Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

. . . refers to the catcher's specialized defensive gear. In the Looney Tunes Universe, "Tools of Ignorance" invariably denotes firearms, from Yosemite Sam's pistols to Elmer Fudd's long guns. Mr. Fudd is depicted as a patronizing bully to Bugs Bunny as soon as the former makes an appearance in WHAT'S UP, DOC? But as a Wealthy One Per Center, normal folks such as Bugs have to Kow-Tow to Fudd's every perverse whim. However, sensing that he could lose his status as Top Dog in the Looney Tunes Animated Shorts Universe to the more talented Bugs, Elmer introduces a shooting iron on the WHAT'S UP, DOC? scene 5 minutes, 21 seconds into this story. As soon as Mr. Fudd resorts to such a False Security Blanket, Bugs has the upper hand. It's now Elmer who's second fiddling for the remainder of this tale, forced to wield his "tool of ignorance" as a perpetual reminder that careers that live by the gun, die by gun. Move over Jesse James, John Dillinger, and Wild Bill: make room for Elmer Fudd!

What's Up Doc has Bugs Bunny in Hollywood. Hard to fathom? Well, Bugs himself refers to this in the beginning, while he is conversing on the telephone with the press. He narrates his life story by saying how 'different' he was from others when he was born. Not only was he a bunny, but he was also a prodigy, playing the toddler piano like Mozart and then stepping it to Broadway. His 'meteoric' rise involves repetition of performances in various shows, which brings him fame and the moment he tries a one-act performance, his career takes a wrong turn. He becomes depressed and aloof till Elmer Fudd notices him and the two form an alliance.'What's Up Doc?' has some sparkling moments- the 'talk, it's your nickel' joke, the 'first I was born' opening, the desperate attempts made the other struggling actors when Elmer enters and the ironic ending. 'Singin' in the Rain' may have been inspired by this short- however the film is a masterpiece. This short's main problem is that it's a short, so it does not really justify its title to a great extent. It tries to cover too much in its short run length- which proves to be a double edged sword for WUD?.The animation however is quite superior, and the production is commendable. 'Duck Amuck's' animation is comparatively inferior, however the plot was apt for a short. A thirty minute film for What's up Doc? would do it more justice.I read a number of reviews that found the film to be boring and unfunny; I found the film to be a brave and somewhat visionary attempt considering the year it was made. And Bugs Bunny is just adorable. My Rating: 8/10

What's Up Doc? is a pretty amusing, if not hilarious, cartoon from director Robert McKimson about Bugs Bunny's rise in show biz. As a child, he learns to play Franz Lizst on the piano. Then as an adult, he starts in the chorus in various musical revues. Bugs blows his big chance, however, when his solo act only gets crickets chirping (a familiar cartoon gag for when a performer bombs). Down on his luck, he sits on a park bench with Al Jolson, Jack Benny, Eddie Cantor, and Bing Crosby when headliner Elmer Fudd walks by. Fudd rejects everybody as they do their trademark cues except Bugs. Bugs is basically a stooge to Elmer so he switches punchlines in New York which causes an angry Fudd to get a rifle in the wabbit's face making Bugs say, "What's Up Doc?" for the first time. As he notices the audience eat it up, he tells Elmer to say it again. He does and the applause gets louder! That leads to their first screen test at Warner Bros. where Bugs sings "What's Up Doc?" with Elmer singing and dancing along at the end. Having told all this to a female reporter, Bugs looks at his watch and says he's due on the set for his next starring role. As the curtain with his initials goes up, we see him singing and dancing with...those same chorus boys he performed earlier with in his career! Like I said mostly amusing if not hilarious though I loved many of the jokes that Elmer and Bugs did in the vaudeville segments. And the celebrity voices done mostly by Mel Blanc were spot on. Anyone who saw the live-action What's Up, Doc? that starred Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neal should be very familiar with the "What's Up Doc?" number since that sequence appeared at the end of that movie. This short is part of Volume one of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection.

In this short, Bugs tells the story of his life from the day he was born right up until his discovery in Hollywood and subsequent stardom. It isn't really funny as Bugs doesn't have anyone to work with for most of the cartoon. There are a couple of scenes with Elmer Fudd but he doesn't do or say much. And the running joke with the chorus dancers in the tuxedos wasn't all that amusing. I was also a bit annoyed at the end because not only is it not funny but it isn't true. I've seen better Bugs cartoons than this. Though I must say the title song is very cool (used in many of 'Rabbit/Duck season' cartoons with Bugs, Daffy and Elmer). It just seems weird using it without having Daffy anywhere in sight.