Watch The Heckling Hare For Free

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

. . . that no one will tell us? In his commentary audio track in Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Two, Disc One for THE HECKLING HARE (and let's be VERY clear here: Bugs Bunny comes nowhere near heckling enough to get "flipped the bird" at a Trump Rally, let alone get punched in the face by some Rabbit-Hating White Geezer), LT fixture Greg Ford says that Western Civilization was shaken to its Very Foundations when some guy named Leon wouldn't let another gent called "Tex" end this animated short by having Bugs say, "Hang onto your hats, folks; here we go again" because that phrase was the infamous punchline of a dirty joke making the rounds in 1941. Nowadays it's hard to see the humor in this smattering of words. First of all, only geezers, military people, and dudes called "Tex" even wear hats. Therefore, most people view hats as the opposite of an aphrodisiac. Maybe Mr. Ford knows WHY this line is supposed to be funny. If so, his explanation must be one of Looney Tunes' Forbidden Eleven Comments, to be locked away from the General Public along with the scarlet-lettered Eleven Bad Cartoons.

The story is not exactly unfamiliar territory, and is occasionally predictable, but I thoroughly enjoyed The Heckling Hare and found it had a number of interest points. The animation is nice enough to look at, the backgrounds are audacious to watch especially, and the music is a lovely, rousing touch. One major point of interest are some very clever and hilarious sight gags, especially the lengthy fall down the cliff, and the dialogue is funny. Another point of interest is Tex Avery voicing the dog, I felt he did a very good job and his character was entertaining. But for me Bugs steals the show, arrogant and cunning, with excellent vocal work from Mel Blanc. Overall, hilarious and has a lot of interest, but not absolutely exceptional. 8/10 Bethany Cox

This was an interesting episode, in the way that it is the earliest I have seen of Bugs Bunny where he is most like his later, fully developed self. He plays many gags that he plays in his most famous episodes and of course outwits the dog who is trying to catch him. I enjoyed the episode because these gags were done well, the dog was an amusing character (and not voiced by Mel Blanc, which is surprising, instead voiced by a Looney Tunes director), Bugs Bunny was amusing and the animation was good (the background animation was reminiscent of "Bambi).There was one thing which slightly put me off the episode, which was the screaming of the dog and Bugs Bunny as they are falling from a high height at one point in the episode. In the era this episode was made, for some reason, you find the occasional long scene of screaming, or pain, which is not only boring but off-putting.In this cartoon, a dog is sniffing along the ground, obviously hunting, when he realises he has passed a rabbit hole. He starts sniffing into the hole, Bugs Bunny popping up his ears to investigate the intruder and then going above ground through a different hole, while the dog digs a hole elsewhere. Sound familiar? Yes, if you are familiar with Bugs Bunny episodes where he is being hunted, the way Bugs Bunny constantly outwits the dog will be in no way a surprise to you.I recommend this episode to people who like Bugs Bunny and the way he outwits people trying to kill him. Enjoy "The Heckling Hare"! :-)8 and a half out of ten.

This short led directly to the exit of Tex Avery from Warner Brothers. Some sources say he was fired, others that he quit, but Leon Schlesinger's mistake was Avery's, animation's and MGM's gain. Avery did some fantastic work at MGM, animation gained from his influence on another studio and MGM gained by having the competition between Avery and Hanna and Barbera, which improved both teams. Avery's influence can be seen on the Tom and Jerry series in the mid to late 1940s and it's open to question whether Droopy or Screwball Squirrel would have developed at a crowded Warner Brothers. Who knows what would have developed (or not developed) at Warner Brothers had Avery NOT gone to MGM. Excellent short. Most highly recommended.