Film's Title (Year of Release)

Short synopsis (or is that "short's synopsis?")

Cast (click here to learn about our new ongoing project, The Mel Blanc List)

Vintage Review (where available)

Critique

Video Release of the Cartoon (Video Studio, Video's Year of Release)

An ad appearing in the Niagara Falls Gazette in Niagara Falls, NY on September 8, 1954.

Devil May Hare (1954)

While Bugs is spring cleaning, the Tasmanian Devil is on the loose! Bugs talks Taz out of eating him and "helps" him catch a variety of "animals," including a chicken made out of bubble gum and a raft made up like a pig. The Devil's first appearance.

Mel Blanc: Bugs Bunny, Tasmanian Devil, Turtle, Tasmanian She-Devil

Vintage Review
"Very good. One of the best of the Bugs Bunny Technicolor cartoons" (Boxoffice, July 24, 1954)

Critique
One of Robert McKimson's last truly outstanding cartoons, helped in large part by the introduction of what would inarguably become his most famous creation. Somewhat shorter and grumpier than he would eventually be depicted, this early version of Taz is a funny character; mindlessly reckless while also throwing out the random, grumbly one-liner ("What for you bury me in the cold, cold ground?"). Bugs's pranks against the beast are inventive and result in some pretty memorable reaction shots of the Devil (Applause would even produce a PVC figurine of Taz as a raft in the mid-90s). Taz and his mate meeting, falling in love, and then immediately bickering is an amusing sequence, and Bugs marrying them and sending them off on their honeymoon is a unique, satisfying ending. Very strong, very entertaining debut of a character who unbeknownst to anyone was destined for superstardom.

Looney Tunes Video Show #1 (WHV, 1982)
Stars of Space Jam: Tasmanian Devil (WHV, 1996)
Stars of Space Jam boxed set (WHV, 1996)
Stars of Space Jam (WHV Japan Laserdisc, 1997)
Looney Tunes the Collector's Edition: The Vocal Genius (WHV/Columbia House, 1999)
Taz's Jungle Jams (WHV, 2000)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection (Volume One) (WHV DVD, 2003)
Looney Tunes: The Premiere Collection (WHV DVD, 2003)
All Stars (WHV Japan DVD, 2003)
Looney Tunes Collection: Iroirona Dobutsu (Rabbit's Kin) (WHV Japan DVD, 2004)
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume One (WHV Blu-ray, 2011)
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume One: Ultimate Collector's Edition (WHV Blu-ray, 2011)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 1-6 boxed set (WHV DVD, 2011)
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume One (WHV DVD, 2012)
Looney Tunes Center Stage Volume 2 (WHV DVD, 2014)
Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection Volumes 1-3 (WHV DVD, 2018)
Stars of Space Jam: Tasmanian Devil (WHV DVD, 2018)
Stars of Space Jam Collection Volume 1 (WHV DVD, 2019)
Best of WB 100: Looney Tunes Complete Platinum Collection (SDS DVD, 2023)

An ad appearing in The Rhinelander Daily News in Rhinelander, WI on May 25, 1957.

Bedevilled Rabbit (1957)

A flown-in crate of carrots lands in Tasmania, with Bugs asleep inside. There he meets a local, the Tasmanian Devil. Features Bugs dressing up dynamite like "wild turkey surprise."

Mel Blanc: Bugs Bunny, Tasmanian Devil, Crocodile, Tasmanian She-Devil

Critique
Taz is back! Reportedly at the insistence of Jack Warner himself, Robert McKimson reintroduces what would become his most famous and beloved creation. This film is more of a straight-up standard chase cartoon than the previous Devil May Hare, doing away with the idea of Bugs pretending to help Taz catch prey in exchange for more common chase slapstick. Ironically, this simpling of the premise helps better solidify Taz's personality as a mindless hunter and eating machine, eschewing his witticisms from the last short. The introductory list of animals that devils are known to eat is expanded, allowing for some funny mispronunciations from Bugs and the great throwaway-gag inclusion of people on the menu. Bugs tricking Taz by forcing him to recount the list of animals he eats is a clever moment, while the rabbit's various reaction poses to the beast are fun visuals. And of course, the main highlight is Bugs's "wild turkey surprise" ruse, complete with him posing as an Italian waiter and singing "Atsa Matta" (originally written by Michael Maltese for the Charlie Dog short A Hound for Trouble). Very enjoyable cartoon, sadly one of the last few from McKimson.

A Salute to Mel Blanc (WHV, 1985)
Hare Beyond Compare (WHV Laserdisc, 1994)
Stars of Space Jam: Tasmanian Devil (WHV, 1996)
Stars of Space Jam boxed set (WHV, 1996)
Stars of Space Jam (WHV Japan Laserdisc, 1997)
Looney Tunes the Collector's Edition: All-Stars (WHV/Columbia House, 1999)
Taz's Jungle Jams (WHV, 2000)
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume One (WHV Blu-ray, 2011)
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume One: Ultimate Collector's Edition (WHV Blu-ray, 2011)
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume One (WHV DVD, 2012)
Stars of Space Jam: Tasmanian Devil (WHV DVD, 2018)
Stars of Space Jam Collection Volume 1 (WHV DVD, 2019)
Best of WB 100: Looney Tunes Complete Platinum Collection (SDS DVD, 2023)

An ad appearing in The Alfred Sun in Alfred, NY on February 13, 1958.

Ducking the Devil (1957)

The only classic short pitting Daffy against the Tasmanian Devil, whose appetite for the duck can be subsided only by his love of music.

Mel Blanc: Daffy Duck, Tasmanian Devil, Armored Car Driver, Zookeeper Burton, Zoo Visitor, News Anchor, Mailman

Critique
While Friz Freleng was relegating Daffy to show-biz encounters against Bugs and Chuck Jones was primarily using him in genre spoofs, Robert McKimson was still playing with the duck's full range, putting him in unique situations and taking the occasional risk. Here he has the duck squaring off against the head-office-revived Tasmanian Devil, and--like with Jones pairing Daffy with another Bugs villain back in Duck Dodgers--it's an inspired matchup and the short goes a long way in making the devil more than just an also-ran character, who is also referred to as simply "Taz" for the first time ever (or, specifically, "Taz Boy"). We also get a refreshingly different introduction to the beast with the zoo delivery and subsequent terror throughout, offering a setup more akin to the Hippety Hopper series than merely the random stampede of forest animals in the earlier films. Since this decade's Daffy has evolved into something of a coward (and even admits as much throughout), his reactions make Taz a much more menacing threat--definitely more so than Bugs's cool and collected demeanor. This new dynamic allows for a number of funny suspense moments in the third act, such as when Daffy fiddles the radio knob through a bunch of cowboy shows or when he's clumsily trying to put the trombone together. By the time the "turning Taz in for a reward" plot point gets established everything comes together, with both the cowardly and greedier aspects of Daffy's updated personality clashing in a way that no other short attempted. Even the peripheral gags are fun, from Mel Blanc's quick, dry read of "We now continue our program of dance music" to a repeat of the "put a letter into a mailbox and get a package" bit from Long-Haired Hare. The music gags are a little hit and miss--from the highs of Daffy struggling with the trombone before mastering it immediately to the lows of Taz lamely "killing" the bagpipes--but the whole scenario is so ridiculous that it nevertheless all works (the absurdity gets amplified when Taz produces a pipe during "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling"). And it all comes back to the idea of taking risks with Daffy, as McKimson even gives the greedy duck a happy, and very funny, ending.

Stars of Space Jam: Tasmanian Devil (WHV, 1996)
Stars of Space Jam boxed set (WHV, 1996)
Stars of Space Jam (WHV Japan Laserdisc, 1997)
Taz's Jungle Jams (WHV, 2000)
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume One (WHV Blu-ray, 2011)
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume One: Ultimate Collector's Edition (WHV Blu-ray, 2011)
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume One (WHV DVD, 2012)
Best of Warner Bros.: 50 Cartoon Collection - Looney Tunes (WHV DVD, 2013)
Stars of Space Jam: Tasmanian Devil (WHV DVD, 2018)
Stars of Space Jam Collection Volume 1 (WHV DVD, 2019)
Best of WB 100: Looney Tunes Complete Platinum Collection (SDS DVD, 2023)

An ad appearing in The Newberry Observer in Newberry, SC on March 6, 1964.

Bill of Hare (1962)

The Tasmanian Devil escapes from a steamship and goes after Bugs, who is trying his hand at cooking. Bugs convinces Taz that they should go moose hunting, yet the moose's cave looks suspiciously like a train tunnel.

Mel Blanc: Bugs Bunny, Tasmanian Devil, Snodgrass Expedition Captain, Shark

Critique
"Conventions sure ain't what they used to be," Bugs comments in a completely contextless non sequitur, and Taz cartoons sure ain't what they used to be, either. Though his introduction is nicely staged, the devil doesn't chase Bugs so much as he just shows up wherever Bugs already happens to be standing, resulting in a much slower pace than the previous two entries in the series. Bugs's actions toward Taz, meanwhile, don't play so much on the villain's endless hunger as they do just as generic absurd cooking gags, including a fun moment where Taz thinks he's turning a spit but he's really cranking up a car--fairly well-executed, but hardly necessary to have even used Taz. The dynamite-stick shish kabob gag is essentially a repeat of the iconic "wild turkey surprise" bit from Bedevilled Rabbit but without the charm or delight of Mel Blanc's singing performance (though Taz somberly eating Bugs's violin does earn a chuckle). This also marks the first Bugs cartoon written by former Disney storyman John Dunn, who would soon find himself in the unenviable position of having to write all of the cartoons for all three units. Bill of Hare is pretty representative of what Dunn would offer to the studio: some good ideas paired with a lot of tiring filler.

Stars of Space Jam: Tasmanian Devil (WHV, 1996)
Stars of Space Jam boxed set (WHV, 1996)
Stars of Space Jam (WHV Japan Laserdisc, 1997)
Looney Tunes the Collector's Edition: Daffy Doodles (WHV/Columbia House, 1999)
Taz's Jungle Jams (WHV, 2000)
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume One (WHV Blu-ray, 2011)
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume One: Ultimate Collector's Edition (WHV Blu-ray, 2011)
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume One (WHV DVD, 2012)
Stars of Space Jam: Tasmanian Devil (WHV DVD, 2018)
Stars of Space Jam Collection Volume 1 (WHV DVD, 2019)
Best of WB 100: Looney Tunes Complete Platinum Collection (SDS DVD, 2023)

An ad appearing in the Buffalo Courier-Express in Buffalo, NY on March 26, 1965.

Dr. Devil and Mr. Hare (1964)

The Tasmanian Devil is on the loose and comes across Bugs. Bugs feigns injury and sends Taz for a doctor. He finds a couple, but they're all Bugs in disguise.

Mel Blanc: Bugs Bunny, Tasmanian Devil

Critique
How bad are things in this (at the time) final year of Warner releases when one of the relatively brighter spots comes from Robert McKimson? The doctor gags are more or less funny if a tad simple, though Bugs posing as a maternity nurse who throws Taz's "bouncing baby boy" to the floor is a refreshingly twisted bit of dark humor. Unfortunately, the dwindling animation budget means a great deal of action is happening off screen, with Taz's signature buzzsawing and destructive spinning depicted through an elongated background painting. There are a couple of nice touches, though, such as Taz's great take when being shown a Picasso-like painting as a "mirror," but these are few and far between. Mel Blanc's performance of the beast also seems to have regressed, as he's now just having the Devil speak in stereotypical Native American dialect ("Get-um doctor!"). The closing scene with a menacing Frankenstein-like robot monster beating up Taz and then Bugs is very odd and unsettling, not to mention suddenly mean-spirited for such an otherwise toothless cartoon. Bugs's use of the old cartoon chestnut "Is there a doctor in the house?" is a cute surprise, but sadly it's married to a final ugly visual of the characters injured and begging for medical help.

Bugs Bunny: Truth or Hare (WHV, 1992)
Stars of Space Jam: Tasmanian Devil (WHV, 1996)
Stars of Space Jam boxed set (WHV, 1996)
Stars of Space Jam (WHV Japan Laserdisc, 1997)
Taz's Jungle Jams (WHV, 2000)
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume One (WHV Blu-ray, 2011)
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume One: Ultimate Collector's Edition (WHV Blu-ray, 2011)
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume One (WHV DVD, 2012)
Stars of Space Jam: Tasmanian Devil (WHV DVD, 2018)
Stars of Space Jam Collection Volume 1 (WHV DVD, 2019)
Best of WB 100: Looney Tunes Complete Platinum Collection (SDS DVD, 2023)

A TV listings blurb appearing in The Tennessean in Nashville, TN on December 7, 1980, specifically highlighting this short from the Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales special.

Fright Before Christmas (1979)

The Tasmanian Devil escapes from a cargo flight over the North Pole and steals Santa's sleigh. He arrives at Bugs's house, where Bugs's nephew Clyde is up waiting for St. Nick. Speedy Gonzales makes a cameo appearance. Directed by Friz Freleng as part of the Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales TV special.

Mel Blanc: Bugs Bunny, Tasmanian Devil, Speedy Gonzales, Santa Claus, Pilot, Co-Pilot
June Foray: Clyde Rabbit, Martha Claus

Critique
Supposedly done in memory of the recently deceased Robert McKimson, Friz Freleng does an admirable job with an antagonist he hadn't worked with before (he would do a little better with Taz a few years later in Daffy Duck's Movie: Fantastic Island). There's a very convoluted set-up to get Taz anywhere near Santa Claus ("Flying a Tasmanian Devil over the North Pole to Australia," really?), but the premise thankfully moves along quickly to get to the meat of the story. The cartoon isn't as devoted to the "Visit from St. Nicholas" framework as Bugs Bunny's Christmas Carol was to its source material, as something like Bugs narrating the entire proceedings in rhyme would have gotten old fast and come off like a badly written Tiny Toon Adventures segment. Unfortunately, everything is saddled with the same uneven production values as Christmas Carol. Character design is wildly inconsistent, and Taz especially appears quite ugly in certain shots, while a very 1970s-ish music score is downright unsettling for a Looney Tunes cartoon. Taz eating the ornaments and lights off Bugs's tree is good for a few, predictable chuckles, as is Bugs reading Clyde's lengthy Christmas list. The rest of the cartoon, though, is typical "Taz comically reacts to things he's eaten" gags similar to those back in Devil May Hare; nicely staged and animated at times, but nothing we haven't seen before.

NOTE: This made-for-TV short did not originally feature a title sequence, but one was created in 1992. For the videos listed below, titles with an asterisk include the cartoon as it was originally seen, without a title, and titles without an asterisk include the cartoon with the new title sequence.

*Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales (WHV, 1990)
Stars of Space Jam: Tasmanian Devil (WHV, 1996)
Stars of Space Jam boxed set (WHV, 1996)
Stars of Space Jam (WHV Japan Laserdisc, 1997)
Taz's Jungle Jams (WHV, 2000)
*Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Five (WHV DVD, 2007)
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume One (WHV Blu-ray, 2011) (SD)
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume One: Ultimate Collector's Edition (WHV Blu-ray, 2011) (SD)
*Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 1-6 boxed set (WHV DVD, 2011)
*Stars of Space Jam: Tasmanian Devil (WHV DVD, 2018)
*Stars of Space Jam Collection Volume 1 (WHV DVD, 2019)

An ad appearing in the Santa Cruz Sentinel in Santa Cruz, CA on August 23, 1996.

Superior Duck (1996)

Daffy is the superheroic Superior Duck who is about to go on a mission, but he just can't get through the comic-like narration that describes him. Foghorn Leghorn, Tweety, Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote, Porky Pig, Marvin the Martian, Taz, and even Superman all make cameo appearances. The final theatrically released cartoon directed by Chuck Jones.

Frank Gorshin: Daffy Duck, Foghorn Leghorn, Observer
Thurl Ravenscroft: Narrator
Eric Goldberg: Tweety, Marvin the Martian, Porky Pig, Observer
Jim Cummings: Tasmanian Devil, Superman, Observer

Critique
Dull, overly talky disaster. Attempting to present itself as a sort of cross between Stupor Duck and Duck Amuck, the short fails at replicating either the goofiness of the former or the meta cleverness of the latter. Having Daffy being unable to get through the traditional opening Superman narration might have been a funny idea on paper, but when bloated into nearly seven minutes the parody instead becomes a travesty. (Jones's own Super-Rabbit, meanwhile, was able to spoof the Superman narration in a few quick shots and then follow it up with a normal adventure!) Even Daffy's motives are unclear: at one point he complains about working in cartoons, so is he being an actor or a superhero in this? When the narrator (a thoroughly wasted Thurl Ravenscroft) threatens Daffy with "No work, no pay" in order to continue showing off his powers, you have no idea which "work" he's referring to by then. The miscasting of Frank Gorshin in these 1990s cartoons is simply baffling; here he sputters out lines in a "Daffy with a sinus infection" sorta way. Chuck Jones had recently worked with such Mel Blanc mimics as Jeff Bergman, Joe Alaskey, and Greg Burson, so it's not like he was unaware of potential "established" Daffy voices--and the employment of animator Eric Goldberg as a voice actor (using the pseudonym "Claude Raynes" to prevent jeopardizing his work at Disney) is beyond questionable. The numerous character cameos are condescendingly gratuitous--and Marvin and Porky's involvement seem to serve no purpose other than to repeat the classic disintegration-proof vest bit from Duck Dodgers... (why does Superior Duck even have a "Space Cadet"?). In Carrotblanca, for example, the various cameos are fun Easter eggs but they're also used to populate the bustling city; here, everyone essentially comes on screen and stands with Daffy just long enough as if to say, "Hey, did you know this production cel is available signed by Chuck Jones for just $1,600 at your nearest Warner Bros. Studio Store?" (Seriously, though, that was in fact the reason for all the various cameos, to sell the production cels. It's also why Daffy's costume is green and not the intended Supermanesque blue, because Warner Bros. gallery marketing suggested that the cels would sell better if he looked more like Duck Dodgers.) By the time we get to the Tasmanian Devil's appearance and hear a welcomed familiar voice in Jim Cummings, the whole story has fallen apart anyway and we're left with a quasi-hipster joke of Taz becoming a vegetarian because he hates raw duck--you know, the character whose main trait is that he eats raw animals (especially when any other line could have worked to show his revulsion: "Taz hates SPANDEX!"). The final "surprise" Superman cameo is so joyless that you almost forget that they're just copying the "I'm working this side of the street" gag from The Great Piggy Bank Robbery. (To say nothing of the fact that someone should have been fired for not thinking to approach Christopher Reeve with voicing Superman, since the short was in production before his tragic 1995 accident.) A completely pointless exercise in tedium.

Superior Duck (WHV, 1998)
Daffy Duck's Quackbusters (WHV DVD, 2009)
The Essential Daffy Duck (WHV DVD, 2011)
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume One (WHV Blu-ray, 2011) (SD)
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume One: Ultimate Collector's Edition (WHV Blu-ray, 2011) (SD)
4 Kid Favorites: Looney Tunes Collection (WHV DVD, 2015)
Looney Tunes Double Feature (WHV DVD, 2016)