Release Date:

October 28, 1944

Main Character(s):

Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd

Summary:

Depressed over never being able to catch that wabbit, Elmer Fudd is sent far into the future in the year 2000 AD, where he and Bugs Bunny are now old geezers. Elmer finds out that even with all of these changes several decades later, he is still unable to catch Bugs.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The production number is 11-13, the 11th Merrie Melodie in the 13th release season.

Bugs is not shown in his present day form at all in this cartoon.

This is one of the few cartoons to have a closing gag involving the “That’s all folks” end card. In this case, a stick of TNT explodes after the iris-out and the explosion shakes up the end card which had already had everything on the end card written out.

Speaking of which, this is a major example where I find the replacing of end cards for the 1995 dubbed versions of the pre-August 1948 cartoons pointless, as in the said dubbed version for this cartoon the replacing of the end card ruins the ending gag as the explosion doesn’t shake up the replaced ending card! Thankfully, the cartoon was restored on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 5 DVD set in 2007, where the original end card and ending gag are both left intact.

“Powerhouse” plays when Elmer realizes he’s in the far future and is now old and wrinkly.

The full cartoon would be used in the 1975 documentary, “Bugs Bunny Superstar”.

The cartoon is in the 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons book.

Carl Stalling’s name is mentioned as an in-joke in the newspaper where “Smellovision replaces television!” with the little subtitle- “Carl Stalling sez it will never work!” Of course, we still have television today even though it’s a lot different than how it was back then. Stalling had also passed away in 1974 so he never actually got to live up to the new century.

The newspaper also mentions “Bing Crosby’s horse hasn’t come in yet!” with an elderly Bing looking for his horse through a spyglass. While this was a joke on Crosby’s bad luck with horse races, he too passed away before 2000, in the year of 1977, in fact.

In the flashback scene of Bugs and Elmer as babies, Elmer’s baby voice is actually his normal voice sped up.

This is Clampett’s penultimate cartoon with both Bugs and Elmer. Interestingly, he wouldn’t use either character again until his very last Warner cartoon, “The Big Snooze” (1946).

What I Like About This One:

Robert McKimson’s superb animation of Elmer distraught at the start of the cartoon.

Once in 2000 AD, old Elmer is astonished at how everything has changed in 56 years: Bing Crosby’s horse still hasn’t come in, television has been replaced by television, and instead of a rifle, he now has a “Buck Rogers Lightning Quick Rabbit Killer”- a futuristic gun (animated by Rod Scribner).

Old Bugs popping up and asking, “Eh, what’s up, prune face?” Old Elmer tells him he’s hunting for a wabbit so old Bugs asks, “Tell me, droopy. What’s he look like?” Old Elmer thinks for a second but then realizes this is his target. “He works…. just wike you!” Old Bugs slaps the gun away and scolds, “Not so fast there, Grandpa!” and chokes old Elmer before giving him a wacky kiss (animated by Scribner).

Old Elmer then fires his gun, which propels him backward into a tree, and also succeeds in shooting old Bugs! (animated by Basil Davidovich) Going into a dramatic death scene, old Bugs brings out a photo album where they reminisce on how they first met (animated by McKimson): with baby Elmer crawling along with his little pop gun at 3 and a half years old.

Popping out of his hole with a bottle of carrot juice, baby Bugs asks baby Elmer “What’s up, doc?” in baby-like gibberish. These are translated with subtitles which Elmer reads before answering, “I’m wooking for a wittle baby bunny. I’m gonna shoot him dead! Bang! Bang!” Baby Bugs asks what he looks like and baby Elmer gives him the same answer from earlier in the cartoon, “He wooks… just wike you!” Baby Bugs smashes his bottle over baby Elmer’s head (animated by Manny Gould)

Baby Bugs and baby Elmer’s chase being interrupted so they can take a three-second nap (animated by Gould)

Baby Elmer sneaking around a tree only to be startled by baby Bugs blasting a tuba at him (animated by Davidovich).

Pursuing baby Bugs in his stroller at high speed (animated by Gould), baby Elmer is pulled over to the curb by baby Bugs posing as an officer for “speeding” (animated by Davidovich). Baby Bugs also doesn’t let baby Elmer get a word in edgewise and accuses him of “resisting an officer” before abusing him and zooming off. Baby Elmer realizes, “Hey! That was the wabbit!” to which baby Bugs suddenly pops up and shouts, “YOU AIN’T JUST WHISTLIN’ DIXIE!” and gives baby Elmer a wacky kiss before baby Elmer gives a realistic sounding baby cry as baby Bugs hops off and the flashback ends.

Back in the future, old Bugs starts to dig his grave as old Elmer cries in shame at what he has done to his “old friend”. As expected, old Bugs is actually fine as he maneuvers old Elmer into the hole he dug while shaking his hand goodbye. After old Elmer bids, “Goodbye, old buddy”, old Bugs reveals his deception with, “So long, Methusalah!” and starts cackling as he buries old Elmer alive! (animated by McKimson)

Peeved at being buried several feet underground, old Elmer is at least glad that “that pesky wabbit is out of my wife fowever and ever!” Old Bugs pops in to contradict, “Well now, I wouldn’t say THAT!” before giving old Elmer a wacky kiss and a stick of TNT that explodes after the iris out and shakes up the already written out “That’s all folks!” end card (animated by Scribner)

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕