On Christmas Eve, The Tasmanian Devil (voice: Mel Blanc) is accidentally dropped from an airplane and falls into Santa Claus’s suit, which is on a line to dry. Bounced into Santa’s sleigh, “Taz” shows up at Bugs Bunny’s (voice: Mel Blanc) house, but, as always, the ferocious devil can’t get the best of Bugs. 7 min.
The 1950s Warner Bros Looney Tunes cartoons were the high end of the art of animation. Cutting edge works such as One Froggy Evening, Rabbit of Seville, Duck Amuck, and What’s Opera Doc are as a funny as anything put on celluloid, and smart entertainment. But the light had dimmed by the ’60s. By 1979, there was nothing left.
Even with Friz Freleng—who worked on Bugs Bunny cartoons during the glory days—at the helm, the magic is gone. The animation is cheaply done, far below the standards of the earlier WB work and in no way standing out from the average Saturday morning fare. The script is drab, without a joke even attempted till the halfway point. When the gags finally start, it just gets sadder. It’s as if Freleng and company forgot what made Bugs funny.
The great Looney Tunes cartoons may not have Christmas themes, but any one of the ’50s classics would bring far more merriment to your holiday than this limp effort.
The Fright Before Christmas is available on the Bugs Bunny’s Looney Christmas Tales tape, along with Bugs Bunny’s Christmas Carol, and Freeze Frame.