Eric Stevenson
This was the first feature length "Looney Tunes" movie made. The fourth one was actually titled "Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie", but this is still technically the original. It features various Looney Tunes cartoons which were done in the other movies. I generally don't watch documentaries, but I'll make an exception for this, because it focused on narrative in the Looney Tunes series. Unlike the other films, this one was done with live-action bits between the cartoons. Judging from the title, it's mostly about Bugs Bunny, but does talk about the franchise in general and features about 23 minutes of new material.The best part might have been hearing how Mel Blanc had to spit out carrots after every take. It is false that he was allergic to them. He just hated them! There's no cartoons after 1949, presumably because that's the year Leon Schlesinger died. Apart from Mel Blanc, he worked on more Looney Tunes cartoons than anyone else in history, even more than Chuck Jones or Friz Freleng. He was the producer and not the director, which is probably why he's not remembered as much. ****
hotcrossplums
This historical look back on Bugs Bunny and the early Warners animators is a mix between an interesting look back and a mind-numbingly bore. After a rough start, the documentary (with very old school cartoons mixed in) becomes really interesting as it contrasts the work of animation in the 1930s and "today" (the 1970s, when this was made). There is plenty of historic footage and old pictures. I think I might have been more fascinated if I were a hard-core Looney Tunes fan. Some of the cartoons mixed in were kinda...boring. All in all, it is very worth-while as a historic look back at the Warners Brothers cartoons and the journey that cartooning has taken between then and now.
KDWms
I'm surprised to read so few comments about Bugs Bunny, Superstar. So I'll chime in. Besides, it'll give me som'in' positive to say. They're all here - not just Bugs. This nine-cartoon compilation also features Elmer Fudd, Tweety, Silvester, Henry-the-Chicken-Hawk, Foghorn Leghorn, Porky, Daffy. It's kind of a "Best of." I thought that it was very, very good. There is some narration by Orson Welles and the difficult-to-pull-off segue from cartoon to cartoon is filled by interesting home-movie-type, black-and-white glimpses of how it was where the comics were created - the people behind the characters - the artists, the musicians, the voice (singular - Mel Blanc). But imagine this: I didn't hear the word "computer" during the entire film! This is one of the few videos that I would actually buy - I could watch it over and over. Must be the kid in me. Speaking of kids, I'll bet there's generations of 'em, the majority of whom have seen Bugs, Elmer, Porky, Daffy, Tweety, Sylvester. But I'll also bet that the majority of CURRENT cartoons are NOT known from generation to generation. Might that be a testament to how deservingly enduring these Looney Toons are?
gridoon
This compilation features priceless archival footage from the WB animation artists' working and living conditions, and nine entertaining, timeless cartoon shorts. Although it eventually wears you out a little (I think those cartoons look better if taken in smaller doses), it is a much better choice for family viewing than many, many other films that claim to serve the same purpose. Long live Bugs! (***)