Overrated

I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Bugs Bunny has always been one of animation's best, funniest, most interesting and most iconic characters. While Chuck Jones perhaps had the larger amount of masterpieces, Fritz Freleng was still responsible for some thoroughly enjoyable to great cartoons.While both Bugs and Freleng have done better cartoons than 'Hare Force', there is still a huge amount to enjoy and love. My only real complaint in fact is the character design of Bugs, it has been said that Bugs does look off and personally have to agree, the design is a bit scrappy and the movement has been smoother since.That aside, the animation is fine. The colours are vibrant, the backgrounds very meticulous in detail and the drawing fluid and very smooth.Carl Stalling never disappoints and one of my favourite composers in cartoon history, 'Hare Force' does nothing to change that perception. Anybody expecting luscious orchestration, characterful rhythms, clever use of instrumentation and sounds and the ability to elevate gags to a greater level rather than just adding to it will find all of those aplenty.Dialogue is high and delicious in freshness and wit, and the gags are beautifully animated, high in energy and with not a single misfire. Bugs, despite the design, doesn't disappoint in personality and humour, and Sylvester is a very amusing foil and interacts wonderfully with Bugs, even if Bugs is the funnier and more interesting character.Voice acting is terrific all round, especially from Mel Blanc.Overall, great, thoroughly enjoyable cartoon if not among the best from either Bugs or Freleng. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Friz Freleng's 'Hare Force' is an inferior forerunner for his masterful 'Kit for Cat', which appeared four years later. 'Kit for Cat' pitted Sylvester against an unnamed kitten in a battle to be adopted by Elmer Fudd. 'Hare Force' takes the same situation but inserts Bugs Bunny in place of the kitten and a dog in place of Sylvester (although the dog's name here is also Sylvester,'Hare Force' predates the existence of Sylvester the cat by a year). Although it came first, 'Hare Force' is significantly inferior to 'Kit for Cat'. The situation feels ill-suited for a Bugs Bunny cartoon and the gags are largely routine. Sylvester the dog is an underdeveloped character who seems to shift too easily between intelligent and stupid when it suit's the storyline. 'Hare Force' is ultimately a reasonably entertaining but rather awkward short. Recasting the picture with more suitable characters worked wonders and 'Kit for Cat' was one of Freleng's greatest masterpieces. 'Hare Force' is little more than an interesting prototype by comparison.

This time, Bugs Bunny is stuck outside in the dead of winter, until a kindly old woman lets him into her house. The only thing is, her dog Sylvester doesn't like anyone getting his spot in front of the fireplace, and proceeds to try and get Bugs out of the house. Pure mayhem between Bugs and Sylvester ensues, and I didn't predict that ending.Considering that the dog is named Sylvester, it's probably a preview of how the famous cat with that name would do everything possible to eat Tweety but always get his comeuppances. Maybe.Overall, not the greatest cartoon, but still OK.

Granny has just tucked Sylvester the dog in for the night when she hears a knock at the door. She opens it and sees a half-frozen Bugs Bunny, who is exaggerating his sorry plight for effect. Granny buys the act and lets Bugs sleep right next to Sylvester in front of the fireplace. But the jealous dog is having none of it. The first chance he gets, he throws Bugs back out in the cold. Bugs plays on the dog's pity to get back in but can't resist a dirty trick. When a snow sculpture of himself melts, Sylvester thinks it's the real rabbit and succumbs to paroxysms of guilt before he discovers the ruse. From then on, the two play a game of one-upmanship that ends when Granny gets in on the game.Bugs Bunny made a smart career move when he began playing a more sympathetic character—still violent but only when sorely provoked. Still, you gotta love the jerk he often was in his early films. He gets Sylvester to feel sorry for his unkind actions; he could have left it at that. But no, he has to go and torment the dog and generally cause trouble. And what Bugs does at the end?"Ain't I a stinker?" Yeah, Bugs, you really are!This cartoon is included in the "Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Volume Three," Disc 1.