, "Rabbit Punch" is a fine Bugs Bunny cartoon that teams him up with a familiar burly, mean-looking prizefighter who I believe was later known as the Crusher. This film certainly has the look and the boisterous atmosphere of an outdoor nocturnal prizefight, where plenty of funny gags abound as Bugs and his gargantuan opponent are not above a fair amount of subterfuge in order to win the match.There are a couple of scenes in "Rabbit Punch" that I think especially stand out. After Bugs dares to boo the multi-muscular palooka, Bugs makes a couple of hilarious facial expressions as he gets hoisted out of his hole, literally thrown into a dressing room and flying out wearing a pair of pink boxing trunks. While Bugs has a struggle with one of his challenger's legs, the big galoot peacefully lies onto the canvas playing solitaire, to the familiar accompaniment of Mendelssohn's Spring Song.As with all of Bugs' larger-than-life nemeses, in "Rabbit Punch" he takes care of his opponent not with his brawn, but with his brain. Problem is, after 110 rounds, I'm still unsure as to who the winner is.

Avid fans may note the resemblance of this toon's plot to Freleng's Baseball Bunny (1946); i.e. Bugs berates big, hulking athlete(s) for playing dirty and boasts that he can defeat said athlete(s) and athlete(s) takes him up on it (actually, lots of toons borrowed plots and themes from other toons, but whatever). Chuck Jones was a big fan of Friz Freleng and didn't think he was in the same league (though I myself would beg to differ). I see this cartoon as either an attempt to place himself in that league or a tribute to recognize Freleng's ability. Whatever it is, it's a great cartoon. Those toons where Bugs defeats his adversary but not without taking a few lumps himself tend to be the best Bugs cartoons. This one's one of my favorites.

TIDBIT - Rabbits never fight fair.And nowhere is that more evident than in this classic "Rabbit Punch" where boxing fan Bugs jeers and heckles a boxing champion until he finds himself in the ring with the aforementioned champ to duke it out.And anyone who knows what Bugs Bunny is capable of pretty much expects the champ to get the worst of the deal.Director Chuck Jones makes a veritable ballet out of the antics in the ring and manages to make Bugs (naturally voiced by Blanc) and the champ (Bletcher) graceful, clumsy, victorious and beaten up badly in equal turns.And granted, this is the only boxing match you'll ever see axle grease, bricks, cannons and trains used in.Ten stars and a golden glove for "Rabbit Punch" and for our champ Bugs.