Ali Baba Bunny
| Ali Baba Bunny | |
|---|---|
| Merrie Melodies (Bugs Bunny/Daffy Duck) series | |
 "Him go that-a-way"! | |
| Directed by | Chuck Jones |
| Produced by |
Edward Selzer (uncredited) |
| Story by | Michael Maltese |
| Voices by | Mel Blanc |
| Music by |
Carl Stalling Milt Franklyn (musical direction, orchestra) |
| Animation by |
Richard Thompson Ken Harris Abe Levitow Ben Washam Harry Love (special animation effects) |
| Layouts by | Maurice Noble |
| Backgrounds by | Philip DeGuard |
| Distributed by |
Warner Bros. Pictures The Vitaphone Corporation |
| Release date(s) | February 9, 1957 (USA) |
| Color process | Technicolor |
| Running time | 6:55 |
| Language | English |
Ali Baba Bunny is a Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies short featuring Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, directed by Chuck Jones and released in 1957. In 1994, it was voted #35 of the 50 Greatest Cartoons of all time by members of the animation field. Several lines spoken by Daffy—among them "Down down down! Go go go! It's mine mine mine!", "I can't help it, I'm a greedy slob—it's my hobby." and "I'm rich—I'm a happy miser!"—have become popular catchphrases amongst fans and students of Chuck Jones' style of animation and fans of Daffy Duck as well; the line "Hassan chop!" has also become a favorite quote.
The film was edited into two of the Looney Tunes greatest hits features: The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie (1979), and Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales (1982).
Plot
In the middle of the Arabian Desert, a rich Sultan has stored all his treasure in a cave and is leaving his guard Hassan to watch the cave, or else be killed. Hassan assures his master that no one will get past him. As the Sultan leaves, the trail of someone burrowing crosses the desert towards the cave and, after briefly bumping into Hassan's sword (and saying "Ouch!") enters into it. Hassan, enraged that someone has gotten past him and into the cave, attempts to get rid of the intruders, but has trouble remembering the command to open the cave's door ("Open Sesame!") and tries combining "Open..." with every "S" word that he can think of in order to do so.
Inside the cave, Bugs Bunny and his traveling companion Daffy Duck emerge from the burrow, believing they have arrived at Pismo Beach. Daffy's complaints about travelling underground ("What a way for a duck to travel; underground!") and that they are at the wrong place are silenced when he spots the riches and gets mesmerized. Determined to keep it all for himself, he stomps repeatedly on Bugs to force him back into the burrow. Daffy then eagerly indulges himself, jumping into and out of the pile of treasure and boasting how he's become a very wealthy duck.
Meanwhile, Hassan finally says the correct command to open the door and marches in. He is met by Daffy, who is wheeling a cart full of loot. Mistaking Hassan for a "redcap" (porter), Daffy asks him to call him a cab quickly, claiming to be a heavy tipper. In response, Hassan brings his sword down on Daffy's head, splitting in half both the diamond-adorned hat he is wearing and a single feather underneath. Daffy chuckles nervously before he screams, flees in terror and uses a large gem to try to bribe Bugs into saving his life in return for the gem, but Bugs is only concerned with dusting himself off from the earlier abuse he received from Daffy, not knowing what is going on.
Hassan rushes towards them both, sword raised. Daffy hides and tells Hassan to "chop the rabbit", but Bugs has disguised himself as a genie in a bottle and fools Hassan with a rich reward in return for releasing him. Hassan does, taking no notice of Daffy's attempt to expose Bugs. After making some elaborate body movements and uttering a nonsensical "magic" phrase, Bugs tells Hassan the treasure is his to claim. Daffy sardonically mocks Bugs for allowing Hassan access to the treasure he wanted for himself.
Outside the cave, Bugs surveys the desert and concludes he is in the wrong place. Suddenly, Daffy runs out of the cave carrying a large gem. Hassan is in hot pursuit, enraged over the duck's efforts to lay claim to the treasure. Daffy begs Bugs to save him, and Bugs reluctantly complies while berating Daffy for his greed. He sets up an Indian rope trick behind a rock, and misleads Hassan up the rope. As Hassan disappears into the clouds, Bugs pulls the rope down, seemingly trapping him there permanently. With the coast clear, Daffy runs back into the cave to claim the treasure.
Some time later, Daffy has emptied the treasure in the cave into an enormous mine cart. Looking around to see if he has missed anything, he spots an old oil lamp and rubs on it to polish it off in the belief that "it might make a quick four bits on the open market". A genie comes out of the lamp, but Daffy thinks that he is after the treasure and proceeds to stomp him back into the lamp. The genie forcefully reemerges from the lamp in a rage, declaring Daffy will suffer the "consequences" for his disrespect, and Bugs, unwilling to save Daffy this time, hurriedly escapes unseen via the burrow. Daffy, however, dismisses his punishment, right before the genie zaps him with bolts of magic.
Much later, Bugs has finally made it to Pismo Beach and, while tucking into the area's famous clams, casually wonders how Daffy's encounter with the genie worked out. Opening one clam and discovering a pearl inside, he soon finds out; Daffy, shrunk to a few inches in height, emerges from Bugs' burrow trail in the sand and claims the pearl for his own. Bugs lets the clam close by itself on the greedy duck by saying "Oh, brudder. Close sesame!"
Cast
Mel Blanc as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Hassan, Sultan and Genie
In popular culture
- During his SportsCenter tenure, Rich Eisen would occasionally use the "Hassan chop!" phrase when a highlight showed a baseball player tossing his bat in disgust.[1]
- In the animated show Robot Chicken, a rap battle is held between Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. At one point, Bugs asks Daffy where the stage is to which Daffy replies by pointing to a sign. The sign reads "Pismo Beach" with a directional arrow and "the stage" on a sign below it with a directional arrow. The Pismo Beach sign is a reference to the cartoon classic Ali Baba Bunny.
- In the animated show Phineas and Ferb, Doofenshmirtz says Daffy's phrase, "I'm rich! I'm wealthy! I'm comfortably well off!" in one episode.
- In the game Diablo III: Reaper of Souls, the Hassan Chopper is a two-handed Barbarian weapon that usually takes the form of a giant cleaver.
- In the animated show Yu-Gi-Oh!, the episode "The Spirit of the Evil Ring", Joey Wheeler yells the "Hassan chop!" catchphrase as he attacks the Morphing Jar.
See also
References
External links
| Preceded by To Hare Is Human |
Bugs Bunny Cartoons 1957 |
Succeeded by Bedeviled Rabbit |