Rabbit Fire (1951) User Reviews

GREATNESS!!

[movieman_kev · 9/10 · 23 November 2004]

This is the first short in the "Hunting Trilogy", that included this, 'Rabbit Seasoning' and 'Duck, Rabbit, Duck!'. All of the three are classics. This short has so many classic sequences and holds so many laughs, thats it's a wonder that it could be crammed into a seven minute cartoon. This definitely ranks as one of the best Looney Tunes shorts ever. And with the other two aforementioned cartoons constitutes quite possibly THE best cartoon trilogy ever. Not just Looney Tunes, but the best of ANY cartoon trilogy!! This superbly great cartoon is on Disk 2 of the "Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 1"

My Grade: A+

Nothing in Life is more fun than guns . . .

[cricket30 · 8/10 · 21 August 2021]

. . . and RABBIT FIRE conveys this message with aplomb. Elmer F. Appears here as an unabashed proponent of shooting sports, and he's not ashamed, apologetic or politically correct about his avocation in the least. (This is a good thing, because Mr. F. is not exactly a crack shot.) By the end of this brief cartoon, Bugs and Daffy are joining in on the fun, as the film makers overtly teach young viewers that it's never too early for the wee ones to start playing with fire arms. If a young tyke finds a shooting iron between the cushions of a sofa when Mom and Dad are out doing errands, they will be likely to enjoy frolicking with this grown-up toy if they've recently benefited from exposure to RABBIT FIRE.

Terrific

[rbverhoef · 8/10 · 6 May 2004]

This is a terrific cartoon with Elmer Fudd (voice of Arthur Q. Bryan) hunting for Bugs Bunny (voice of Mel Blanc). Daffy Duck (also voice of Mel Blanc) pretends to be a rabbit, leading Elmer to the rabbit hole of Bugs. When Elmer wants to shoot the rabbit Bugs tells him that it is not rabbit season but duck season. Bugs and Daffy are arguing back and forth and every time it is Daffy who is shot by Elmer.

This is a hilarious cartoon with great moments from start to finish. A sequence with an elephant made me laugh very hard, and one where Daffy and Bugs dress up as each other is pretty good as well. One of the better cartoons I have seen.

The beginning to the greatest trilogy ever made

[Betelgeuse-19 · 10/10 · 22 May 2002]

10/10 It is hard to say what is the best trilogy ever made. Some would say Star Wars, others The Godfather, some Die Hard, and a few would say Evil Dead. Oh, and the Tim Burton Batman trilogy. You know what? None of them reach the height of the shorts Rabbit Fire, Rabbit Seasoning, and Duck! Rabbit! Duck!; aka The Hunting Trilogy. If more people watched these shorts, they would agree, but so far, I'm lonely in this compartment. If you liked this one, Rabbit Seasoning and Duck! Rabbit! Duck! are even better. Watch, and enjoy.

"Duck season!" "Rabbit season!"

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 7 February 2010]

As much as I LOVED Rabbit Seasoning, Rabbit Fire was every bit as good. A truly brilliant cartoon from the wonderful Hunting Trilogy. Here Daffy is quite a jerk again, and he gets the worst of the butt of the jokes, and Bugs is his rascally self. The writing is outstanding here, the witty interplay between Bugs and Daffy was close to hysterical at times. Also the animation is consistently excellent, same with the music. The sight gags are really inspired, and right at this moment I am trying to count how many times I laughed during this, the bit with the elephant is priceless. The answer is a lot, I can't keep count. It really makes the most out of a story that has been done a lot in other Looney Tunes shorts. Mel Blanc and Arthur Q. Bryan flawlessly provide the voices. Overall, I highly recommend Rabbit Fire. 10/10 Bethany Cox

The Hunting Trilogy

[Groucho734 · 10/10 · 21 August 2000]

The "Hunting Trilogy" of Rabbit Fire (1951), Rabbit Seasoning (1952), and Duck! Rabbit! Duck! (1953) should be considered the comedic high water mark of the Chuck Jones-Michael Maltese collaboration. While they are seldom mentioned in lists of the "greatest" or "most important" cartoons in the history of animation, they are certainly THE FUNNIEST cartoons I've ever seen. Michael Maltese never got the credit that directors like Jones, Freleng or Avery got, but it's his dialogue and situations that make Warner Bros. cartoons, and these three in particular, some of the FUNNIEST ever made.

I'll Give You Such a Pinch!

[Rikichi · 10/10 · 24 February 2004]

This is the first of Chuck Jones' famous "Hunting Trilogy". The premise of all three films (Rabbit Seasoning and Duck! Rabbit, Duck! being the other two) is that Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck try to persuade Elmer Fudd as to whether it's duck hunting season or rabbit hunting season. All three are classics, and all are very close to being a continuation of the previous one. Many stations wouldn't air these because of violence, and when Fox used to have a show called Merrie Melodies, they cut the scenes where Daffy Duck gets shot.

If I had to choose the best of the bunch, I pick this one because it has one of the funniest endings of any cartoon ever made.

DUCK SEASON! FIRE!

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 10/10 · 19 May 2004]

In the first of a series of three, Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny argue over which one of them should be hunted and shot by the ever-gullible Elmer Fudd. Bugs is too smart to be outwitted by the reactionary and hyperactive Daffy. He keeps it cool and collected as Daffy screams his head off never knowing what he really IS saying. He even grabs Elmer's shotgun and screams 'Duck season! Fire!', resulting in his bill being blown off. It's the biggest laugh in the cartoon. And it's a laugh so good Joe Dante re-used it in Looney Tunes: Back in Action. Though at the end of this one, Elmer Fudd gets what he deserves and Bugs and Daffy get a little payback.

Followed by Rabbit Seasoning and Duck, Rabbit, Duck.

Daffy Rules!

The funniest of a very good triptych of cartoons

[llltdesq · 10/10 · 30 September 2000]

Rabbit Fire has some of the absolutely funniest lines and sight gags that have ever been seen on film. It is one of three cartoons done as more or les a series and is, in my opinion, the best of them. From Elmer's opening line to the hilarious final line, this is an unalloyed delight. There's also a beautiful gag with an elephant. Much as I love Tex Avery, Chuck Jones's work here and elsewhere is the equal (and, sometimes, superior) to Avery's best. Very much recommended.

Ever so slightly better than "Rabbit Seasoning"

[chconnol · 14 November 2003]

If you ask Looney Tunes fans, I predict the vote would be even with regards to which is better: this or "Rabbit Seasoning". My vote goes to this one but "Rabbit Seasoning" is also excellent. They compliment each other very well. The verbal interplay is great, the elephant bit is inspired as well as unexpected and the ending is very clever.

Same Old Same Old

[Hitchcoc · 6/10 · 26 June 2019]

So many cartoons try to mix up the erstwhile hunter, Elmer, by trying to convince him he is stalking the wrong quarry. Anyway, here it is either Daffy or Bugs, duck season or rabbit season. Of course, all the gags are based on which it is. There is a little twist at the end, however.

The first and most gut-bustingly hilarious of the Hunting Trilogy

[phantom_tollbooth · 10/10 · 18 August 2008]

The first entry in Chuck Jones's celebrated hunting trilogy, 'Rabbit Fire' opens with the familiar declaration "Be vewy, vewy quiet, I'm hunting wabbits". So begins the famous battle between Bugs and Daffy over whether its Rabbit Season or Duck Season. While the following cartoon 'Rabbit Seasoning' boasts a better script on paper, 'Rabbit Fire' is probably more gut-bustingly hilarious. Jones's direction is typically impeccable, which proves most crucial in the early scenes in which Bugs tricks Daffy into admitting it's Duck Season by changing his argumentative "DUCK SEASON" TO "WABBIT SEASON", thereby coaxing Daffy into also changing and setting himself up for a beak-altering shooting. It's an old gag given new life by Jones's fast pacing and Mel Blanc's hysterical voice characterization ("DUCK SEASON, FIRE!!!"). Blanc excels himself here, especially in a jaw-dropping scene in which he voices Daffy attempting to imitate Bugs and vice versa. It's a flawless example of why Blanc is such an irreplacable actor

The ultimately anti-hunting subtext of the hunting trilogy is clear in Elmer's revelatory confession "I'm a vegetarian, I just hunt for the sport of it". It makes it all the more satisfying, then, when it is Elmer who gets a comeuppance at the climax rather than Daffy. 'Rabbit Fire' is a wonderful cartoon that proved so popular it spawned a classic trilogy.

How a person can get so... so despicable in one lifetime is beyond me.

[Pjtaylor-96-138044 · 7/10 · 20 July 2023]

'Rabbit Fire (1951)' is the first of a trilogy in which Daffy Duck aims to get Elmer Fudd to shoot Bugs Bunny instead of him. I've actually already seen the sequel to this, which has the unfortunate effect of making this seem somewhat repetitive. That's because the follow-up is pretty much the same as this one, with some gags even being repeated almost verbatim. For all intents and purposes, though, this is the more original of the two since it was actually released first. Having said that, I do feel as though it's slightly weaker than its sequel. It's still a fun, funny and iconic effort in its own right, though, with some all-timer gags that really showcase the at-this-point-nailed-down personalities of its stars. Bugs and Daffy are arguably the most iconic of all the Looney Tunes and their joint appearances are often the franchise's highlights. This particular short is a prime example of why that's the case. It also ends with a fantastic joke that I won't spoil here.

Too Much Of The Same Thing

[ccthemovieman-1 · 5/10 · 26 February 2007]

Elmer Fudd is out hunting again, searching for rabbits. Daffy Duck gets in the act but outsmarts himself for butting in, as Bugs and he get into a debate about what season it is: rabbit or duck season.

They use the same old joke about yelling rabbit-duck-rabbit-duck until it gets switched around and Daffy is yelling, "duck season: fire!" This gag is overdone, used three or four straight times until Daffy finally leaves.

The next scene is funny, though, as each guy imitates being the other guy (i.e. Daffy wearing big ears, Bugs with flipper for webbed feet). However, we get the same result, over and over.

Overall, too repetitious with the gags and not really fun.

even more classic than the Abbot & Costello "Who's on First" bit, works for all ages

[Quinoa1984 · 10/10 · 25 July 2005]

One of the creme de la creme of the Looney Tunes cartoons (almost overplayed when I was a kid, though never under-valued by me), Rabbit Fire is the cartoon that puts a different kind of edge on the cartoon form- it's funny, but almost in a satirical way. This is the kind of stuff that almost shouldn't be funny for kids, but more for adults; if not for the randomness of it all, the banter might go over their heads completely.

Although I always thought of this episode as one unto itself and not part of a "trilogy" as I have read, this is definitely the most popular of the three, as I remember practically every line by memory. Elmer is having his Jonesin' for 'Hunting Wabbits', and gets perpetually mixed up as Bugs and Daffy have a back and forth over 'Duck season...rabbit season'. There's one scene involving cross-character dressing that is the key gag in the short, and it always keeps me cracking up. The last moment, in a way, is kind of deep. Who knows what season it is for hunting anyone, anyway? It's a little classic in the world of hand-drawn insanity, and one of only several times Daffy Duck has worked perfectly in a three-piece grouping.

In the Looney Tune which inspired Gary Larson's "The Far Side" . . .

[oscaralbert · 8/10 · 7 January 2016]

. . . Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck wind up turning the tables on self-professed vegetarian Elmer "I only hunt for the sport of it" Fudd. After some early ambiguity over whether it's actually Duck Season or Rabbit Season, Bugs and Daffy discover that it's really "Elmer Season," and the pair are last seen blasting away at Mr. Fudd with hunting rifles. With RABBIT FIRE, Warner Bros. is drawing attention to the fact that an average of 718 hunters are gunned down in American forests each year (though less than 10% of these are field dressed). Since Elmer is a slob hunter, he shoots Daffy five times without inflicting a fatal wound. (When he runs out of ammo, he overlooks the one in the chamber; but since Daffy is holding Elmer's piece when blasted by THAT round, Daffy's sixth wounding here is technically self-inflicted.) In RABBIT FIRE, Warner's seems to be saying that only a slob hunter needs an extended magazine, whether he's hunting rabbits or first graders. At one point Daffy illustrates this concept by implying that if you cannot bring down your prey with a single shot, you ought to be playing tennis, a pastime in which extended volleys are NOT considered shameful.

Hilarious!

[slymusic · 28 July 2005]

"Rabbit Fire" is a Warner Bros. cartoon classic, containing the most memorable Duck Season/Wabbit Season debate between Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. As he does in several other cartoons such as "Haredevil Hare" (1948) and "Baseball Bugs" (1946), Bugs pulls a clever word switch in getting Daffy to insist that it is Duck Season instead of Wabbit Season. Of course, Daffy always loses in his confrontations with Bugs and repeatedly gets his bill knocked off by Elmer Fudd's shotgun. I suppose it is pleasing, however, to see Daffy finally get revenge on Elmer by biting his leg.

Here are some other highlights from "Rabbit Fire" (but watch the cartoon first before you read on). At the closing of this short, Bugs and Daffy discover that it's actually Elmer Season, so they don hunting outfits and adopt Elmer's accent & laugh as they explain to the audience that they are on the lookout for him. When Daffy disguises as Bugs and vice versa, it becomes very clear why Mel Blanc is known as the "Man of a Thousand Voices"; it actually sounds like Daffy doing Bugs' voice and Bugs doing Daffy's voice! And there are some great musical references in this cartoon as well. When Bugs disguises himself as a female hunter, "Oh! You Beautiful Doll" can be heard, and it was also used in another Warner Bros. cartoon called "Feed the Kitty" (1952). As Bugs and Daffy walk away from Elmer and remove their respective duck and rabbit disguises, we hear the song "You're Just an Angel in Disguise," also heard in the Porky Pig cartoon "Kitty Kornered" (1946). And finally, as Bugs and Daffy are reading their respective duck and rabbit recipes, "Mommy's Little Baby Loves Shortening Bread" can be heard, and this catchy little tune can also be heard in the Porky Pig cartoon "Swooner Crooner" (1944).

Overall, "Rabbit Fire" is a wonderful cartoon, and it pleases me to know that it has been released on DVD (Disc 2 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 1). Watch it for yourself and enjoy!

The first of the "Hunting Trilogy".

[Mightyzebra · 8/10 · 12 June 2008]

Looney Tunes made three episodes where Daffy tries to make Elmer shoot Bugs Bunny, so he cannot be shot himself (in each episode it is REALLY Duck season). This is the first of the three, the ones to follow are "Rabbit Seasoning" and "Duck Rabbit Duck!" This is my personal favourite of the hunting trilogy, because I prefer the animation and the jokes to the other two. Elmer is a strangely likable character whom many viewers of this cartoon will love and Daffy, despite being cruel, does not behave as cruelly as he does in the rest of the trilogy, or in some of his later episodes.

If you are familiar with Elmer Fudd, you will probably know that in this episode he is hunting rabbits. Daffy leads him (in an intelligent way) to Bugs' burrow and tries to make Elmer shoot Bugs, but ends up shooting Daffy instead. The jokes are very clever and if this is your first episode with Daffy, Elmer and Bugs, you will, very likely, find this incredibly amusing.

I recommend this to people who like episodes where Daffy is more crafty than crazy and if you like slapstick in Looney Tunes at least a little bit. Enjoy "Rabbit Fire"! :-)

A great start!

[TheMan3051 · 8/10 · 4 August 2002]

This is the first short in the Hunting Trilogy and it's a great start. It has some good dialogue and gimmicks! It's a nice short and a lot of Looney Tunes fans will like it!

Rabbit Season!! Duck Season!! Fire!! Boom!!

[dolite91 · 10/10 · 15 July 2007]

Daffy Duck: Rabbit Season!

Bugs Bunny: Duck Season.

Daffy Duck: RABBIT season!!!

Bugs Bunny: (reversing the flow) Rabbit Season.

Daffy Duck: DUCK SEASON!! FIRE!!

Elmer Fudd: (opened fire) Boom!!!

The quotes above were from the classical shorts 'Rabbit Fire'(1951), which was directed by Chuck Jones (1912-2002).

This short was the first installment for the ''Hunter Trilogy''. The other two being 'Rabbit Seasoning' and 'Duck! Rabbit! Duck!'.

To me, this short was the best out of the two sequels of the ''Hunter Trilogy''. It was a funny short. Other than that, it pitted Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny against Elmer Fudd (most of the time, it pitted Daffy Duck against Bugs Bunny). An elephant even made a cameo in the short pushing Elmer under the ground.

At the end of the short, the sign on the tree showed 'Elmer Season', which made Bugs and Daffy to hunt for Elmer.

This short could be considered as one of the best cartoon short directed by Chuck Jones.

What a great classics!!!

Rabbit Fire is one of my favorites from the "Hunting Trilogy" series

[tavm · 10/10 · 7 January 2008]

Of the three shorts directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese that starred Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Elmer Fudd in the "Hunting Trilogy" series, this, Rabbit Fire was the first. When I originally saw this as a nearly 10-year-old kid in the late '70s, I laughed out loud at the way Bugs kept tricking Daffy into saying, "Duck season, fire!" with the result of Elmer shooting the duck's face and Daffy's beak either falling off, or spinning, or his head hanging upside down. Other funny stuff involves the wabbit and duck impersonating each other in costume, their reading recipes of what each other would taste like followed by "mmmm-mmm" sounds, Bugs fooling Elmer with his female disguise (again!), an "elephant gun" gag, and the final twist that I won't reveal here. After all these years, this is one of my favorites among many classic Warner Bros. cartoons.

A tag team effort against Elmer Fudd during hunting season!

[blanbrn · 7/10 · 22 June 2021]

This 1951 "Looney Tunes" short called "Rabbit Fire" is one fun and clever wit like and smart one as it involves teamwork and a tag team effort from both Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny as it's hunting season and one Elmer Fudd is on the prowl. However Bugs and Duffy play a clever game and argue as to what season it is should Elmer be hunting duck or rabbit? The laughs and gunfire is a plenty however this clever back and fourth game confuses Fudd and puts him at a disadvantage it's like the hunted prey obtains the upper hand! Overall a good well done memorable cartoon classic!

never try to undermine someone's integrity

[lee_eisenberg · 10/10 · 4 January 2007]

In the first of three Bugs Bunny/Daffy Duck/Elmer Fudd combinations, Bugs and Daffy perpetually try to get Elmer to shoot the other. Sure enough, through various tricks, Bugs gets Elmer to shoot Daffy (well, his bill at least). And this one had a most unusual ending.

What was always great about these combinations was the idea that they portrayed: the loud, mindless Daffy always tries to undermine the integrity of the calm, perceptive Bugs, but always gets his just desserts. It's sort of like how Wile E. Coyote always tries to harm Road Runner, but always gets harmed himself.

Anyway, "Rabbit Fire" is a real classic.

It's that time of the year again

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 8 July 2015]

Season time! But what season is it actually? Rabbit season or duck season? This is the first of a trilogy of cartoons that is considered to be among the finest (and certainly most famous) of Warner Bros's cartoon work in the 1950s. These 7 minutes were made almost 65 years ago by the usual trio of Chuck Jones, Michael Maltese and Mel Blanc, who voices the two protagonists and the elephant. Only Elmer was done by somebody else. Of course, as always, Bugs is way too smart to be caught and Daffy gets his fair share too, but the ending this time shows us Elmer as the loser. Not too often the case in short films where Bugs and Duffy appear. He is usually more of an observant despite being the hunter of course. I think this is a solid little short film. It has its moments, such as the aforementioned elephant, Bug in drag, Bugs posing as Daffy and Daffy posing as Elmer and a funny little discussion contest by our two heroes which season it currently is. Good stuff. Recommended.

fantastic!

[planktonrules · 10/10 · 14 June 2006]

I loved all the movies that paired Bugs Bunny with Daffy Duck. In each, Daffy was a selfish jerk who again and again got the worst of it. However, of all these pairings, I think this classic is the best. Yes, as usual the animation and writing are great,...but more importantly it's gosh darn funny! Elmer Fudd is hunting and Daffy and Bugs are doing their best to get the other one shot. Daffy begins by putting up signs saying it's rabbit season and Bugs responds in kind. Then, when Elmer catches up to them, they debate back and forth about whether it's rabbit season or duck season. Elmer is confused, but in the end, ends up shooting Daffy after each little debate--with comical results.

I think that apart from the wonderful interactions between these characters, the other reason this is such a great cartoon is the ending--which I will not divulge, lest it spoil your viewing.

Finally, if you enjoyed this short, I also recommend you see RABBIT SEASONING--a slight reworking of this plot. Both are Bugs and Daffy at their very best.