It’s hard to critique a kids film like Looney Tunes: Rabbits Run as an adult. Do you look at it like you would any other film? Or should you try to look at it from a kids point of view? Or do I look at it from the point of view of a grown up kid who grew up watching Looney Tunes and has certain expectations because of that?
Rabbits Run is definitely a modern Looney Tunes story (and their first feature film in nine years). Bugs and Daffy (both voiced by Jeff Bergman, as they have been since 1990) are cab drivers now. The story focuses around Lola Bunny (Rachel Ramras, Mike Tyson’s daughter on Mike Tyson Mysteries, who also has a co-writing credit on the film) and her desire to invent the best smelling perfume ever. Her dreams come true when her landlord, Speedy Gonzales (Fred Armisen) brings her a very rare flower that only blooms once every 20 hundred years. The problem is, this flower has very special properties and the government and a mysterious third party both want the flower for themselves!
The flower, it turns out, has the ability to turn people invisible, and in making a perfume from the flower Lola has unintentionally invented invisibility spray. So with a cornucopia of classic Looney Tunes characters on their tail, they head off to France, oblivious of the perfumes secret power, to try to sell the scent to the worlds most important perfume producer.
Some great characters show up with some great voices attached to them. Elmer Fudd (Billy West) heads up the government team that is after them. Cecil Turtle (Jim Rash) leads the mysterious third party and Yosemite Sam (Maurice LaMarche) is after them for the reward money. Daffy helps Bugs and Lola out for a little bit, because he thinks it suits his purpose, but when he gets bored with them he wanders off.
Filled with classic characters and some pretty funny moments, Rabbits Run is a pretty funny movie. While certainly geared towards kids there are definitely a few jokes tossed in just for the parents. Tosh and Mac Gopher show up at one point and it is not so subtly hinted at that they might be boyfriends, at least that’s what I took from it. Not that kids would even remotely notice that, but it’s there.
Is this as good as a classic Looney Tunes cartoon? No, absolutely not. It pales in comparison. But judging on it’s own laurels, it made me chuckle a few times and when all was said and done I didn’t feel like I’d wasted my time.
The film is presented in a widescreen format and 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound. This is a great looking movie. The animation is smooth and the voice acting is top notch.
You get 5 Bonus Cartoons: “Best Friends” The TV Pilot The Looney Tune Show and 4 computer animated shorts; 3 Wiley Coyote and 1 Tweety Bird.
If you’re looking to introduce your kids to Looney Tunes this might be a good place to start. It moves at a pace that will hold todays kids attention and when you finally transition them to the classics they’ll realize how much better those are by comparison.
Warner Bros. presents Looney Tunes: Rabbits Run. Written by Hugh Davison and Rachel Ramras. Directed by Jeff Siergey. Starring: Jeff Bergman, Rachel Ramras, Fred Armisen, Maurice LaMarche, Jim Rash and Billy West. Running time: 75 min. Rating: G. Released on DVD: August 4, 2015.
