Rabbit's Kin
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Rabbit's Kin
| image = Rabbit's_Kin_Title.jpg
| director = Robert McKimson
| story = Tedd Pierce
| animator = Charles McKimson
Herman Cohen
Rod Scribner
Phil DeLara
Keith Darling{{cite web |title=Robert McKimson's "Rabbit's Kin" (1952) {{!}} |url=http://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/robert-mckimsons-rabbits-kin-1952/ |website=cartoonresearch.com |access-date=7 July 2020}}
| layout_artist = Robert Givens
| background_artist = Richard H. Thomas
| starring = Mel Blanc
Stan Freberg
| music = Carl Stalling
| producer = Edward Selzer (uncredited)
| studio = Warner Bros. Cartoons
| distributor = Warner Bros. Pictures
The Vitaphone Corporation
| released = {{Film date|1952|11|15}}
| color_process = Technicolor
| runtime = 6:54
| language = English
}}
Rabbit's Kin is a 1952 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies animated short directed by Robert McKimson and written by Tedd Pierce.{{cite book |last1=Beck |first1=Jerry |last2=Friedwald |first2=Will |title=Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons |date=1989 |publisher=Henry Holt and Co |isbn=0-8050-0894-2 |page=242}} The cartoon was released on November 15, 1952, and stars Bugs Bunny.{{cite book |last1=Lenburg |first1=Jeff |title=The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons |date=1999 |publisher=Checkmark Books |isbn=0-8160-3831-7 |access-date=6 June 2020 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780816038312/page/60/mode/2up |pages=60–62}} The cartoon was animated by Charles McKimson, Herman Cohen, Rod Scribner, Phil DeLara and Keith Darling. The music was scored by Carl Stalling while the layouts and the backgrounds were done by Robert Givens and Richard H. Thomas.
Plot
A rabbit named Shorty seeks refuge from the pursuing cougar, Pete Puma, within Bugs Bunny's rabbit hole. Bugs, sympathetic to Shorty's plight, employs comedic strategies to outwit Pete. Utilizing a faux rabbit dynamite decoy, Bugs orchestrates an explosive surprise for Pete, leading to a humorous exchange over cigars.
Subsequently, Pete's attempts to deceive Bugs, including disguising himself as Shorty's mother and employing protective headgear, are met with Bugs' repeated tea-time trickery involving sugar lumps. Despite Pete's efforts to anticipate Bugs' moves, he repeatedly falls victim to Bugs' cleverness. Shorty, captivated by the spectacle, desires to participate, leading to a confrontation wherein Bugs assumes a disguise to rescue Shorty from Pete. However, Pete's attempt to outwit Bugs backfires, resulting in self-inflicted head trauma.
As Bugs and Shorty escape, Bugs acknowledges Pete's ingenuity while saying, “He’s much too smart for us!” mimicking his distinctive laugh after.
Production notes
Mel Blanc provided the voice for Bugs Bunny and Shorty Rabbit,{{cite book|last1=Lawson|first1=Tim|last2=Persons|first2=Alisa|title=The Magic Behind the Voices: A Who's Who of Cartoon Voice Actors|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0cEAOsLJad8C&pg=PA67|date=9 December 2004|publisher=Univ. Press of Mississippi|isbn=978-1-57806-696-4|page=67}} while Stan Freberg voiced Bugs' adversary, Pete Puma, imitating Frank Fontaine's character, John L. C. Silvoney, from The Jack Benny Show and later, Crazy Guggenheim on The Jackie Gleason Show. The title plays on the phrase "rabbit skin," referencing Bugs' kinship with another rabbit. Blanc initially used a modified version of Sylvester the Cat's voice for Shorty before adjusting its pitch.
Home media
Rabbit's Kin is available on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045063/ Rabbit's Kin] at Internet Movie Database
- [https://archive.today/20130215135824/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/273-Rabbits_Kin.html Entry at dcbd.com]
{{S-start}}
{{Succession box |
before= Rabbit Seasoning |
title= Bugs Bunny Cartoons |
years= 1952 |
after= Hare Lift|}}
{{S-end}}
{{Bugs Bunny in animation}}
{{Robert McKimson}}
Category:Merrie Melodies short films
Category:Films directed by Robert McKimson
Category:Films scored by Carl Stalling
Category:Animated films about rabbits and hares
Category:1950s Warner Bros. animated short films
Category:1950s English-language films
Category:Animated films about cougars