Watch Hare Conditioned For Free

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Absolutely the worst movie.

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

. . . Warner Bros.' Nostradamus-like warnings to America of Coming Cataclysmic Catastrophes, often 50 to 75 years before the fact, through both its live-action features and its animated shorts) often ask, "Why didn't Warner warn us of the Most Terrible Tragedy of All, America's 9-11 Terrorist Attacks?" Of course, such a query only pops up during Warnology 101 Classes, since Warner warned America Early and Often about September 11. (Scandalously, some of these films have been "lost," others were heavily redacted during alleged "restorations," and some may have been buried among the Forbidden Eleven Looney Tunes, which Warner has permanently barred you and me from seeing). However, viewers will note an absence of substance in HARE CONDITIONED. It simply seems notable as the only Looney Tune in which Bugs is falling to his death from a high-rise rooftop as it concludes. That Bugs' fatal plunge is preceded by the Death Dive of the Middle Eastern Taxidermist who's trying to shoot and stuff America's favorite rabbit may have been lost upon the contemporary viewers of 1945, still reeling from Japan's infamous Sneak Attack against Pearl Harbor. But the caricatured sheikh's suicide charge--which takes down Bugs, as well--portends great harm to a nation which insists upon being asleep at the wheel.

Hare Conditioned isn't an absolute classic for me, but it is enormously entertaining and definitely worth watching more than once. The story is a well-constructed one, not the most effective one there is, but it works very well. But there were many other elements that made Hare Conditioned so enjoyable. The animation is wonderful, with lively backgrounds and imaginative colouring, and the music is fun and jaunty. The dialogue has a constant sense of fun, and the visual gags are very clever. The antagonist here is a strong(and big) one, while Bugs is still witty, intelligent and somewhat arrogant here as well, both are brilliantly voiced by Mel Blanc. Overall, if you love Bugs Bunny, I think you'll love this. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Chuck Jones's 'Hare Conditioned' is a fast paced, often hilarious cartoon. Pitting Bugs Bunny against a strange, yellow-skinned apartment store manager who wants to have him stuffed, 'Hare Conditioned' takes full advantage of its multi-purpose setting. The chase takes Bugs and his pursuer through a variety of departments, leading to an inspired gag in which they quickly emerge from various departments wearing whatever clothes are associated with that part of the store. This great gag is trumped, however, by a truly inspired sequence involving elevators in which Bugs, disguised as an elevator boy, tricks the store manager into relentlessly getting on or off elevators at the wrong time. It's a brilliant climactic set piece which unfortunately gives way to a not very funny final gag. By that time, however, 'Hare Conditioned' has made its mark as one of the great chase films, bursting with wild energy. As Bugs was becoming more refined in some of the other cartoons from this period, 'Hare Conditioned' showed that he could still be just as appealing as a more anarchic character.

Is it a good idea to use live animals for department store window displays?No, and here's why....In "Hare Conditioned" the sale that Bugs is helping promote is over and the store manager (Nelson) is transferring him to a new department: taxidermy. Naturally, Bugs objects and the fun begins.using nearly every department in the store (children's wear, sports, shoes, costumes, women's nightgowns - don't ask.), Bugs comes out on top at every turn, even referring to the manager as "The Great GilderSNEEZE". Even when trapped in the confines of an elevator, Bugs makes the best of the situation.Director Jones is on top of his pictorial game as always, as are Blanc (as Bugs, natch) and Nelson (the manager - who DOES sound like radio mainstay Gildersleeves - go ask your grand-parents).And a sage word of advice: when confronted by a fuzzy-looking woman wanting to try on bathroom slippers, always check her ears.Ten stars for "Hare Conditioner", the best argument yet for animal labor laws.