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 Winona Republican-Herald in Winona, MN on April 13, 1956.

Bewitched Bunny (1954)

As he's reading the story, Bugs witnesses Hansel ("Hansel? Hansel??") and Gretel enter the house of Witch Hazel (in her first appearance). Bugs shows up as a truant officer to ask why the children aren't in school.

Mel Blanc: Bugs Bunny, Hansel, Broom, Prince Charming
Bea Benaderet: Witch Hazel, Gretel

Vintage Review
"Good...entertaining" (Boxoffice, September 4, 1954)

Critique
Somewhat mild fairy tale spoof from Jones, helped in large part by a few tongue-in-cheek touches and a fast-paced climatic chase sequence. Depicting Hansel and Gretel as gluttonous German children is a pretty snarky characterization, and of course the running gag over Hansel's name is a deserved highlight. Witch Hazel couldn't have asked for a better debut cartoon, with some devious voicing by Bea Benaderet and wonderfully busy animation by the Jones crew--this is a character who moves every which way (no pun intended) and is a delight to watch in action, especially at a time when animation in general started becoming more reserved and limited. The final gag is a bit lame and hasn't aged well, but the rest of the short is funny and timeless.

Looney Tunes After Dark (WHV Laserdisc, 1993)
Looney Tunes the Collector's Edition: A Battle of Wits (WHV/Columbia House, 2001)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Five (WHV DVD, 2007)
Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection 5 (WHV DVD, 2007)
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 Spotlight Collection Double Feature Vol. 2 (WHV DVD, 2014)
Best of WB 100: Looney Tunes Complete Platinum Collection (SDS DVD, 2023)

An ad appearing in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune in Sarasota, FL on November 4, 1956.

Broom-stick Bunny (1956)

On Halloween, Witch Hazel is asking her magic mirror who is the ugliest one of all. Just then, a trick-or-treating Bugs shows up dressed as a witch, and Hazel invites him in to get rid of the competition. An uncomfortable amount of animation was reused in the 1966 short A-Haunting We Will Go.

Mel Blanc: Bugs Bunny, Magic Mirror
June Foray: Witch Hazel

Vintage Review
"Fast action very well drawn" (Boxoffice, April 21, 1956)

Critique
Enjoyable spooky cartoon made during a period where Chuck Jones was still able to match style with substance. The Warner studio's shift toward flatter, UPA-inspired backgrounds complements the story well, giving Hazel's house a moody storybook quality. Bugs conversing and reacting under a static witch mask provides a fun visual, as does his weepy-eyed expression when trying to soften up Witch Hazel. Speaking of which (heh heh), Hazel is more menacing here than she was in Bewitched Bunny, and her animation is even broader and more outrageous than in the previous film. June Foray completes the characterization by taking over as Hazel's voice, making it a bit more gravelly than what Bea Benaderet was going for. Tedd Pierce's writing provides some clever wordplay (Hazel asking Witch-Bugs, "Who un-does your hair?") and an appropriately creepy moment with Hazel sobbing over her long-lost pet tarantula--and of course, like in many Pierce-penned cartoons, the hormone-fueled ending is both inappropriately random and hilarious.

Looney Tunes After Dark (WHV Laserdisc, 1993)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Two (WHV DVD, 2004)
All Stars Volume 2 (WHV Japan DVD, 2005)
Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection 6 (WHV DVD, 2008)
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)
Best of Warner Bros.: 50 Cartoon Collection - Looney Tunes (WHV DVD, 2013)
Bugs Bunny Golden Carrot Collection (WHV DVD, 2020)
Best of WB 100: Looney Tunes Complete Platinum Collection (SDS DVD, 2023)

An ad appearing in the Bradford County Telegraph in Starke, FL on April 27, 1961.

A Witch's Tangled Hare (1959)

Witch Hazel is about to boil Bugs, who escapes into Macbeth's castle. Inside, Bugs and Hazel reenact Romeo and Juliet, with William Shakespeare seemingly watching from a distance. Directed by Abe Levitow.

Mel Blanc: Bugs Bunny, Sam Krubish
June Foray: Witch Hazel

Critique
Probably the weakest of the shorts Abe Levitow directed (or co-directed) at Warner Bros. but still enjoyable. The cartoon is heavy on visual style, which helps carry Mike Maltese's rather inconsistent dialogue. There are a few good lines, but the jokes that fall flat are given too much breathing room, leaving the audience to have to linger on a jab at women drivers and the groan-inducing "to be or not to be" closing line. Levitow's gift for extreme comic posing comes in handy during a silly "cackle-off" between our leads, especially Bugs's seizure-like gyration (punctuated with a mocking "Top that, Lollobrigida!"). Unfortunately no one moment particularly stands out; the debatable "highlight" being the Romeo and Juliet scene, with Witch Hazel in full costume and bad stage makeup. It feels like such a missed opportunity--instead of just a chase cartoon it would have been wonderful to see an entire short with Bugs and Hazel spoofing The Bard's plays. It certainly would have been right up the highbrow Jones unit's alley, possibly even serving as a Shakespearean equivalent to What's Opera, Doc?

Bugs Bunny's Hare-Raising Tales (WHV, 1988)
Looney Tunes the Collector's Edition: A Battle of Wits (WHV/Columbia House, 2001)
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 WB 100: Looney Tunes Complete Platinum Collection (SDS DVD, 2023)

An ad appearing in the Ukiah Daily Journal in Ukiah, CA on April 24, 1964.

Transylvania 6-5000 (1963)

Bugs burrows to Transylvania, where he finds the castle of vampire Count Bloodcount. Thinking it's a hotel, Bugs "checks" into a room and finds a book about magic words and phrases. Witch Hazel makes a cameo appearance of sorts. Chuck Jones's final theatrically released Bugs cartoon.

Mel Blanc: Bugs Bunny
Ben Frommer: Count Bloodcount
Julie Bennett: Agatha, Emily

Critique
Decent spooky short that unfortunately seems more concerned with atmosphere than good writing. The main flaw is that Bugs is not just too oblivious to the situation around him, he's overly upbeat and positive about it, finding Bloodcount's creepy castle charming and welcoming. The whole "too stupid to be scared" idea in comedy only works when a character is a bit naive (think Daffy in The Stupor Salesman) or not actually observing the threat around them (Porky when teamed up with Sylvester). Bugs here sees the cobwebbed castle with portraits of monsters and a two-headed vulture outside and feels perfectly comfortable--it's dumbing down an otherwise smart character to fit the needs of the story. The cartoon picks up a bit once Bugs learns the magic words, forcing Bloodcount to change back and forth from a vampire to a bat for a good dose of Jones-directed slapstick. If the cartoon excels anywhere it's in the mood; everything has a great eerie look to it, save for Bloodcount's almost adorable "bat" form (which Bugs comically keeps mistaking for a mosquito). It would have been nice if Chuck Jones had left Warner Bros. with a stronger Bugs cartoon, but for 1963 this was most likely as good as it was going to get.

Looney Tunes After Dark (WHV Laserdisc, 1993)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Five (WHV DVD, 2007)
Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection 5 (WHV DVD, 2007)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 1-6 boxed set (WHV DVD, 2011)
Bugs Bunny Golden Carrot Collection (WHV DVD, 2020)

An ad appearing in The Maryville Daily Forum in Maryville, MO on May 18, 1967.

A-Haunting We Will Go (1966)

Daffy's nephew is trick-or-treating and gets scared away by Witch Hazel. Daffy decides to visit the witch to show his nephew that she really is a nice lady, while Hazel has recruited Speedy to take her place while she goes on vacation. Directed by Robert McKimson. Witch Hazel's only appearance in a "modern era" cartoon.

Mel Blanc: Daffy Duck, Speedy Gonzales, Daffy's Nephew
June Foray: Witch Hazel

Critique
Perhaps the most memorable of the Daffy/Speedy shorts, thanks to its later heavy use in 1977's Bugs Bunny's Howl-oween Special and perennial inclusions on Saturday morning come Halloweentime. It's also arguably the most entertaining in the series--the plot is nonsensical (and that's saying much for these shorts), but it is so illogical and twists itself into such a veritable pretzel knot that it nevertheless all works. (Speaking of the plot, it should be noted that there is no story credit here.) Daffy's unnamed nephew is sort of like Sylvester Jr. only without the guilt trips or hero worship, and it is actually a pity McKimson didn't continue the character past this short if for no other reason than to recreate the mentor/pupil dynamic he had with the cats. Both Witch Hazel and June Foray make welcomed returns (thus creating new character interactions with the duck and mouse never again explored), but unfortunately this is also where the film is at its weakest. The heavy use of Hazel animation recycled from Chuck Jones's Broom-stick Bunny does director McKimson no favors, as he has to awkwardly transition from the Jones unit's fluid 1950s animation to his own blocky, ultra-cheap work, resulting in some unintentionally ugly character design (while also turning the witch's typically green skin to more of a flesh tone, for some reason). The mining of elements from Broom-stick is so thorough that entire passages of dialogue are lifted, but even that gets reworked so ham-handedly that it doesn't quite land the same way (see Daffy's "she's not such a bad old lady" aside)--and even though he's fully costumed and masked, it is incredibly weird to see recycled Bugs Bunny animation in a DePatie-Freleng cartoon. For every brief moment that works, something else sticks out like a sore thumb: the bobby-pin gag returns whenever Witch Hazel speeds off camera, but elsewhere we also get a glaring animation flub via an invisible table edge from a Broom-stick Bunny shot. Speedy's monster-movie transformation into a witch is creepy and funny, but then the later handoff back is simply Hazel asking Speedy, "Do any business?"--was she running a shop?? The third act moves away from Broom-stick Bunny and starts retreading gags from another Jones short, Duck Amuck. In a way they do work and the return of "Screwball Thing Daffy" is a nice surprise, but again the transitions are very labored (though Thing Daffy offers a funny "angry" glare). It's certainly not a perfect film, but it's fun, something a number of this era's cartoons are sorely lacking.

4 Classic Cartoons (WHV DVD, 2005)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Four (WHV DVD, 2006)
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)
Best of WB 100: Looney Tunes Complete Platinum Collection (SDS DVD, 2023)