Edgar Allan Pooh
. . . and Bugs Bunny as Fletcher Christian suggests that Warner Bros. believed Clark Gable had bigger ears than Charles Laughton. However, for the sake of the kids in the audience, the topless Tahitian ladies are dispensed with entirely during this animated short, MUTINY ON THE BUNNY. The first half starts out promising enough, as Sam Shanghai's Bugs for a "Free World Cruise"--which turns out to be a job as Sam's deck slave. Bugs turns the tables on Sam by Tom Sawyering him into white washing--Er, swabbing the deck himself (to erase a series of insulting graffiti Bugs has surreptitiously scrawled while Sam's back is turned). But as soon as Bugs tricks Sam into first abandoning ship, and then scuttling it three times into dry-dock for repairs, MUTINY jumps the shark. The visuals of the second half become boringly repetitious; ditto the plot. Furthermore, does the command "Furl the Tattersail Topgallant!" really mean anything? The vast majority of the folks who'd know the answer probably are pushing up seaweed in Davy Jones' Locker right about now.
TheLittleSongbird
Here it is, one of my favourite Bugs Bunny vs. Yosemite(here Shanghai) Sam cartoons. It aimed to be Looney Tunes fun, that's what we got. The animation is wonderful, it isn't the best looking cartoon out there, but the backgrounds are audacious enough and the characters are well drawn, especially Sam. The music is rousing, bombastic and energetic, almost like a Korngold film score, except with more quirky and tongue-in-cheek motifs. The dialogue is witty and hilarious, and the sight gags as are nearly always the case with Looney Tunes are clever and all of them work. Bugs is very good here, rascally and funny while Yosemite Sam is a superb foil and takes the laughs well. On top of this, Mel Blanc gives bravura voice characterisations. Overall, funny and witty, and just a must see. 10/10 Bethany Cox
Lee Eisenberg
Probably the reason that Yosemite Sam is so funny is that he's always so short-tempered, and when he gets paired with Bugs Bunny, he always seems like he's about to explode. In this case, Shanghai Sam loses his crew (the guy used to be a human being!) and kidnaps Bugs, only to see Bugs rebel. No matter what Sam does, Bugs figures out a way around it. The whole thing with the cannonballs makes me feel like I'm going to die laughing.The point is, the combination of Bugs's antics and Sam's angry rants (involving insults like "flea-bitten varmint" or "fur-bearin' varmint", only extended) always make for something great. A really classic cartoon.
bob the moo
When Shanghai Sam loses the last of his crew he finds himself with a pirate ship but no one to man it. Under the pretence of a free cruise, Sam tricks Bugs Bunny on board and then hits him with a cosh. Bugs wakes up to find himself swabbing decks and rowing the galleon across the ocean! However Sam soon comes to regret his choice of pressgang.Usually the strongest cartoons Bugs made were the ones where he had a good foil to outsmart and trick. Here is no exception as Shanghai Sam is a worthy foe that tries to give as good as he gets, (but ultimately gets more than he gives). The film starts slowly but soon sees Bugs and Sam involved in a running battle of wits that involves a very funny running gag where Sam ends up in dry dock before being launched (again!) to a ticker-tape send off! This is typical of the rest of the cartoon as it is all pretty funny and slick.Bugs is in very good form and is great value for money; he starts the cartoon easily being taken for a ride but it isn't long before he gets the upper hand. Sam is a great partner here and he takes the falls well, always getting back up and trying again to humorous effect.Overall this is a typically good cartoon from Bugs Bunny that will please fans as it does exactly what we expect him to do. The material is smart and very funny at times and the two characters are very enjoyable in their roles.
AD
