Ali Baba Bunny

Ali Baba Bunny
Directed byChuck Jones
Story byMichael Maltese
Produced byEdward Selzer
StarringMel Blanc
Edited byTreg Brown
Music byCarl Stalling
Milt Franklyn
Animation byRichard Thompson
Ken Harris
Abe Levitow
Ben Washam
Harry Love
Layouts byMaurice Noble
Backgrounds byPhilip DeGuard
Color processTechnicolor
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
The Vitaphone Corporation
Release date
  • February 9, 1957 (1957-02-09)
Running time
6:55
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Ali Baba Bunny is a 1957 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies parody animated short directed by Chuck Jones.[1] The short was released on February 9, 1957, and stars Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck.[2]

Bugs and Daffy are heading towards Pismo Beach, California, but somehow arrive instead to the Arabian Desert. They discover a cave with hidden treasure, but they have to outwit its guard. Bugs poses as a jinn to do so. Later, Daffy discovers an actual jinn in an oil lamp. After insulting the jinn, Daffy shrinks to miniature size.

The film is named after the folk tale Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, and parodies some of its themes. The plot is primarily driven by Daffy's greed.

Plot

In the Arabian Desert, a dimwitted guard named Hassan guards a cave where a rich Sultan stores his treasure. Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck accidentally stumble upon the cave, thinking they have arrived at Pismo Beach, California. Daffy, enamored by the riches and determined to keep it all for himself, forces Bugs back into the burrow. When Hassan finally remembers the command to open the cave, chaos ensues.

Mistaking Hassan for a porter, Daffy is attacked and seeks Bugs' help. Bugs, in turn, outwits Hassan by posing as a jinn. As Daffy steals a gem, Bugs tricks Hassan with an Indian rope trick, seemingly trapping him in the clouds. Daffy, however, discovers an oil lamp with a real jinn, whom he inadvertently angers by rudely forcing him back into the lamp. Bugs escapes as the jinn unleashes dire consequences on Daffy for his actions.

Bugs reaches Pismo Beach and finds a pearl in a clam. A miniature Daffy, shrunk by the jinn, arrives and claims the pearl. The cartoon concludes with Bugs making the clam close on Daffy.

Voice cast

Reception

Linda Simensky writes, "Ali Baba Bunny was produced in an era where Bugs and Daffy were often paired up, and while that didn't always work, in this cartoon they seem to be formidable opponents. In the early 1950s, Daffy Duck was no longer just daffy. He had progressed to being greedy, cheap, and without a trace of empathy. When put in the right circumstances, this worked. Bugs, as paired up with Daffy, lost a little of his ability to incite conflict, being given the job of mostly reacting and politely suffering Daffy's outbursts. But in this cartoon, Bugs has his classic moments too."[3]

Legacy

Ali Baba Bunny was voted No. 35 of the 50 Greatest Cartoons of all time by members of the animation field.[4] The film was edited into the Looney Tunes greatest hits features The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie (1979) and Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales (1982).[1]

During his SportsCenter tenure, Rich Eisen would occasionally use Hassan's catchphrase, "Hassan chop!", when a highlight showed a baseball player tossing his bat in disgust.[5]

The Offspring's 2021 album Let the Bad Times Roll features a song titled "Hassan Chop", which uses audio from the episode.

See also

  • List of American films of 1957

References

  1. ^ a b Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. pp. 295, 372–373. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
  2. ^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 60–62. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  3. ^ Beck, Jerry, ed. (2020). The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons. Insight Editions. pp. 6–7. ISBN 978-1-64722-137-9.
  4. ^ Beck, Jerry (1994). The 50 Greatest Cartoons: As Selected by 1,000 Animation Professionals. Turner Publishing. ISBN 187868549X.
  5. ^ "The SportsCenter Altar / Phrase Listing". SportsCenter. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
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