Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de)
"Mad as a Mars Hare" is an American cartoon from 1963, so this one is already over half a century old and it includes some of Warner Bros' greatest again in Chuck Jones, Mel Blanc and John W. Dunn, who was also really prolific back then, even if his name may not be as known as some other cartoon writers for WB. Anyway, the antagonist here is once again the Martian, a character who is not as prolific as Elmer and Sam for example, but still the films in which he appears all made it somehow famous, perhaps because of the SciFi space element. And it is somewhat entertaining. The film is perhaps at its best when the two protagonists aren't united yet and when we are introduced to them, especially the scenes with Bugs refusing to step outside the rocket. What a difference a carrot makes. But the Neanderthal scene at the end was fine too. Overall, it is a well-rounded entertaining effort and I cannot deny I have a soft spot for the Martian too. Needless to say Blanc's once again spot-on with his voice acting for the little guy here. The man's a legend. The film's a winner. Go check it out.
Julian9ehp
Chuck Jones wins for Marvin and Bugs, using them freshly in this late cartoon. He wins against the horrible score by Bill Lava, even using it to advantage in the mechanical carrot scene. He wins against a limited set of backgrounds, and the wide-screen madness of movies in the early '60s. (Few pans, few camera movements, thick outlines for the characters.) He even wins against his own tendency for too much talk and too much exposition. He still draws well, he still has good writers, and he still has many good jokes. Even with the ending (no spoilers), which frightened me so when I was a child, I'd recommend this cartoon to almost everyone.
Mightyzebra
I personally find this very funny: Bugs Bunny has a very good character in this episode and Marvin is very entertaining and sweet (except of course when he wants to disintegrate Bugs Bunny). Also, I think the animation is very well done. However, I found this episode perhaps a wee bit too short, but that is probably my only major dislike for this episode. Lee Eisenberg and bob the moo did not like this episode all that much, although they do present good arguments for the reason they dislike this. Reasons I like this more than Lee Eisenberg and bob the moo: 1. This is the first episode with Bugs and Marvin in I ever watched, so I do not have the same opinion as them. 2. I prefer a great deal of good quotes in a Looney Tunes episode rather than a great deal of slapstick gags.In this episode, Bugs Bunny has been sent into space because he is "expendable". He meets Marvin the Martian and that is when the plot really turns...I recommend this to people who like Looney Tunes characters talking a large amount and to anyone who loves anything about Looney Tunes. Enjoy! :-)
Robert Reynolds
Most of the gags in this are verbal in nature, rather than sight gags (though it has a fair number of those as well) and Marvin may have more of the best lines than Bugs, particularly in the beginning. As is often the case, the title is a play on words-in this case, "mad as a March hare", which I believe was derived from Alice in Wonderland. Marvin's comments on "the flora and fauna of Earth likely would have delighted H. L. Mencken and Ambrose Bierce! The ending scene is beautiful, particularly the closing line. Great fun is had by all (well, not by Marvin, not at the end, anyway). Well worth watching. Most highly recommended.
AD
