French Rarebit (1951)
While visiting Paris, Bugs Bunny wanders past the restaurants of Louis and François, rival chefs who fight to cook him, until he promises to teach them the recipe for "Louisiana Back-bay Bayou Bunny Bordelaise à la Antoine."
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For whatever reason, (probably that I saw this cartoon 6 billion times on TV when I was a kid) this one has always stuck with me. The music stand out for me too.When Bugs is 'kneading" the two Chefsthat "urmf! oof! arf!" sound Bugs makes has cracked me up for almost fifty years!I also love the characterizations of the two chefs: their outrageous, over-the-top accents of the Chefs and just their whole lookparticularly with rabbit teeth.I admit, there's not much to the script. Perhaps it stands out for the never-before-seen characters...
Bugs, hiding inside a crate of carrots, winds up on the streets of Paris when the crate falls off the truck. He then meanders down the street and is spotted by competing chefs. They both think the rabbit is what they need to complete their menus. The colors in here are magnificent as they make Paris look really colorful.Our bunny hero, as he usually does, makes fools of his opponents in a variety of ways that makes them look really stupid. In this case, one of the chefs is a little too stupid for humor. Although there were a handful of funny lines at the expense of the French stereotypes at the time, this really wasn't one of the better Bugs Bunny efforts.
Mention the name Robert McKimson to any TRUE Looney Tunes fan and you're likely to get a sad sigh in return. The man just did not know how to make good Bugs Bunny cartoons. This one about Bugs in France mixing it up with two rival chefs who each want the rabbit for their own respective cuisines, is not an exception to the rule. On the contrary, it proves the rule by being yet another lackluster effort by McKimson indeed. I mean any bugs is good bugs, but his shorts are pretty mundane and I find myself saddened when I have to sit through one. This animated short can be seen on Disc 1 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 2.My Grade: C
This is the epitome of great comic satire. No one is safe when they try to conquer Bugs, not even the French. Ever the victim of species-ism, Bugs is caught between two rival French chefs. But the tables are turned in the end when Bugs turns them both into rabbits and serves up a tasty dish of revenge.