Rabbit Seasoning

Rabbit Seasoning is a 1952 Merrie Melodies short directed by Charles M. Jones.
== Plot ==
Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck argue over which of them is "in season". It is really Duck Season as Daffy says while hidden from Bugs in the beginning. A befuddled Elmer Fudd tries to figure out which animal is telling the truth. Between using sneaky plays-on-words, and dressing himself in women's clothing, including a Lana Turner-style sweater, Bugs manages to escape unscathed, while Daffy repeatedly has his beak blown off, upside-down, or sideways, by Elmer Fudd.
== Availability ==
Lt salute cj.jpg|(1985) VHS A Salute to Chuck Jones
Golden Jubilee 24 Karat Collection Elmer.JPG|(1985) VHS Elmer Fudd's Comedy Capers
Elmer Fudd (1990) (UK VHS).jpeg|(1990) VHS Elmer Fudd
BUGS BUNNY WINNER BY A HARE.jpg|(1993) LaserDisc Bugs Bunny: Winner by a Hare: 14 of Bugs Bunny's Best
Lt collection elmer fudd.jpg|(1996) VHS Elmer Fudd
LTCE VOL 1 ALL-STARS.jpg|(1999) VHS Looney Tunes: The Collectors Edition, Vol. 1: All-Stars (1998 "THIS VERSION" print, without dubbed notice) (with DVNR)
Bumper2000.jpg|(2000) VHS Mil-Looney-Um 2000 - Bumper Collection
Lt sbc9a.jpg|(2001) VHS Looney Tunes Special Bumper Collection Volume 9
LT Golden Collection 1.jpg|(2003) DVD Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1, Disc One (1998 "THIS VERSION" print, without dubbed notice) (with DVNR)
515P04M6R6L. AC .jpg|(2003) VHS Bugs Bunny (2003)
Lt cbobb.jpg|(2003) DVD Looney Tunes Collection Best of Bugs Bunny
Lt col mv1.jpg|(2005) Mini-DVD Looney Tunes Collection Mini Volume 1
Lt spotlight 7.jpg|(2009) DVD Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection: Volume 7, Disc 1
Lt 3sdt.jpg|(2010) DVD 3 Spooky DVD Treats
Bugs Bunny - Wasically Wabbit Front Cover.jpg|(2011) DVD Looney Tunes Super Stars' Bugs Bunny: Wascally Wabbit (1998 "THIS VERSION" print, without dubbed notice) (with DVNR)
Lt bbot bb.jpg|(2011) DVD Bugs Bunny
LTPC VOL 2 Blu Ray.jpg|(2012) Blu-ray Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 2, Disc Two (restored without DVNR)
LTPC VOL 2 DVD.jpg|(2012) DVD Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 2, Disc Two (restored without DVNR)
Looney Tunes Bugs Bunny Golden Carrot Collection.png|(2020) DVD Looney Tunes Bugs Bunny Golden Carrot Collection, Disc 1
=== Streaming ===
lt boomerang.jpg|Boomerang App (2017 - ) (remastered)
lt hbo max.jpg|HBO Max (2020 - 2022) (remastered)
Lt max.jpg|Max (2024 - ) (remastered)
== Censorship ==
* Like "Rabbit Fire" and "Duck! Rabbit, Duck!", all scenes of Daffy getting blasted by Elmer's shotgun were edited when aired in the 1980s and 1990s on ABC, CBS, the syndicated and Fox network versions of Merrie Melodies Starring Bugs Bunny & Friends, and The WB. While ABC, Fox, and the syndicated versions replaced the actual shots of Elmer firing at Daffy's head with a still shot of Bugs looking off-screen (or, in the case of the end of "Rabbit Seasoning", freeze-framed on the shot of the cabin when Elmer and Daffy go inside) and had the audio play normally, CBS and WB spliced out any and all scenes (both visual and audio) of Daffy getting shot.The Censored Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies Page: Q-R http://www.intanibase.com/gac/looneytunes/censored-q-r.aspx
== Notes ==
* Not counting the Chuck Jones-directed Private Snafu cartoons from the mid-1940s, this is the first regular Chuck Jones cartoon to have Maurice Noble as a layout artist. Noble's background design style differs significantly from those of his predecessor, Robert Gribbroek, such as the backgrounds appearing more abstract and less detailed, in contrast to Gribborek's more realistic and fully detailed background design style. Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, Noble's backgrounds would become even more abstract, likely due to shrinking production budgets during those later years.
** Ironically, Gribbrroek himself would later produce similarly abstract background designs for Robert McKimson's later cartoons when working as a layout artist for McKimson's unit at the same time in the late 1950s and early 1960s, likely due to the departure of McKimson's previous layout artist Bob Givens as well as the similar reason of shrinking production budgets at the time.
*A small scene from this cartoon was used in The Bugs Bunny Road-Runner Movie.
* Although there were a few cartoons released after this with the blue Color Rings red background from the 1951–52 season, this cartoon was the first to be in the 1952–53 season, evident from the rings.
*This cartoon was released the day before Chuck Jones' (the director's) 40th birthday.
*When shown on Cartoon Network and Boomerang, this short plays in PAL audio.
*This cartoon is the sequel to "Rabbit Fire", and the second entry in the "Hunter's trilogy" directed by Jones and written by Michael Maltese (the only major difference in format between "Rabbit Fire" and "Rabbit Seasoning" is that the former takes place during the springtime, while the latter takes place in autumn. The third cartoon in the set, "Duck! Rabbit, Duck!", takes place in the winter.)
*This cartoon is widely considered among Jones' best and most important films. In Jerry Beck's 1994 book, The 50 Greatest Cartoons, it is listed at number thirty.
==Gallery==
RabbitSeasoningCredits1.png
RabbitSeasoningCredits2.png
Rabbit Seasoning (1952) - Rabbit Season Signs.jpg
Rabbit Seasoning (1952) - Elmer & Bugs.jpg
Rabbit Seasoning (1952) - Taken In.jpg
Rabbit Seasoning (1952) - Demand.jpg
Rabbit Season.jpg|Background layout
Screenshot 2021-02-11 at 2.16.19 PM.png|Background layout
==References==
==External links==
*"Rabbit Seasoning" at the SFX Resource Wiki
Category:Bugs Bunny Cartoons
Category:Daffy Duck Cartoons
Category:Elmer Fudd Cartoons
Category:Shorts
Category:1952
Category:Merrie Melodies Shorts
Category:Cartoons directed by Chuck Jones
Category:Cartoons with characters voiced by Mel Blanc
Category:Cartoons with characters voiced by Arthur Q. Bryan
Category:Cartoons written by Michael Maltese
Category:Cartoons produced by Eddie Selzer
Category:Cartoons with backgrounds by Philip DeGuard
Category:Cartoons with film editing by Treg Brown
Category:Cartoons with sound effects edited by Treg Brown
Category:Cartoons with music by Carl W. Stalling
Category:Cartoons with orchestrations by Milt Franklyn