December 2, 2010

Bugsploitation

If you've ever had the urge to see Elmer Fudd as a pimped-out drug dealer, strutting down the street singing Curtis Mayfield's "Pusherman," today is your lucky day. "Rabbit Habit," a short film made in 1975, is a parody of Looney Tunes cartoons, the likes of which I've never seen before.

More surprising than the scenes of Daffy all hopped up on cocaine is how well executed it is, given the obvious budget constraints. I think it captures the energy of the Underground Comix movement much more effectively than Ralph Bakshi's infamous Fritz the Cat movie. Steve Peck ( a pseudonym?), the director of this cartoon, obviously has great affection for the source material, and it shows throughout.

Let the cartoon begin!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Boy, that was just demented! Is that THE Peter Riegert in the production? Cool.