Operation: Rabbit (1952) User Reviews (22)

A Shock For First-Time Viewers

[ccthemovieman-1 · 8/10 · 26 August 2007]

Wile E. Coyote versus Bugs Bunny? Wow, this was a new one on me, when I first saw it, but it occurred a couple of times in Loony Tunes cartoons....and we, the viewer, are the winners for it.

Also different for first-time viewers of this collaboration between two LT stars, is hearing Wile speak.. "Allow me to introduce myself," he says right off the bat to Bugs. He gives Bugs his card which reads "Wile E Coyote - Genius." He then proceeds to tell Bugs, in a muted British accent, no less, that he intends to eat him. He's gonna give Bugs "the customary two minutes to say your prayers." Bugs slams the portable door on him, says no thanks, and disappears back into his rabbit hole while Wile goes back to his cave muttering "Why do they always want to do it the hard way?"

After that, it's standard "Roadrunner" material with Wile pulling out every plan he has under "Operation: Rabbit" in his arsenal....and the predictable result. The "smart" guys goes through a half dozen plans while the "dumb" thwarts him every time.

I loved the ending to this cartoon as Wile humbly calls himself something else. This was a lot of fun to watch and a good lesson for those elitists who think they are smarter than most others. Surprise!!!

Granny Clampett always said that "It takes all kinds" . . .

[tadpole-596-918256 · 7/10 · 16 August 2021]

. . . and OPERATION: RABBIT seems to bear out her favorite aphorism. The lupine character in this brief cartoon declares himself to be an Evil Genius (this sobriquet is even printed on his business cards), and he has no compunction in telling his intended supper that he'll be consuming him shortly. Remember when one of Jeff D.'s victims ran stark-screaming bare into the streets of Milwaukee, and the local cops returned him to Jeff to be eaten later that evening? Perhaps Jeff gave the officers a business card declaring himself to be some sort of Omnivorous Genius, having gotten this idea from youthful viewings of OPERATION: RABBIT.

My Name is Mud!!

[DaniGirl1969 · 9/10 · 6 August 2010]

"Allow me to introduce myself: my name is Wile E Coyote, Genius!" With those words, Chuck Jones & Michael Maltese place their most hapless predator squarely in the cross-hairs of that most ruthless of all adversaries, Bugs Bunny! We all know it'll be a mismatch from the beginning, but that doesn't stop us from enjoying the rascally rabbit's systematic destruction of his opponent, who ends up collapsing at his feet, moaning "My name is Mud!!" . This is the coyote's second appearance on screen -- his first, of course, was against Road Runner in "Fast and Furry-ous". But Road Runner cartoons were done in the style of the old silent movies, and Coyote was pretty much a helpless victim of his own bad luck. But against Bugs Bunny, he gets a name (Wile E), he speaks -- and he's a much more arrogant (and less sympathetic) character -- and of course Bugs Bunny takes an active role in his disasters. Consequently, I think the Road Runner cartoons are funnier, and more clever. But "Operation Rabbit" still has some great moments (SPOILERS COMING -- BEWARE) -- my favorite is when Wile E designs an explosive mechanical lady rabbit to trick Bugs, only to fall victim to the same gag played on him by Bugsy -- and then get blasted by his own booby trap ("Ohhh No!!" cries the barbecued canine just before disaster strikes again). In all, Wile E is blown up six hilarious times in this short, finally ending up hanging, dazed and confused, from a tree branch, high up the side of a cliff. I always expect that branch to snap... and am actually kind of disappointed when it doesn't! A very funny cartoon, and the best of the Wile E vs Bugs match-ups.

One of Bugs's Most Underrated Shorts

[MartyD82-1 · 10/10 · 5 May 2006]

After his failure to catch the Roadrunner in 1949's Fast And Furry-ous, Wile E. Coyote instead targets a new prey: Bugs Bunny. Unfortunately, his luck with catching Bugs isn't much better than it was with the Roadrunner three years earlier.

Although it's a little odd that Wile E. Coyote's sophomore cartoon was actually the first of five that paired him with Bugs Bunny (suggesting that Chuck Jones knew he had a popular character with Wile E. but wasn't quite sure of what to do with him after F&F), Bugs proves to be just as funny a foil for Wile E. as the Roadrunner was. In addition to discovering his name, we also discover Wile E.'s over-inflated ego. This, of course, is what ultimately does him in. The whole use of "modern science" to capture Bugs was a first at the time and a welcome departure from the usual "man with gun out to get Bugs" routine. Of course, the cartoon's novel presentation is put to good use with some very funny gags (my favorite being the mechanical bunny). Plus, at the end of the cartoon, we hear one of Bugs's most oft-quoted lines (which is already cited elsewhere on IMDb).

Overall, this is one of the funniest and most creative Bugs Bunny shorts ever released. It's a shame the remaining four cartoons couldn't quite live up to this one because, considering the potential the cartoon's formula had, Wile E. and Bugs could've easily become just as popular a pairing as Wile E. and the Roadrunner.

My personal favourite of the Bugs vs. Coyote cartoons

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 28 June 2010]

I love Bugs Bunny and I like Wile E.Coyote, and I thoroughly enjoy their cartoons together on the whole. Yes even more so than the Raodrunner vs. Coyote cartoons, I like those too but these have more wit and personality. Operation:Rabbit is my personal favourite of their cartoons, it is simply brilliant. Whether it is the best Looney Tunes short, or one of their better ones, or even my favourite cartoon is up for debate still in my mind, but I cannot deny whatever the answer this cartoon is excellent. Great animation, energetic music, cracking pace, witty dialogue and wonderful sight gags are just a few things to like about Operation:Rabbit. Plus Bugs and Coyote work perfectly together, cunning Wile E.Coyote is wonderful with Bugs who is every bit his equal in terms of personality and Mel Blanc voices both characters brilliantly as he always does. Overall, brilliant and recommended. 10/10 Bethany Cox

"Why do they always want to do it the hard way?"

[slymusic · 14 October 2008]

Directed by Chuck Jones, "Operation: Rabbit" is a brilliant Warner Brothers cartoon with quite an unusual pairing: Bugs Bunny and Wile E. Coyote! Unusual indeed, but it works out very well! The Coyote tries to be suave & elegant in his appearance & speech as he tries to capture Bugs for his evening supper. But, as Chuck Jones once pointed out, the more elegant someone's posture is, the less he has to offer to the world. Do you really expect to believe that the Coyote, with all of his scientific prowess, can succeed in outwitting the wascawwy wabbit?

My favorite scenes from "Operation: Rabbit" include the following (please refrain from reading the rest of this commentary until after you have seen the cartoon). When the Coyote first introduces himself to Bugs, Bugs emits a wonderful expression of fright upon learning that the Coyote is going to eat him; as the Coyote continues blabbing, the subtle look on Bugs' face seems to say, "Buddy, you have no idea what a windbag you really are, and you equally have no idea what you're getting yourself into." The flying saucer gag is hilarious as Bugs disguises himself as a chicken and writes the word "COYOTE" on the radarscope. And the Coyote's signature line, "Wile E. Coyote: Super Genius," is accompanied by Bugs transporting the Coyote's powder shack onto a railroad track.

Let us not overlook the brilliance of Carl Stalling's music score for "Operation: Rabbit". Enjoy the brief, frolicsome clarinet melody as Bugs casually strolls up behind the Coyote as he prepares to make rabbit stew. Or how about that familiar French melody we hear as the Coyote pitches woo to a female coyote robot? Or what about Bugs singing "I'm Looking Over a Three-Leaf Clover"? In any event, Stalling was an underrated genius! Too bad Bugs had to end this cartoon with a really bad joke.

Wile E.'s luck is no better with Bugs Bunny than it is with Roadrunners

[llltdesq · 10/10 · 18 July 2001]

Wile E. Coyote just can't catch a break. One of several encounters with Bugs Bunny goes as badly for him as his attempts at catching the Roadrunner do. I feel for his life and accident insurers! It's a pity they only made 5 or 6 of these, because it's a good combination. Wile E. is a good foil for Bugs and most of the shorts are hilarious and all of them are enjoyable. The animators could stretch the characters in ways they couldn't normally. Most recommended

Supergenius: that describes the people who made these cartoons!

[lee_eisenberg · 10/10 · 31 May 2006]

In a slight break from protocol, Chuck Jones, Michael Maltese, and Mel Blanc pit Wile E. Coyote - aka Supergenius - against Bugs Bunny. But, sure enough, Bugs has ways of avoiding capture...most of which involve Wile E. getting maimed somehow.

The point is that no matter how hard he tries, Wile E. has no success in any field, whether going after the Road Runner or Bugs Bunny. And they play it to great effect. "Operation: Rabbit" is a classic just like the rest of the Looney Tunes cartoons from that era. Having Wile E. talk doesn't diminish the quality at all.

Mud spelled backwards is dum. Exactly!

Very nice

[rbverhoef · 7/10 · 18 May 2004]

'Operation: Rabbit' is a Merrie Melodies cartoon featuring Bugs Bunny and Wile E. Coyote, both voiced by Mel Blanc. It is the first cartoon where the coyote tells us his real name. He thinks he is a genius and in the first scene he puts a door in front of a rabbit hole, knocks the door and waits for Bugs to open. He then explains how smart and fast he is and that it is better for Bugs to surrender himself to the coyote. It is a great start for a great cartoon.

Of course Bugs will not surrender and so the coyote has to come up with a couple of plans to catch the rabbit. And although we know he will fail with every attempt the gags are not really predictable. Directed by Chuck Jones, who makes almost everything work, this cartoon is definitely worth watching.

Wile E. Coyote might be a "super genies" but he's no match for Bugs Bunny in Chuck Jone's Looney Tune's classic.

[talarisw · 10/10 · 26 August 2012]

One of the best and one of my favorite Bugs Bunny cartoons of all-time. This cartoon stands out as being different from all other Bugs Bunny cartoons for two reasons, one is that Wile E. Coyote, who's known for being a mute character chasing the road-runner but speaks a lot here and is after Bugs. The second is that this might be the only time Bugs faces an enemy who was actually smart, so Bugs has to be a little bit more clever. Big looney tune's fans know every director at Warner Bros. had their own take on Bugs and this is one of the best examples of Chuck Jone's take on Bugs. Jone's Bugs was the most sophisticated Bugs. Jones also had more sophisticated humor, so to speak. He put a lot of humor in dialog but he's also great at gags. I love how Wile E. is shown here, he's an arrogant and bombastic science genies and even though he's a lot different here then in the iconic road-runner films, it still fits his overall character because even with the road-runner you get the sense that he's a genies. It's also surprising that there was only one road- runner/coyote cartoon before this one, you would assume Chuck made many road runners before teaming the coyote with Bugs. But I love the match up of Bugs and Wile E. because it's nice to see Bugs face a villain who was smart, not an idiot like Elmer and others. The writing, the dialog, the pace and timing is perfect here. The cartoon begins with the Coyote introducing himself to Bugs with a business card showing he's a genies. This is a perfect set-up for the rest of the cartoon, Wile E. is so sure of himself he dosen't even let Bugs respond but Bug's reaction was hilarious! When Wile E. tells that he plans to eat him, Bugs reacts with a mocking "oh no!" look, that is the funniest part in this cartoon and only Chuck would do that, I laugh out loud every time at that moment. Wile E.'s undoing is not that he's dumb but he's so pompous that he underestimate how smart Bugs is. It's even funnier seeing Wile E.'s plan back fire because you can tell his ego's bruise too. I love the part when Wile E. creates a girl rabbit robot to trick bugs because it has a bomb inside but Bugs counteracts by creating a female coyote robot that Wile E. falls for but she has a bomb and explodes but then Wile E. realizes that he still has the robot rabbit and that explodes. It's a battle of book smart vs street smart. Wile E.'s a scientific genies but Bugs is smarter when it comes to survival. I love the ending where Wile E. dubs himself "super genies" and then realizes Bug's has placed him in front of a train and then boom! And Bug's final line "remeber mud spelled backwards is dumb". I love Mel Blanc's voice as the extremely pompous Wile E. I love any cartoon with these two together, I think there's four other cartoons like this one. There's something so appealing about seeing Wile E. Coyote talk and being so pompous and that all of his inventions are still no match for Bugs Bunny. One of Chuck Jone's best!

Wile E. vs. Bugs

[TheOtherFool · 6/10 · 5 August 2004]

Early Wile E. Coyote isn't chasing the Roadrunner, but Bugs Bunny! He's pulling these schemes we know so well from his later adventures with the miep-miep character, and obviously each time is losing out, getting blown up no less than 5 times.

The schemes he pulls are pretty funny, although to me it doesn't match up to the episodes with the Roadrunner. In particular the overuse of his (annoying) voice doesn't work well. We hear him blabbing he's a genious about 10 times. Alright, we get it.

Still, I had some good laughs from this decent cartoon. Interesting for those into the Coyote character I suppose. 6/10.

Wiley Coyote at his best

[planktonrules · 10/10 · 14 June 2006]

I am about to say something that may shock many of you, so hold on tight! I never particularly liked the Wiley Coyote and Roadrunner cartoons. I think most of this is because although I loved Wiley Coyote, I always felt that the Roadrunner had almost zero personality. After a while, I really wanted to see Wiley catch and kill the Roadrunner! In light of this, I was THRILLED the first time I saw this cartoon. Not only is Wiley Coyote at his best, but he finally has a worthy opponent in the form of Bugs Bunny--who has mountains of personality. Wiley is at his best because he talks and shows himself to be a supremely smug jerk who calls himself "Wile E. Coyote--Genius" and asks Bugs to surrender without a fight because he is clearly outmatched by Wiley's brain power! It's great to see Bugs knock him down a few pegs by destroying all of Wiley's attempts to capture him! Violent fun for all.

Bugs vs. Coyote

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 2 June 2016]

"Operation: Rabbit" is an American 7-minute cartoon from 1952, so this one will have its 65th anniversary next year. It is by Warner Bros. and features Chuck Jones, Michael Maltese and Mel Blanc, the biggest players of the company in their respective areas directing, writing and (voice) acting. The only somewhat unusual thing is that Coyote is mostly known for going up against Roadrunner, but here he gets his fair share from Bugs Bunny, despite being a self-proclaimed genius. And Coyote is unusually talkative in here, so I am a bit surprised these two do not have many more films together. I actually preferred this version here, but then again I never cared a lot about Roadrunner, almost found him unlikable on some occasions. So yeah, this was a decent funny watch and I recommend checking it out. Go see it. Thumbs down.

A mildly amusing oddity

[phantom_tollbooth · 5/10 · 9 January 2009]

Chuck Jones's 'Operation: Rabbit' is something of an oddity in the Warner Bros. canon. Part of a very short lived series in which Wile. E. Coyote pursues Bugs Bunny instead of the Road Runner, 'Operation: Rabbit' offers a different take on the Coyote by giving him a voice. A posh, self-obsessed egotist, this version of the Coyote sits strangely with the mute wretch we all know and love. At the time 'Operation: Rabbit' was released, however, the Coyote was a brand new character who had only appeared in one Road Runner cartoon previously. I truly believe that, had Jones worked on more Road Runner cartoons prior to this cartoon, he would have rejected the idea of giving the Coyote a voice. This would have been wise. 'Operation: Rabbit' takes a similar spot-gag approach to the Road Runners but the dialogue slows down a series of gags which you can see coming a mile off and therefore would be better dispensed with in a more timely manner. I've never been partial to this vocal version of the Coyote but, thankfully, I am able to divorce this character from the character in the Road Runner cartoons, just as I am able to accept the almost identical Ralph Wolf as a different character. While it passes the time pleasantly enough, 'Operation: Rabbit' is mainly notable for being a failed character experiment.

The 3 Roles of the Coyote

[cilardi-463-825209 · 10/10 · 20 February 2019]

Chuck Jones explained something that, based on some of the comments, needs explaining. Wile E Coyote is a different character than the Coyote who chases The Road Runner. He's also different from Ralph Wolf who battles with Sam Sheepdog. Jones likened him to an actor playing three different roles. He admitted he just liked drawing this character. Now, as far as tbis cartoon goes, this is the best of the Wile E Coyote / Bugs films. Perhaps the best timed gag EVER in any film (animated or live-action ) is the final gag in the dynamite shack. Like a combination of Hitchcock and Lubitsch, *we* see the danger that the coyote doesn't, and it's only the,sound of the approaching train whistle that cues him to the danger. And the pulling down of the shade is just the icing on the cake.

Star Power

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 6 July 2019]

Wile E. has more personality here. He is ore than the emaciated walking roadkill that he portrays in the Roadrunner episodes. He actually introduces himself to Bugs and tells him that he will be his supper. Unfortunately, Bugs is the irrepressible, ultimate optimist and as enterprising as any cartoon character. So you can guess there are hard time ahead for our friend.

My Favorite Bugs Bunny/Wile E. Coyote cartoon

[ja_kitty_71 · 10/10 · 10 November 2009]

I love the Bugs vs Wile E. Coyote cartoons, better than just the Coyote/Roadrunner cartoons, and I the Chuck Jones/Phil Monroe collaboration in it as well. I also love the "OH NO!" take Bugs does after Wile tells him "I am going to eat you." And the ending where Bugs gives the "moral" of the story: "M. U. D. Spell backwards is D. U. M."

Being an interest in folklore and after hearing from the commentary for this cartoon (in one of my Looney Tunes DVD box sets), there are some parallels of South-Western Indian folktales of Coyote, the trickster and a very proud and smug character. And also parallels from the African-American folktales of Br'er Rabbit & Br'er Fox; post-modern take. Only instead of using snare traps and tar dummies, Wile E. Uses high explosives and other contraptions.

So overall, I really love this cartoon and it's one of my favorite Bugs Bunny/Wile E. Coyote cartoons.

I love it!

[ultramatt2000-1 · 10/10 · 20 August 2009]

A fine, but surprising, piece of work by Chuck Jones (read my "Batton Bunny" comment). Why is it surprising? Glad you asked, because this is the first time that Wile E. Coyote talk. Usually in the Road Runner cartoons their is no dialog but "Beep! Beep!" and Coyote holding signs to express himself. Here he meets Bugs Bunny, who uses his clever, but funny skills to stop the carnivore. So there is no choice but to put dialog in this cartoon. Since Bugs is used to foiling the plans of Elmer Fudd, Yosimite Sam, Rocky and Mugsy and Marvin the Martian, it is Wile E. Coyote's turn to have his plans foiled but the rabbit. I saw it on the "Bugs Bunny and Road Runner Show" back in the 80's on CBS. Good old days. Bottom line: I highly recommend it! Not rated, but a G would work perfectly.

A brilliantly smoothened short

[Betelgeuse-19 · 10/10 · 11 January 2002]

Rating 10/10 Explanation: A movie anyone should see. It could range anywhere from excellent to brilliant classic. As you could see in plots, Wile E. Coyote hiatuses his chases with the Road Runner in temporary favor of Bugs Bunny. Does his luck change? No, not really, in fact, not at all. The laughs from this short can bring it to the greatest Looney Tunes short in history.

Bugs Bunny Vs Wile E. Coyote

[Terryfan · 10/10 · 16 January 2022]

Operation: Rabbit is a classic example of taking two classic looney tunes characters and giving them a chance to play a different game as opposed to the respective enemies we are used to seeing them battle to.

Wile E. Coyote Is tired of going after the RoadRunner so he created a door near Bugs' home and introduced himself as Wile E. Coyote Genius and intend to eat Bugs Bunny for supper this leads to Bugs Bunny using his own smarts to fight and outsmart the Coyote.

The voice acting is top notch and shows why Mel Blanc is a legend as he voices Bugs Bunny and Wile E. Coyote.

As for Looney Tunes goes the animation is top notch as the animation crew went to doing their best to create such a memorable cartoon.

Operation: Rabbit is a fantastic Looney Tunes short and should never be missed.

I give Operation: Rabbit an 10 out of 10.

About the last thing that this world needs . . .

[oscaralbert · 5/10 · 29 April 2016]

. . . is a Wile E. Coyote who's a smug blabbermouth. It would make about as much sense for Wile to give up his roadrunner diet in favor of rabbit stew as it would for the losers of American Presidential Primaries to start naming fellow drop-outs as running mates. Yet for all their wisdom, this is exactly what the Looney Tunes people do in their animated short, OPERATION: RABBIT. Wile's I.Q. seems to drop here about 50 points every time that he proclaims himself to be a genius, so he's in the range of Absolute Zero Fahrentheit (that is, about minus 450) by the time this disappointing outing drags to its end. Since Bugs seems to play down to the level of his competition, this whole exercise is not much better than trying to tough out a DUMB AND DUMBER flick. America wants to see BATMAN VERSUS SUPERMAN, IRONMAN V. CAPTAIN AMER!CA, ALIEN V. PREDATOR, FREDDY V. JASON, or ELMER FUDD V. WILE COYOTE. Instead, Warner gives us Winkin' v. Nod!