Listening to Warner Bros. executives tout their new brainchild Loonatics, purists must be infuriated by the collective lack of respect shown Bugs Bunny and his animated compatriots. Liberally using the slick development-speak term of re-imagined to justify their heresy, these white collar corporate cretins are perpetwating the ultimate wuse on generations of fans who grew up with classic Looney Tunes as a morning television staple.
Set seven hundred years in the future, Loonatics features grotesque stick figure derivatives of beloved characters all designed to lead Warner's franchise through the new millennium. Gone are the beautifully crafted nuances that defined Bugs, Daffy and their cartoon brethren, replaced instead with quasi-super hero powers more consistent with graphic novels. As unappealing as the program's five stars appear, (I refuse to acknowledge the gratuitous inclusion of an absurd female rabbit heroine), the company claims the fresh futuristic interpretation was initiated to make the characters "more hip" and attractive. Such reasoning rings hollow as the future was successfully visited long before the advent of manned space flight in uproarious films such as Haredevil Hare (1948) and Duck Dodgers in the 24 ½th Century (1953), while the animation industry's definitive hipness quotient was established by Marvin Martian's bristle brush topped helmet and matching gym sneakers half a century ago.
Truth be told, the decline of Bugs Bunny has been an excruciatingly drawn out process, one made more painful with the recent bastardization of his impressive career achievements via Tiny Toons and various blasphemous full length movies. In actuality the death knell for Bugs and friends sounded at the first appearance of the politically correct thought-police several years back. This fanatical faction of do-gooders deemed it necessary to edit out questionable scenes from vintage Looney Toonies so as to protect our nation's impressionable youngsters from, gasp, gratuitous violence. In retrospect, the knee-jerk reaction to such animated hijinks is as laughable as it is ironic; the Warner Bros. behemoth continues to market films and music with overtly aggressive imagery, yet it trembles in fear at the thought of Bugs dispatching a nemesis with a well placed falling anvil, poke in the eye or frying pan to the head. Additionally, extensive government funded research conducted since the mid 1970s has failed to produce a single account citing Wile E. Coyote's use of Acme explosive products as the catalyst for violent criminal behavior.
In addition to unceremoniously relegating scenes of perceived violence to the cutting room floor, the politically correct reign of terror also produced a second example of Warner Bros.' shameless capitulation: Erasing potentially offensive images from Looney Tunes films that selected (see thin skinned and humorless) groups might find objectionable. Recoiling in horror at the perception of their animated catalogue being insensitive to some, two decades of studio executives failed to appreciate the grander scope of the vintage animation process. The Warner's crew from the 1940s was a brilliant collection of artistic geniuses and rebels, laboring under the radar with minimal budgets as they took on the industry giant known as Disney. Much of their work reflected the pre and post war mindset, often assailing the German and Japanese military machines in an effort to boost morale. Were there frequent uses of political and ethnic stereotypes in their Looney offerings? Of course, and all were crafted with a sly wink, tongue planted firmly in cheek and without a hint of malice. Sadly Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips and Russian Rhapsody (both 1944) are but two exquisite time capsule relics long since relegated to the censored heap.
Inevitably, progress occurs in all aspects of life, be it technology, architecture, politics, sports or education. To deny the natural course of progress is to become a prehistoric beetle frozen in amber; everything evolves, for better or worse, and the process must be accepted on a variety of fronts. Perhaps the introduction of Loonatics would be less troubling if Warner Bros. was honest with the public instead of trying to cloak its new program in a veil of forced enthusiasm and back slapping ingenuity. Let's be frank…This is not about taking beloved characters to the next level for the sake of creative evolution, but rather establishing a competitive toe-hold in the lucrative toy and video game arena. Cute and cuddly action figures do not garner significant market share as they once did, nor do they dominate the electronic shoot 'em up circuit. Loonatics is an amalgamation of a trusted commodity with advanced weaponry and skill sets, specifically positioned to compete with a litany of similarly equipped entrants.
As to Bugs' enduring legacy, will we ever again see a more honest (albeit brash) action film star? Without the aid of steroids or a mega-bucks salary, our cotton-tailed hero stared down every one of his adversaries and emerged victorious; whether challenging fictional literary scoundrels (Rabbit Hood 1949), gargantuan brutes (Baseball Bugs 1946, Gorilla My Dreams 1948, Bunny Hugged 1951), intimidating floor walkers (Hair Conditioned 1945), robust opera singers (Long-Haired Hare 1949), feisty Aboriginal warriors (Bushy Hare 1950), and mad scientists (Hair-Raising Hare 1946), to Elmer Fudd, Yosemeite Sam and the usual pack of animal kingdom rivals, Bugs Bunny enchanted viewers with his wise-cracking charms and never-give-in determination. From cross-dressing his way out a predicament or taking the wheel of a speeding B-17 bomber, the wascally wabbit made fools of his pursuers and brought joy to millions.
And now the curtain falls on an incredible cinematic career. More than sixty years after Bugs Bunny manned the helm of Warner's cavalcade of animated stars, he and four of his original cohorts are laid to rest. Oh, studio execs will continue to wax poetic about Bugs' glory days (what they actually know of them) while pumping up Loonatics, but the new program and its re-imagined cast have marked the end of an era.
Sadly, Wabbit Season is now officially closed…That's all folks...
