It is very rare to have something that was created eighty years ago continue to hold a place in the hearts and minds of countless individuals. Films such as The Grapes of Wrath and His Girl Friday are still held in high esteem by classic film fans, but it is very unlikely that you are going to find a child with a Henry Fonda lunchbox. Yet, in the same year as those films were released audiences witnessed the debut of a star; Bugs Bunny is largely credited as appearing in the form that we know and love in Tex Avery’s Oscar-nominated short A Wild Hare. The character was an instant hit with audiences, but few would have guessed exactly how popular he would remain all these years later. There is something about his unconcerned attitude and sly wit that makes audiences demand more of the character. In his golden age between 1940 and 1964, Bugs appeared in over 160 cartoon shorts that continue to be cherished by animation fans to this very day. In honor of the 80th anniversary of the character, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has gathered 60 of his most beloved shorts in one stacked packaged filled with some wonderful special features.
According to animation historians, it is difficult to credit the creation of Bugs with any singular person. Yet, there is certainly someone who we can point to as the primary reason the world fell in love with Bugs Bunny. For nearly fifty years, the great Mel Blanc imbued Bug with his trademark blended exaggerated New York accent and trickster attitude. There have been several talented voice actors who have tried to put their own spin on Bugs since Blanc’s passing, but nothing will ever compare to the original voice.
Not only was Bugs a fan favorite, but he was a character that was loved by animators for his immense versatility. Whether he is in a gangster’s lair or in classic fairytale or even in space, Bugs feels completely at home in whatever environment into which he is introduced. A personal favorite on the first disc is Baseball Bugs in which Bugs single-handedly defeats a bunch of bullies at baseball. And I mean single-handidly; the way in which Bugs perfectly acts a both cheerleader and team MVP is comedy gold. This is the same rabbit who started out in the forest owning a bumbling hunter.
There are some big artistic swings in Bugs Bunny cartoons that you just know shaped the animation we have today. Without Bugs Bunny, there would be no Rick and Morty, Adventure Time, Steven Universe… the list goes on. One of the most fun examples of this are the bookends for the second disc: Rabbit of Seville from 1950 and What’s Opera, Doc? from 1957. Both of these shorts delve into the operatic in differing ways; Seville derives a lot of fun from beautifully combining the slapstick in tandem with the score in a pretty straightforward manner. Rightfully considered a masterpiece in animation, What’s Opera, Doc? finds Chuck Jones leaning completely into parody by utlizing the music of Wagner. The sheer spectacle and attention to detail featured here is something truly amazing.
Bugs would be nowhere without some of his most notable adversaries, and this set does a great job of giving many of them a chance to shine. The infamous origin of the feud between Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck is hilariously depicted in Rabbit Fire (Rabbit Season! Duck Season!). Elmer Fudd is also well represented in the last several mentioned, as well as the short that started it all, A Wild Hare. Watch Yosemite Same get fired up in classics such as Wild and Woolly Hare or the medieval Knighty Knight Bugs. In Haredevil Hare we get the debut of Marvin the Martian with the added bonus of a seriously stressed-out Bugs not delighting in his space travel. It is less common to find Bugs anything but confident, so this is a nice change of pace.
This new 80th Anniversary set features 60 shorts from the man of the hour that should please both those new to collecting these shorts as well as previous owners of the DVD Golden Collections and Blu-Ray Platinum Collections. Of these 60 shorts, 47 of them are completely new to Blu-Ray, and 32 of those are new to disc of any format. Warner does a good job of providing shorts featuring notable adversaries, as well as classic standalone shorts that are fan favorites. If it has been a while since you have watched any Looney Tunes shorts, it should be noted that they suffer in no way from the passage of time. These are some of the most entertaining stories that animation has to offer, and viewing them is like a lovely gift to yourself.
Video Quality
Bugs Bunny: 80th Anniversary Collection comes to Blu-Ray with a lovely and vibrant 1080p transfer. This is a three-disc set with 20 shorts and accompanying special features on each disc. The bit rates do not get as high as some of the Warner Archive animated output, but the results are largely positive when it comes to the video portion of the shorts. Out of the 60 shorts, the 32 that are brand-new restorations present as the strongest of the lot, while the 15 that previously appeared on exclusively DVD are the least impressive. All of these shorts look really good in HD, but some feature a small bit of noticeable damage. These Looney Tunes shorts have never looked better, and the quality of the majority of the content found here is visually stunning with vibrant colors and seldom a trace of damage to be found. There is a pleasing amount of natural film grain present with an impressive amount of detail and clarity to the picture. The black levels hold up really well with no extreme instances of black crush. Even when you do come across a short that has not been newly-restored, the results are still largely pleasing. It is always a treat to see classic animation get properly preserved in the best quality possible. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment done a very nice job with this release.
Audio Quality
The audio quality of the Blu-Ray discs is pretty great but not quite perfect with its Dolby Digital 2.0 mono track. While a DTS-HD 2.0 MA track would have been preferable, this track more than gets the job done. All manner of age-related wear and tear have been eradicated through the restoration process. These tracks offer a noticeable improvement in the clarity of the dialogue, sound effects and music throughout. With sound playing such an important part of these stories, you have to appreciate when each element is resolved with accuracy. This is especially apparent in the two operatic shorts mentioned in the main portion of the review. Everything on this disc is working together in perfect harmony to give you the best listening experience possible. While I could bemoan the lack of a lossless audio option, the difference in quality is probably slight enough that it should not be considered a dealbreaker. This disc also includes optional English (SDH), French, Portugese and Dutch subtitles available on these discs.
Special Features
This initial run of the Gift Set includes a Digital Copy of the 60 shorts, an introductory letter from animation historian Jerry Beck, and a full-size Bugs Bunny glitter Funko figure.
Disc One
- Commentaries: It would be quite the undertaking to break down the content of every commentary track on this set, but rest assured that Warner has provided some of the most knowledgable voices in animation to give fascinating background information on the shorts that should be like catnip to animation fans. These participants pack in a dense amount of information into the short amount of time we have with them, and I loved every minute of it.
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- Elmer’s Candid Camera with Jerry Beck
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- Wild Hare with Greg Ford
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- Hold the Lion, Please with Greg Ford
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- Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid with Michael Barrier and Bob Clampett
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- Super-Rabbit with Paul Dini
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- What’s Cookin’ Doc? with Jerry Beck
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- Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears with Stan Freberg
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- Hare Ribbin’ with Constantine Nasr
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- The Old Grey Hare with Greg Ford
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- Baseball Bugs with Eric Goldberg
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- Hair-Raising Hare with Greg Ford, Michael Barrier and Lloyd Turner
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- Bugs Bunny Rides Again with Greg Ford
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- Haredevil Hare with Michael Barrier and Pete Alvarado
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- What’s Up Doc? with Greg Ford
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- 8 Ball Bunny with Jerry Beck
- Bugs Bunny’s 80th What’s Up, Doc-umentary!: A pleasingly in-depth 1-hour-and-1-minute documentary in which animation historians and other notable figures take you a lovely journey from the early depictions of Bugs to the character we know and love today. There is a nice mixture of newer interviews and archival pieces with creative figures that actually had a hand in creating some of the shorts. There are excellent insights into Tex Avery’s storytelling style, the Mel Blanc voice, the origins of Bug’s name, the recurring adversaries in the shorts and more. This even touches upon his place in more modern times such as Space Jam or Looney Tunes: Back In Action. This is a dream for animation lovers.
- Behind the Tunes
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- Hare Ribbin’ Director’s Cut: An unrestored, standard definition version of the classic short is provided here which includes the original ending in which Bugs pulls out a gun and shoots the dog through the mouth. It’s not bloody or anything, but I can understand why this was shocking at the time. I’m glad it was included here in some form.
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- Forever Befuddled: A three-and-a-half-minute look at the evolution of Elmer Fudd and the voice work of Arthur Q. Bryan with many of the normal participants.
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- Bugs – A Rabbit for All Seasonings: A nearly six-minute look at some of the notable qualities we love about Bugs and the universal nature of the character that allowed him to exist in many different locations and time periods.
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- Mars Attacks! Life on the Red Planet with My Favorite Martian: A fifteen-minute featurette that offers an in-depth look at Marvin the Martian and his relationship with Bugs. It is interesting to hear the inspiration for the character coming out of WWII, the way in which space allowed for inventive production design and so much more. This set may be about Bugs, but this slight detour is appreciated.
Disc Two
- Commentaries
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- Rabbit of Seville with Eric Goldberg
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- Rabbit Every Monday with Greg Ford
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- The Fair Haired Hare with Constantine Nasr
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- Rabbit Fire with Greg Ford and Chuck Jones
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- Lumber Jack-Rabbit with Jerry Beck
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- Baby Buggy Bunny with Constantine Nar
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- What’s Opera, Doc? with Chuck Jones, Michael Maltese and Maurice Noble
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- What’s Opera, Doc? with Daniel Goldmark
- Alternate Audio Programs
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- Rabbit Fire Music-Only Track
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- Baby Buggy Bunny Music-and-Effects Track
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- What’s Opera, Doc? Music-Only Track
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- What’s Opera, Doc? Mel Blanc and Arthur Q. Bryan Vocal Track
- Bugs Bunny Looney Tunes All Star 50th Anniversary: An archival 48-minute special in which famous stars such as Cher, David Bowie, Penny Marshall, Jeremy Irons, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray and many more give interviews about Bugs as if he is an old colleague. Topics include his feuds with Daffy, Elmer Fudd and Yosemite Sam, Pork Pig’s place in Hollywood and more. There are also some insights from the creative talent behind the cartoons. This one is a lot of fun
- Behind the Tunes
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- A Hunting We Will Go – Chuck Jones’ Wabbit Season Twilogy: This nearly ten-minute featurette looks at the “Hunter Trilogy” in which the participants discuss the evolution of Duffy, the clever dialogue, the dynamic between Bugs, Daffy and Elmer, and more.
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- Bugs Bunny – Ain’t He A Stinker?: A seventeen-minute featurette which once again takes a look at our star Bunny and what makes him so special.
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- Wagnerian Wabbit – The Making of What’s Opera, Doc?: A nearly ten-minute look at the famous episode which takes a look at Chuck Jones’ love of classical music in animation, the vocal performances, how it stuck to conventional opera beats and more.
Disc Three
- Commentaries
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- Show Biz Bugs with Greg Ford featuring Pre-Score Music
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- Knighty Knight Bugs with Jerry Beck
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- Rabbit’s Feat with Greg Ford
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- From Hare to Heir with Greg Ford
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- False Hare with Jerry Beck
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- (Blooper) Bunny! – Bugs Bunny’s 51st and a ½ Anniversary Spectacular with Greg Ford
- Behind the Tunes
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- Hard Luck Duck: A four-minute look at the audaciousness of Daffy Duck and what makes him so great.
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- Short Fuse Shootout – The Small Tale of Yosemite Sam: A three-minute look at the hot-headed Yosemite Sam from his first appearance and his relation to Friz Freleng.
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- 50 Years of Bugs Bunny in 3 ½ Minutes: This is closer to four minutes, but who is counting? This functions as something of his greatest hits from his first five decades.
- Bonus Looney Tunes Cartoons: Ten episodes from the new 2020 Looney Tunes Cartoons revival on HBO Max totaling 58 minutes. If you go into these knowing that they cannot be as great as the classic shorts, you will find these enjoyable on their own terms. There are multiple shorts with Bugs facing off against Yosemite Sam and Elmer Fudd. All of these are in HD and look great.
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- Harm Wrestling
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- Pest Coaster
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- Siberian Sam
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- Big League Beast
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- Buzzard School
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- Pool Bunny
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- Grilled Rabbit
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- Vincent Van Fudd
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- Hare Restoration
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- Plunger/Fishing Pole/Bees/Mini Elmer
Final Thoughts
The new Bugs Bunny: 80th Anniversary Collection is an amazing collection of some of the greatest animated shorts ever to be produced. Bugs Bunny has remained an icon over the years thanks to his trademark wit and effortless charm. If ever you wanted a crash-course on the character, this is the most fun way to do it. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray set with a great A/V presentation and an impressive assortment of special features. Bugs Bunny looks incredible after 80 years, and I only hope we do not have to wait until he is 85 before we get the remainder of his shorts on Blu-Ray. Highly Recommended
Bugs Bunny: 80th Anniversary Collection is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.