Excellent, a Must See

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Before I start this review, I'd like to say that I saw this when I was 2 on WKBHK TV-44 San Francisco. It came after SESAME STREET (read my SPRINKLE ME PINK comment). I found it funny not only to see Bugs Bunny as a conductor but also seeing him clown around. Usually Bugs gets chased around, or runs into trouble, but here trouble comes to him in a for a a small fly. The ending is a funny gag, I cannot spoil any information for you. You have to see it (perhaps on YouTube) to believe it.I highly recommend it! That and the DUCK RABBIT DUCK cartoons where it is Bugs vs. Daffy vs. Elmer Fudd.

'Baton Bunny' is an unusual cartoon co-directed by Chuck Jones and Abe Levitow. It open with the caption "The Warner Bros. Symphony Orchestra Playing "Morning, Noon and Night in Vienna" by Franz Von Suppe". The conductor, it turns out, is Bugs Bunny. 'Baton Bunny' is a bold attempt at a largely one character cartoon but it's largely unsuccessful. While there are some inventive jokes including Bugs' staging of a Cowboy and Indian battle in which he plays both sides, there are also moments when 'Baton Bunny' becomes repetitive and dull. Matters are not helped by the unattractive look of the cartoon. It's clear to see that this is an effort from the later years of Warner Bros. The animation is not as smooth as you'd expect from classic Warner material and the drawings look less realistic and slightly more stylised than usual, a problem that would only get worse as the studio headed into the 60s. It's also telling that 'Baton Bunny' is a full minute shorter than most Warner cartoons, betraying the dearth of material writer Michael Maltese managed to come up with for this tricky premise. The introduction of a troublesome fly is a promising plot line but not much is made of it. All in all, it's not hard to see why 'Baton Bunny' is rarely cited alongside the classic music-based Warner cartoons. It's an unattractive and frequently lifeless six minutes.

Like Mickey Mouse, Andy Panda, and Tom and Jerry before him, Bugs Bunny plays a symphony conductor in Baton Bunny. Even without his voice, Bugs is hilarious whether inadvertently putting his glasses upside down making the pages look that way, having cuff links move around him, or being annoyed by a fly while he's conducting. Oh, and watch him play lots of instruments! Once again, Chuck Jones with Abe Levitow as co-director, mixed classical music with quality animated comedy in a heavenly inspiration of styles. Highly essential for fans of both genres I just mentioned. This is on disc 3 of The Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Vol. 1.

This is an interesting and unique Bugs Bunny short, with nothing but visual gags throughout. However, despite my Looney Tunes bias, I shall admit that Cat Concerto, a Tom and Jerry cartoon, used a similar premise about thirteen years prior. You could be wondering whether Bugs could be funny without words, but this proves all the sceptics wrong! The hilarious methods that Bugs uses to convey the notes to his musicians (who obviously and miraculously know how to interpret the antics of this mad rabbit, since the musical score is very good) never get old. The cartoon illustrates a surreal Western story when Bugs conducts in a flurry, and the fly that annoys him is fantastic! Bugs finally cracks in the end, and you see he can be just as hot-headed as Daffy Duck. This sets the standard for how a conductor/musician cartoon should be. Good to see on VHS and DVD. Highly Recommended.