Rabbitson Crusoe
Rabbitson Crusoe is a 1956 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes short directed by Friz Freleng.[1] The short was released on April 28, 1956, and stars Bugs Bunny.[2] The name and part of the story is a direct parody of Robinson Crusoe.
| Rabbitson Crusoe | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Friz Freleng |
| Produced by | Edward Selzer (uncredited) |
| Story by | Warren Foster |
| Starring | Mel Blanc |
| Music by | Milt Franklyn |
| Animation by | Gerry Chiniquy Arthur Davis Virgil Ross |
| Layouts by | Hawley Pratt |
| Backgrounds by | Irv Wyner |
| Color process | Technicolor |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures The Vitaphone Corporation |
Release date |
|
Running time | 7:25 |
| Language | English |
Plot
Yosemite Sam has been shipwrecked on a small island for 20 years, and with the ship's supplies used up, the only food source is a coconut tree on an adjacent island. Crossing between the islands, however, is difficult because of a man-eating shark named Dopey Dick (another parody, this time based on Moby-Dick), who persistently tries to catch Sam. However, Sam has gotten used to the wily shark's ways and keeps a few bludgeoning weapons on the islands on hand to drive him off.
However, Sam finally gets tired of having to feed on coconuts for two decades. Right at that moment, though, Bugs Bunny, himself shipwrecked, drifts by. When Sam calls out to him, Bugs paddles towards the island, only to be immediately put into Sam's cooking pot. However, Bugs douses the flame with water from the pot, so Sam has to go back to his ship to get another match. However, by the time he gets back from the ship, Bugs has left the pot, which is now occupied by the shark, who nearly eats Sam until the latter manages to whack him into flight with a mallet.
Bugs has retreated to the shipwreck,singing the song "Secret Love", from where he taunts Sam. Sam tries to reach him first with a surfboard, only to be driven back by the shark; then hanging from a balloon, only to be savaged by the shark once again after Bugs lets him sink into the flooded cargo hold. As Bugs tries to leave the ship, Sam catches him and puts him back into the pot. Just then, however, a huge tidal wave hits the islands, sinking them along with the ship. Bugs, adrift inside the pot, is soon joined by Sam fleeing the shark again. Bugs strikes a deal with him: in return from keeping him out of the shark's reach (by a gaff's length), Sam has to paddle them both 2,736 miles towards San Francisco.
Home media
Rabbitson Crusoe has been released on the Warner Home Video laserdisc Wince Upon A Time, the VHS release Bugs Bunny's Hare Raising Tales, and the DVD release Looney Tunes: Parodies Collection.
References
- Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 285. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
- Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 60–62. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
