Shrunken Cinema/Termite Terrace/Whats Opera Doc
From Eccentric Flower
What's Opera, Doc?
1957
Summary: Bugs and Elmer perform Wagnerian opera.
Director: Chuck Jones
Writer: Michael Maltese
Featuring: Elmer Fudd; Bugs Bunny.
Onreel
0:21 All of the music in this film is either directly from, or inspired by, one of several operas by Richard Wagner. You can hear some of the key themes as the orchestra tunes up for the performance during the credits.
0:37 The music in the opening storm is from the overture to The Flying Dutchman (Der fliegende Holländer). This is invoked in later points where Elmer summons weather as well.
1:22 "Ride of the Valkyries" from The Valkyrie (Die Walküre) is used for Elmer tiptoeing around here, as well as for "Kill the wabbit!" This is the one Wagner bit everyone recognizes.
1:50 "Oh mighty warrior of great fighting stock ..." These couplets are to the tune of Siegfried's horn call from Siegfried. (The orchestral accompaniment is a solo horn.) Elmer's replies remain in the "Ride of the Valkyries" rhythm.
2:50 The horn calls as Elmer demonstrates the helmet may be more Flying Dutchman or they may be from the overture to Rienzi. Rienzi is also apparently used when Elmer chases Bugs briefly (before Bugs reappears in drag).
3:00 "Return, My Love" - the theme of which is first heard here when Bugs makes his appearance as Brunnhilde - is set to the "Pilgrim's Chorus" from Tannhäuser. The lyrics were written by Michael Maltese.
3:10 Chuck Jones joked "We gave the horse the operatic curves we couldn't give Bugs." However, the concept of Bugs in Valkyrie drag riding a fat horse was reused from an earlier Maltese cartoon, Herr Meets Hare (1945).
3:21 "Oh Bwunhilda, you're so wovewy!" This theme is from another part of Tannhäuser. The two themes (this and the "Return My Love" theme) both show up in the Tannhäuser overture.
3:49 The ballet uses music from yet another segment of Tannhäuser - I am told it is from the Bacchanal which follows the overture, but can't verify that. See Offreel.
5:23 The jig's up.
5:44 The word "SMOG!" is voiced by Mel Blanc instead of Arthur Q. Bryan, who reportedly could not summon the necessary volume.
6:31 The theme heard here is apparently from Tannhäuser yet again.
6:43 Wikipedia notes that this is one of only three times Elmer defeats Bugs in these cartoons - and the only time he feels sorry about it.
Offreel
This cartoon was named one of the "fifty greatest cartoons" in a vote of 1000 animation professionals in 1994. In fact, it was named #1. The cartoon has been selected for preservation in the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress. This was the first cartoon ever so selected. (Duck Amuck and One Froggy Evening have also received this honor.)
The cartoon took far more effort to design and draw than normal Warner cartoons; Chuck Jones noted, for example, that it contains 140 cuts, an extremely high number for a seven-minute piece. Jones has described in various places how he and his crew doctored time cards and other records, borrowing time from a less complex Road Runner short (Zoom and Bored). The estimate most often seen is that this cartoon took two weeks more than their normal schedule of about five weeks per short.
It's worth noting that this is, in our scope, a late-period cartoon; it's doubtful if a cartoon like this would have been possible earlier in the evolution of the Bugs and Elmer characters. (See also comments at Duck Amuck.) By 1957, though, they were old hat and, indeed, a cliché. Surely part of its appeal to some people is that ironic, wink-at-the-audience approach: A cartoon for people who were jaded about cartoons. (The "Wabbit Season" trilogy, also all late-period cartoons, show the same reinvent-the-rules spirit.) That said, even people who never got tired of Bugs and Elmer chasing each other around unironically (like me) love this cartoon - because it is also very, very funny.
Credit where credit is due: This cartoon would not nearly be what it is if not for the inspired "set design" of layout artist Maurice Noble.
If my notes about the musical cues seem vague, it is because I don't like Wagner and this is about the closest I can get to his work. It's hard for me to sort out anything but the Siegfried and Valkyrie motifs (although I did go listen to a clip of the "Pilgrim's Chorus" to confirm for myself that it really was the theme under "Return, My Love.") Fortunately, writing about bizarre subjects on the web has taught me that there is always some nerd who is even more devoted to the subject than you are - and thus people who are truly fascinated by the music in this cartoon are invited to try Daniel Goldmark's excellent book Tunes for 'Toons, which among other thing has a whole chapter on the music in this cartoon, including a list of compositions with time markings.
