StyleSk8r
At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.
Plustown
A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.
Nayan Gough
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.
Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de)
"Hare Tonic" is an 8-minute cartoon from 1945, so this one is already over 70 years old. And as this is another collaboration between Chuck Jones, Tedd Pierce and Mel Blanc for Warner Bros., you will certainly know already that it is another Bugs Bunny short. There are basically two stories in here, the first pretty generic one being about Elmer wanting to make rabbit stew and the second about Bugs tricking Elmer into thinking his house is contaminated with a rare illness named "rabbititus". But Titus kinda fits because Bugs is a real Satan's brew in here and you could almost feel sorry at times for Elmer. So yeah this one is all about cooking and contamination, even if both is of course not part itself of the story. It's more about the attempt for one and the phenomenon of the other. Elmer is pretty great in here (or I should say Blanc with his amazing voice acting once again) and he'd have deserved a better rating as it's one of the best I have seen him in. But sadly the two key stories are so forgettable and it's been a while since I watched a Bugs Bunny cartoon where I found him so forgettable. The breaking of the 4th wall does not make the dots plot any better, actually more repetitive only. The mirror reflection scene was fine, the coated tongue joke was a nice little play on words. But that's really all the positive here. Even the title is bad. Don't watch, this one gets a thumbs-down.
Mightyzebra
I immensely enjoyed this cartoon, even though there were many Looney Tunes "cliches" involved and there was a predictable storyline, there were many clever verbal jokes, fast-paced and amusing slapstick jokes (there was not much slapstick, but what there was, was good) and the involvement with the audience (even for nowadays, as Bugs Bunny references to cinemas) works very well. I felt quite sorry for Elmer Fudd in this cartoon, but it made me like the cartoon more as often I do not feel particularly sympathetic for him, great character that he is.The episode begins when Elmer is walking to his home with a basket full of carrots and a rabbit for his rabbit stew. Bugs Bunny does the traditional "what's in the basket?" joke, going out of the basket and making Elmer look inside it, then wondering where the rabbit has gone etc. Eventually, Elmer manages to take Bugs Bunny to his house and starts preparing the stew. Bugs Bunny pulls a fast one by faking a telephone ring with a bell within reach. While Elmer repeatedly says "hewo?" into the telephone, Bugs Bunny escapes, but then decides he wants to go back and earn revenge on Elmer...I highly recommend this cartoon to any Bugs Bunny fan and to people who enjoy Looney Tunes in general. If you prefer slapsticky Looney Tunes episodes I do not recommend this so highly. Enjoy "Hare Tonic"! :-)
ccthemovieman-1
If nothing else, this cartoon points out two basic facts: Bugs Bunny is very sadistic, and Elmer Fudd is extremely dumb. Immediately, to prove the latter, Fudd buys a rabbit to make rabbit stew but doesn't know a rabbit when Bugs pops out of the basket. Finally, after some gags, he says, "Oh, you twicked me; you're the wabbit." At least Bugs acknowledges the little man's ignorance with the statement, "He don't know me very well, do he?" (Have you ever noticed how bad the grammar is in many of these cartoons?)Bugs' sadistic side comes into play when he decides to torment the idiot, standing behind Elmer's big radio and pretending to be an announcer, saying the Health Department is warning people against bringing any rabbits into their house. He then describes the horrible symptoms one would get if infected with this contagious "rabbititus" disease.The gag of the cartoon is mainly BB trying to convince Elmer he's caught the disease. Funny scenes included Bugs smelling himself and saying, "Oh, goodness; don't tell me I offend;" walking around with the kettle attached to his butt; his "coated" tongue and the '40s expression, "Come on, Jackson, cut yourself a slice of rug! (which means, let's dance).Not being one who particularly laughs at sadism on display, I thought this cartoon was just "fair."
Akbar Shahzad (rapt0r_claw-1)
This is a funny cartoon, and one of the better early Bugs Bunny films. It's very good entertainment.The plot is new and original, and a little bit deeper than the rest of the cartoons. This is not just any chase. Elmer thinks he has "rabbititus" and is scared to death of his prey and quarantined inside his own house.The animation is good, though Bugs is basic, but the use of color and spots is excellent.You can get a lot of laughs just by watching with the sound off. Bugs's "fits" are hilarious, and the classic mirror gag and dance are all there.The script is great, what with the rabbititus report and the gags about Elmer's water bill. It's very memorable.Bugs's tricks in this cartoon are great and original, which makes this cartoon stand out from the rest.So, all in all, this is an excellent, funny cartoon, an original story with original gags and the old classics. Great entertainment.
