"(blooper) Bunny!", also titled "That ♣@†#⚡!* Bunny!", is a 1991 Looney Tunes short produced by Warner Bros., starring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd and Yosemite Sam.
Directed by Greg Ford and Terry Lennon, it was a self-deconstructive humorous parody of the specials that were produced for Bugs' 50th anniversary. In it, the four toons go through a series of disastrous takes while trying to produce the "Bugs Bunny 51½ Anniversary Special".
The film was completed in 1991, but was withheld from a proper release, supposedly because Warner Bros. were not amused by Daffy accusing them of "not having an original bone in their body". A later short by the same duo which did see a release, Invasion of the Bunny Snatchers, was, ironically, even more critical of the studio.
It was eventually given what would now be called a small Early-Bird Cameo in the intro of the Kids' WB! Bugs N Daffy show before getting a quiet release on Cartoon Network in 1997 and has since become a Cult Classic for the edgy humor which originally got it blacklisted. It was also released on the first Looney Tunes Golden Collection DVD set and the Bugs Bunny 80th Anniversary Collection Blu-ray set.
"(blooper) Bunny!" provides examples of:
- 2D Visuals, 3D Effects: The behind-the-scenes footage, to make it look like a SteadiCam shot.
- Animated Actors: Bugs, Daffy, Elmer and Sam act nice to each other in the special. Behind the scenes, they act like their adversarial selves.
- Animated Outtakes: This short consists mostly of outtakes from a musical number commemorating Bugs Bunny's
51½ anniversary. - "Bang!" Flag Gun: Elmer's shotgun in the special. In one of the bloopers, he substitutes it for a real gun, leading to Daffy's angry rant.
- Biting-the-Hand Humor: Both this short and the proceeding Invasion Of The Bunny Snatchers were quite critical towards how Warner Bros. had been handling the Looney Tunes characters for years much more recently at the time. Unlike "...Bunny Snatchers," however, Warners caught on in this film, due to its, er, lack of subtlety.
- Bowdlerization: When this cartoon aired on The WB, two parts were cut:
- Daffy getting smacked with the board (after ranting about Elmer using a real gun instead of a prop one and walking off the set in a rage) had his line "You smug son of a —" before the camera cuts off edited down to "You smug —".
- The entire end credits with Yosemite Sam ranting after the failed firework stunt and Bugs munching a carrot and saying to the camera that everything that happened will be fixed in editing.
- Brick Joke: The loose floorboard. Bugs points it out early on and suggests moving the action back so it wouldn't hurt someone. It is forgotten until Daffy steps on it at the end of his rant to Elmer.
- Chaste Toons: Discussed when Daffy is complaining about how the studio is treating him. "Next thing you know, they'll stick me with three snot-nosed nephews."
- Curse Cut Short: Daffy at the end of Blooper 8. He chastises Elmer for using live ammunition when he was supposed to have a prop gun. He then blindly walks into a loose board Bugs had warned them about earlier while ranting, and gets whacked in the face.Bugs: Ehh, now can we cut?
Daffy: You smug son of a—
(Bugs motions to the camera quickly to cut, and it does before Daffy finishes) - Dude, Not Funny!: When Elmer tries to shoot Bugs for real, earning shocked exclamations from the crew and a tirade from Daffy.
- Everyone Has Standards: Daffy may be a massive glory hound who openly detests Bugs, but even he thinks that Elmer went too far trying to shoot Bugs with real ammunition (granted, Daffy was also in the line of fire).
- Failed a Spot Check: Somehow, between bloopers 8 and 9, Daffy forgot to remove the loose floorboard from his face. Keep in mind the floorboard in question is nearly as long as he is tall. Bugs has to interrupt the take and hold a mirror up to his face for Daffy to remember to deal with it.
- Fix It in Post: The special has Sam lighting four rockets. The last blooper reveals that there were supposed to be five, but the last one got caught in Sam's pants and sends him flying. At the end, Bugs suggests that they just fix it in editing.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: When Elmer tosses the documentarian out of his dressing room, you can briefly seem the room next to his is marked for "Bosko." Alongside, during the pan, you can see another door that is partially marked "ddy", likely for "Buddy."
- Hilarious Outtakes: As expected from the title of this short, there are 11 total bloopers that make up the anniversary special, in a typical Looney Tunes fashion.
- Jumping Out of a Cake: Sam, who is shown to have reservations about it in the behind-the-scenes footage.Sam: What do you think I am, some kinda dad-blasted hootchie-cootchie gal? Do I look like some half-clad female to come a-shimmyin' out of a cake? Why, it ain't decent...
- Logo Joke: Two in the same short, involving the traditional That's All, Folks! closing...
- A traditional "That's all, Folks!" Merrie Melodies end title sequence closes out the "Bugs Bunny 51½ Anniversary Special", played faster than usual, and then the film it's on suddenly breaks, to which it fades to a time card reading "Earlier that morning..." followed by an Old-Timey Cinema Countdown that begins the blooper reel.
- After the blooper reel ends on Bugs Bunny suggesting they can fix it in the editing and a director asks if they can go on their lunch break, it cuts to black as "THAT'S ALL, FOLKS!" crudely written in white marker like the information on a film leader scrolls up, and then a beep is heard as an "X" cue mark flashes on screen and the cartoon ends.
- Nice Character, Mean Actor: Daffy, Elmer, and Sam are all smiling and cheerful while being filmed, but are the selfish primadonnas they really are once a take ends. Inverted with Bugs, who is arrogant and vain as per usual, but otherwise is an amazingly easy to work with actor who is respectful and helpful.
- Oh, Crap!: When Elmer fires off a live round from what's supposed to be a prop gun, Bugs' eyes go really wide.
- Old-Timey Cinema Countdown: The blooper reel opens with one, using footage of a real SMPTE universal countdown leader stretched into widescreen and counting from the numbers 5 to 2.
- The Oner: The blooper section starts with a 90 second single-take shot of a SteadiCam moving around the set showing the four main stars of the short.
- Pet the Dog: After the filming is done, Daffy and Elmer lighten up from their previous jerkiness and look sincerely happy for Bugs rather than just acting. Sam on the other hand quickly goes back to his usual rude and gruff self.
- Rake Take: Daffy stepping on the loose board, which slams into his face, his beak going through a knothole.
- Repetitive Audio Glitch: The very first blooper is the playback skipping.Bugs: (indignantly) Eh, what's up, doc?
(The crew laughs as Bugs walks off.)
Bugs: Monotonous, isn't it? - Set Behind the Scenes: The short begins with the final product. Then it rewinds to right before the first take, before showing eleven failed takes.
- Shout-Out: The repeated takes re-orchestrated the music from the short Hot Cross Bunny (specifically, the scene where Bugs tap dances in front of the doctors).
- The behind-the-scenes footage shows a crew member with a face looking very much like Charlie Brown (albeit with red hair.)
- Stock Sound Effects: Although many classic Warner Bros. cartoon sound effects are utilized, Yosemite Sam's Off Screen Crash from the fifth rocket is accompanied by a Hanna-Barbera crashing sound (albeit one different than the H-B sounds heard in the Warner Bros.- Seven Arts cartoons of the late 60s.)
- Symbol Swearing: The short's other title is "That ♣@†#⚡!* Bunny!".
- Take That!: Daffy at one point complains that Warner Bros. may end up giving him three nephews, likely a shot at Donald Duck's nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie, the show that highlighted them having ended around the time this short was completed.
- Throat-Slitting Gesture: Bugs does the "Cut the feed" version right before Daffy curses.
- Toilet Humor: One of the bloopers is that Daffy misses his cue because he was in the bathroom, indicated by an offscreen flushing sound.
- Villainous Breakdown: The final take ends with Sam getting taken for a ride by a stray skyrocket, and cursing out Bugs when he's done.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Bugs and Daffy chew out Elmer for deliberately going off-script and nearly causing a severe injury with real ammunition.
- Who Writes This Crap?!: Daffy invokes this upon reading the sappy, overly-friendly script he's been given.
