Homeless Hare

Voices of: Mel Blanc, John T. Smith
Directed by: Chuck Jones
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Animation, Short
Length: 7 minutes
1950

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A construction worker callously destroys Bugs Bunny's home, kicking off a battle between them.

Review:

Tim: This 1950 Merrie Melody short follows a familiar-but-effective formula. In this one, Bugs' home is tore up by a grisly construction worker. Bugs demands justice, the worker denies him, and it sets off a back-and-forth battle between man and rabbit. We've seen this all before, but it's genuinely fun to watch Bugs outsmart a larger, stronger opponent. That's a huge reason why he's such a beloved character. He plays the underdog when we always know he's got the upper hand. This short puts Bugs firmly in his wheelhouse.

I watched this short with my 8 year-old son and 4 year-old daughter. They both enjoyed it. What I noticed as a parent is how violent this short is. I just ate these up as a child, not realizing the brutality of Bugs' actions. The construction worker truly gets his lumps in this one. Perhaps the hardest scene is where Bugs drops a brick on the guy's face. In real life, that's pretty much instantaneous death. I cringed as a parent in this scene and hoped my kids weren't paying too much attention. As the short progresses, Bugs doesn't take it easy on the guy and there's myriad cartoon violence thrown down upon him. Even Bugs isn't immune, getting whacked in the face with a steel girder, causing him to stumble around the construction site, always inches away from disaster. It's one of the short's best sequences and my kids were rolling with laughter at it.

I do wish these shorts relied on more than pure, unadulterated violence to get their message across. However, it was 1950 and that's what people did. The other side of it is, it's pretty funny to watch a bully get his comeuppance, even if that would result in death or maiming him beyond all repair in real life. I laughed uncomfortably throughout this film and reminded myself to really space these short films out with my kids. Maybe one every six months?

Homeless Hare is definitely an effective short, though. It's so easy to root for Bugs as he takes on this bigger bully. It features some truly effective sequences and it's always great hearing Mel Blanc's voice. I guess the message is "Stand up for yourself," although I do think it's lost a bit amidst all the cartoon violence.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Acrobatty Bunny, Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid, Yankee Doodle Bugs