Director Tex Avery times the comedy in A Wild Hare with the precision of a finely tuned clock. It’s one of the reasons why, eighty-five years later, this Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon is still so wonderful.
Not only is A Wild Hare brimming with perfectly crafted cartoon comedy, but it’s also considered to be the first official appearance of Bugs Bunny, even though iterations of the character had appeared in earlier cartoons. The short was released on July 27, 1940, a date that’s celebrated as Bugs Bunny’s birthday.
Robert Givens model sheet for “A Wild Hare” (1940)
A Wild Hare opens with Elmer (voiced by Arthur Q. Bryan), in what would become his trademark move and catchphrase: tiptoeing through the woods with his shotgun and breaking the fourth wall to turn to the audience and whisper: “Shhh. Be vewy, vewy quiet. I’m hunting wabbits.”
He comes across a “wabbit hole,” and leaves a carrot just outside of it. This is followed by beautiful animation of Bugs’ hand emerging from the hole to inspect the carrot delicately, pulling it back into the hole, and then continuing to slowly dance his fingers outside of the hole, as Elmer points his gun at the hole. Bugs yanks it inside in a tug-of-war that ends with Elmer’s gun tied in a knot.
A comic book adaptation of “A Wild Hare” appeared in the first issue of Dell Comics’ Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies comics in January 1941.
Bugs (voiced, of course, by the legendary Mel Blanc) knocks on Elmer’s head…, chomps on his carrot, and cooly asks, “What’s Up Doc?” to Elmer. It was the first time the character would deliver this now iconic line. Avery is credited with coming up with “What’s Up Doc?,” noting that it was a common phrase in his home state of Texas.
What follows is Bugs tormenting Elmer as the hunter attempts to catch him. This includes Elmer setting his “wabbit twap,” which consists of a light-up, blinking sign pointing to the carrot inside. Bugs pulls a switcheroo, and Elmer finds a skunk.
Bugs eventually decides to give Elmer a good shot at him under a tree, though strategically moving away from some possible, more accurately targeted, bird poop from above. This is followed by a hysterically overacted death scene from Bugs (“Everything’s gettin’ dark!”). Thinking he’s a murderer, Elmer goes into hysterics, after which Bugs “comes back to life,” kicks Elmer, and ballet dances off behind a tree.
A frustrated Elmer, going somewhat crazy, wanders off into the woods yelling, “Wabbits! Wabbits!”
Bugs then declares, “Ya know? I think the poor guy’s screwy!” and then, playing his carrot like a fife, marches off toward his rabbit hole as the short concludes.
Avery’s brilliant comedic skills, seen throughout his career, are on full display here, particularly his ability to build a joke to its crescendo, as in this exchange between Bugs and Elmer:
Elmer says, “Pardon me, but you know you look just like a wabbit,” to which Bugs responds, “Eh, c’mere.” Elmer moves closer and Bugs says, “Listen, Doc. Now, don’t spread this around…but…uh…confidentially…,” Bugs then shouts in Elmer’s ear, “I AM A WABBIT!”
From Elmer’s innocent asides to the camera to Bugs’ more knowingly breaking that fourth wall, A Wild Hare is also filled with incredible character animation from such talents as Virgil Ross, Charles McKimson, and Robert McKimson, among others.
And all of these laughs are set against lovely, autumnal backgrounds by John Didrik Johnson.
A Wild Hare and Bugs Bunny are both celebrating 85 years this summer. The short stands as a shining example of one of animation’s brightest stars during his early days in an enduring Warner Bros. cartoon comedy classic.
Happy Birthday, Bugs!
Michael Lyons is a freelance writer, specializing in film, television, and pop culture. He is the author of the book, Drawn to Greatness: Disney’s Animation Renaissance, which chronicles the amazing growth at the Disney animation studio in the 1990s. In addition to Animation Scoop and Cartoon Research, he has contributed to Remind Magazine, Cinefantastique, Animation World Network and Disney Magazine. He also writes a blog, Screen Saver: A Retro Review of TV Shows and Movies of Yesteryear and his interviews with a number of animation legends have been featured in several volumes of the books, Walt’s People. You can visit Michael’s web site Words From Lyons at: 
It’s always fascinating to note the evolution of the classic cartoon characters, as in most cases each one developed over time. It’s a long bunny hop from “Porky’s Here Hunt” to “A Wild Hare” and yet the rabbit in this cartoon bears a resemblance to the rabbit character that had appeared in various earlier entries until he reached this more or less “definitive” version. This cartoon not only sets the template for what was to follow, but it also encapsulates everything that audiences grew to love about the character of Bugs Bunny–his nonchalance in the face of supposed death, his ability to turn the tables on an adversary, and his iconic catchphrase. Thus, it serves both as an important milestone and also as a representative sample. “A Wild Hare” is a great answer to the question “What is a Bugs Bunny cartoon like?” (Provided anybody would ever need to ask!)
Also worth noting is Elmer’s recitation of the names of popular movie actresses of the day. Each of those names has endured the test of time and remain recognizable (less so today, I realize)–whether or not one is familiar with any of their actual films. The gag would not work half as well if any of those names had instantly faded into total obscurity. My favorite is when Elmer says “Owivia de Haviwand”! It’s a funny gag with its own level of sophistication–especially for those of us in the know about the classic films. And it proves once again that these cartoons were not necessarily aimed at children.
Originally Elmer’s second guess was “Cawole Wombard?” By the time “A Wild Hare” was reissued as a Blue Ribbon (with a concomitant change of title to “The Wild Hare”), Carole Lombard had been killed in a plane crash, and so her name was replaced with that of Barbara Stanwyck, which does not showcase Elmer’s speech impediment nearly as well. I think it would have been funnier if he had guessed “Myrna Woy?” or “Wowetta Young?”
I believe this cartoon was nominated for an Academy Award.
From the 1989 book “Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies,” page 105:
You’re absowutewy wight.
The last scene where Bugs utters the line; “I think the poor guy’s screwy”, was animated by Rod Scribner, in my opinion the best Warner Bros. animator.
“A Wild Hare” is a landmark in animation, and I share your admiration for the comic genius of Tex Avery and the talents of the artists in his unit. I have only one quibble with the above post. Perhaps the contributions of Mel Blanc to the Warner Bros. cartoons, and to animation history in general, have been so widely acknowledged that we may take them for granted. But I find it odd that an article about the seminal Bugs Bunny cartoon does not mention his name even in passing.
As you said, we have taken the genius of Mel Blanc for granted, and I am definitely guilty of that here. My apologies for not mentioning him in the article. I will look to get that rectified. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.
It’s been noted that Avery would rewatch his landmark cartoon years later and wonder what all the fuss was about. It would be interesting to see how Bugs would have evolved under Avery had he not upped it to MGM.
Forget Porky’s Hare Hunt, Prest-o Change-o and Hare-um Scare-um, this is the TRUE origin of Bugs Bunny as far as I’m concerned.
It’s a solid cartoon, not only for establishing Bugs but for further developing Elmer. That said, the follow-up Bugs cartoons from Avery, Tortoise Beats Hare and The Heckling Hare, are even better.
… And “Elmer’s Candid Camera.”
I regard those four cartoons as “proto-Bugs Bunny” cartoons. I agree… the debut of the definitive version of Bugs Bunny is “A Wild Hare.”
You have a good point. That was Proto Bugs but, IMO, that was just a rough sketch like an artist has to make crude drawings before the finished product. 1940 is when he became, for the most part, Bugs Bunny.
The rabbit of Elmer’s Candid Camera isn’t any further off of “definitive” Bugs than the rabbit in Elmer’s Pet Rabbit, and that is branded as a Bugs Bunny cartoon in the titles. They even have the same “wrong” voice.
My favorite moment is when dead Bugs, tongue lolling out, feet elevated in comic rigor mortis, revives. One eye opens and slowly his ghastly expression becomes a huge, saucy smile. You knew it was coming, but it’s done so well.