Director: Friz Freleng
Release Date: June 7, 1941
Stars: Bugs Bunny
Rating: ★★★★
Review:
This cartoon opens with the voice of Bugs Bunny reciting the first lines of Longfellow’s famous poem ‘The Song of Hiawatha’, while we watch the Indian paddling through a beautiful scenery.
Bugs soon discovers that Hiawatha is hunting rabbits. Luckily, in Freleng’s cartoon the Indian is one of those nit-witted characters based on Lon Chaney jr.’s portrayal of Lennie Small in ‘Of Mice and Men’ (1939), so popular at Warner Bros. (see also ‘Of Fox and Hounds’). In the end the mighty warrior leaves the scene empty-handed, while Bugs recites some last lines from the poem. Nevertheless, it’s the hunter who has the last laugh…
‘Hiawatha’s Rabbit Hunt’ marks Friz Freleng’s first try at Warner Bros.’ new star. He understands the character very well: his Bugs Bunny is both self-assured and capable of making mistakes. In one scene Bugs wants to take one of his graceful dives into a hole, only to land hard on the ground besides it. There’s a priceless scene in which Bugs enters Hiawatha’s cooking pot as if he were taking a hot bath. This is by all means already classic Bugs Bunny material. The looks of the rabbit, on the other hand, are highly unstable, and at times Bugs looks more like his predecessor from ‘Elmer’s Candid Camera‘ (1940) than himself.
In his book ‘Chuck Amuck’ Chuck Jones writes that he feels that “[Freleng], too, went wide of the mark in understanding Bugs’s persona. Not as wide as I did and Tex did, but ’twas enough, ‘twould serve“. I don’t quite agree. Tex Avery indeed is way more off in ‘Tortoise Beats Hare‘. Freleng’s Bugs is not really defined, yet, but he’s well underway.
‘Hiawatha’s Rabbit Hunt’, being Bugs Bunny’s only fourth cartoon, proved once again that this was a character to stay. Nevertheless, in this cartoon Freleng’s unit is at his best in the animation of Bugs’s adversary, Hiawatha. The moves of this dumb and clumsy character are very well-timed and matched with equally funny music by Carl Stalling. The cartoon also boasts some gorgeous background art, which add to the poetic atmosphere, despite all the delightful nonsense.
Watch ‘Hiawatha’s Rabbit Hunt’ yourself and tell me what you think:
This is Bugs Bunny cartoon No. 4
To the previous Bugs Bunny cartoon: Tortoise Beats Hare
To the next Bugs Bunny cartoon: The Heckling Hare
‘Hiawatha’s Rabbit Hunt’ is available on the DVD ‘Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Academy Award-Nominated Animation: Cinema Favorites’
Dr. Grob's Animation Review 
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January 22, 2019 at 23:35
Steve Carras
One of only two (not counting the prototype 1939 PRESTO CHANGE-O byJones with Chuck Jones Curious Pups) Bugs cartoons besides Tex Avery’;s A WILD HARE (1940) to get Blue Ribbon status, that robbed it of its credits (all three of those, of course, natch, “pre-1948”) ttiles. Warners wasn’t about to re-release (in GENERAL!) anyWabbit shorts as Blue Ribbons, not with a classic character ike Bugs (Friz Freleng, though, has been said to be the Blue Ribbon, as in high order, director!) Later excerpted in WHAT’S COOKIN’ DOC, 1944, by Bob Clampett, itself BUGS BUNNY SUPERSTAR’s lead-in short . BBS was a 1975-76 feature, that included other pre-1950 shorts.)
January 21, 2019 at 22:11
Jonathan Wilson
This is probably the first time I read anyone referred to Hiawatha as a Lennie Small portrayal. Everyone usually refers to him as an Indian Elmer Fudd (must be the design….).
January 21, 2019 at 22:20
Gijs Grob
Can’t argue about the looks, of course…