Bully for Bugs (1953)

. . . he'll ask for a cup of milk, and Bugs Bunny applies this Principle of Animal Psychology to the medium-horn bull upon which he's declared war in Warner Bros.' animated short, BULLY FOR BUGS. As most Americans learned in High School Civics Class, you cannot fight a war without someone having a gun. Bugs decides to bless his bovine foe with this conflict's lone firearm. Of course, if you give a bull a gun, he'll ask for bullets. Since Animal Psychology suggests that if one tiny bullet is good, two bigger bullets are better, this incautious bull quickly ingests an entire box of exploding elephant ammo to "feed" his security crutch, which is now an inseparable part of himself. As at least 72,306 sets of U.S. parents have learned in recent years, toddlers, kids, pets, and farm animals lacking expert tutoring in weaponry wind up stone-cold dead when paired with a loaded Death Projectile Spray Tube (that is, a gun). This is pretty much how the bull bullying Bugs finishes. Warner is showing us that guns are the domain of angry losers.

Bugs, arriving underground, discovers this isn't the destination he was looking for - the big Carrot Festival at "Coachella Valley." Instead, it's the inside of a bull ring. It's also where a gigantic, terrifying black bull is chasing a scared matador around the ring. Bugs figures he must have taken the wrong turn around Albuquerque. The big bully of a beast winds up belting Bugs out of the area across town. "Of course, you know this means war," the airborne Bugs informs us viewers.Moments later, another matador is ready to take on the huge bull. Of course, that matador is Bugs, who teaches the animal a few lessons, and gloats "What a nin-cow-poop!" His cockiness comes back to haunt him as the bull blasts him again. This "war" goes back and forth, back and forth, with many funny gags. Lots of laughs.

On his way to a carrot festival in Mexico, Bugs Bunny typically gets lost and ends up burrowing right into the middle of a sports arena just as a Matador is smashed out of the stadium by an angry bull. Annoyed at losing his way Bugs repeatedly tries to ask for directions and ends up get smashed out of the stadium himself.Of course you realize, this means war.What follows is a match of wits in which Bugs is always the winner. He's got a zillion times as much cunning and clever as any rival and before long the poor bull is in no condition to ever fight again. Don't mess with the Bunny.

I love this cartoon. The sight gags are hilarious. Michael Maltese might not have had too much to do with this cartoon, but when Bugs talks, it's impossible not to laugh. His rather one-sided conversation with the bullfighter in the weird clothes always makes me anticipate that moment when the bull appears from behind. Bugs, for the first time, forgets the left turn at Albuquerque. I heard somewhere that on a certain channel the final, beautiful running-gag was deleted. This is simply unacceptable. I, fortunately, have never suffered censorship in a cartoon, and no-one should see this cartoon if not in its entirety. The climax is what makes this classic. Who could forget the bull's facial expression as his situation worsens as every part of Bugs's plan flawlessly unfolds? Bugs is on the losing side for a while, but when he gathers himself up again, he is absolutely side-splittingly funny as he calmly gets his own back by wearing the bull down to ground beef. It's great that it's on about two or three videos plus DVD; it truly deserves the wide release. I'm giving it one high recommendation.