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3%% The proper format for short cartoons is between quotes, not italics. Don't change it back.
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6[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Whats_Opera_Doc_6622.jpg]]
7[[caption-width-right:300:He's STILL going to [[Music/RideOfTheValkyries Kill Da Wabbit, Kill Da Wabbit, Kill Da Wabbit...!]][[note]]This is not an actual image from the cartoon. This is a sericel Creator/ChuckJones produced in the 1990s depicting a scene.[[/note]]]]
8
9->''"Well, you either hate opera, or you love it. I love it."''
10-->-- '''Bugs Bunny''', speaking of this cartoon in ''WesternAnimation/TheBugsBunnyRoadRunnerMovie''.
11
12"What's Opera, Doc?" -- yes, with a question mark -- is a [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation 1957]] ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' short famously described by director Creator/ChuckJones as "[[TheAbridgedSeries our attempt to squish the entire Ring Cycle down to six minutes]]." The incredible part is that they ''succeeded''.
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14Specifically, the short is an ambitious parody of the operas of Music/RichardWagner, particularly ''[[Theatre/TheRingOfTheNibelung Der Ring des Nibelungen]]'' (especially ''Die Walküre''), and (musically) ''Der fliegende Holländer'' and ''Theatre/{{Tannhaeuser}}''. It was written by Michael Maltese, who had warmed up for the task 12 years earlier with Friz Freleng's similar ''WesternAnimation/HerrMeetsHare'', with WesternAnimation/ElmerFudd playing [[UsefulNotes/NaziGermany Hermann Göring]] (!).
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16The plot follows Siegfried Fudd as he attempts to (what else?) kill innocent WesternAnimation/BugsBunny with his "speaw and [[HatOfPower magic hewlmet]]." Along the way, Fudd manages to fall in love with Brünnhilde, whom he doesn't realize is Bugs in drag; when he discovers he's been had, his [[ElmuhFuddSyndwome tewwib]] -- er, ''terrible'' wrath unleashes the full force of the helmet's awesome might: "Nowth winds bwow! South winds bwow! Typhoons! Huwwicanes! Eawthquakes! [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking SMOOOOOOGGGGG!!]]"
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18As the tempest dies down, it reveals the broken form of the "poor wittle wabbit", whom he has, by all appearances, finally killed. [[AntagonistInMourning Overcome with remorse]], Fudd tenderly scoops up the body and marches sniffling into the sunset... at which point Bugs, [[FakingTheDead very much alive]], raises his head and inquires briskly of the audience: "Well what did ya expect in an opera -- [[TrueArtIsAngsty a happy ending]]?"
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20Naturally, as this is an opera, almost all of the dialogue is sung ("O mighty warrior of great fighting stock, / Might I inquire to ask, 'Ehh, what's up Doc?'" to the tune of Siegfried's Horn Call). Most famous is Elmer's continual refrain of "Kill da wabbit!" to the tune of the "Music/RideOfTheValkyries". The brief ballet sequence between Siegfried and "Brünnhilde" was painstakingly choreographed by animators who studied film of actual dancers. There's even a duet, "Return, My Love", with original words by Maltese, to the tune of the "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coLxM2hq_gA Pilgrims' Chorus]]" from ''Theatre/{{Tannhaeuser}}''.
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22Having taken roughly six times as much time and money to produce as most contemporary ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' shorts[[note]]Chuck Jones wrote that, since [[WesternAnimation/WileECoyoteAndTheRoadRunner Wile E. Coyote]] shorts were faster and cheaper to make, the animators were able to complete all of them within the studio's time and budget constraints[[/note]], "What's Opera, Doc?" is considered by many to be Jones' magnum opus, and is one of the most beloved and critically acclaimed animated shorts of all time, if not ''the'' most. It has topped numerous lists compiled by film critics and professional animators.
23----
24!!"What's Opera, Doc?" provides examples of:
25
26* AffectionateParody: Of everything Wagnerian and Romantic in general. It is also a self-parody of the by-then tired Bugs-and-Elmer typical plot.
27* AlasPoorVillain: It's hard to not feel sad for poor Elmer as he grieves the fallen Bugs Bunny.
28* AmusingInjuries: This most-favored-trope of the ''Looney Tunes'' is surprisingly averted at the end... in which it turns out that its being purely PlayedForDrama ''is'' the gag.
29* AntagonistInMourning: "[[MyGodWhatHaveIDone What have I done?]] I've killed the wabbit."
30* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: "Typhoons! Huwwicanes! Earthquakes! '''''[[MundaneMadeAwesome SMOOOOOOOOOOOOGGGGGGGGGG!]]'''''"
31* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: It’s implied at the end that Elmer takes Bugs’ corpse to Valhalla.
32* TheBadGuyWins: Yes, you read that correctly. [[LampshadeHanging It's lampshaded, even.]]
33* BerserkButton: When Elmer catches on to Bugs' tricks, all hell breaks loose.
34* BigShadowLittleCreature: The opening, when Elmer Fudd first appears.
35* BrawnHilda: Averted; Bugs as Brünnhilde is really quite petite. [[https://78.media.tumblr.com/0a510c3d8bdcf6d2034a6b122618b535/tumblr_inline_p8wposC52g1rmndlo_500.png The horse "she" rides in on, however...]] Creator/ChuckJones explained that they threw every curve they had into her noble steed instead.
36* BreakingTheFourthWall: "Well, what did you expect in an opera—a HAPPY ending?"
37* CharacterCatchphrase: Plays magnificently with Elmer's traditional desire to "''Kill the wabbit!!''"
38* ClothesMakeTheSuperman: Elmer Fudd's "spear and magic helmet" allow him to control the weather and finally kill da wabbit... kind of.
39* CoolHelmet: Elmer's magic helmet.
40* CoolHorse: Bugs' horse is a strange mix of a BrawnHilda and a beautiful white mare. Pretty neat.
41* CradlingYourKill: What Elmer does after he has killed da Wabbit.
42* DarkerAndEdgier: Given it's a Looney Tunes short, it does conflict with the usual gleefully wacky house style. But it works.
43** The usual "That's All, Folks!" closing card is cut extremely short, not even animated or with its standard whimsical music; the score plays over it as it simply fades in and out as a static card.
44* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: When Bugs first approaches Elmer the mighty hunter, their dialogue parodies the often excessive internal repetition of operatic libretti:
45-->'''Bugs:''' ''[sings]'' Oh mighty warrior of great fighting stock, Might I inquire to ask, eh, what's up, doc?\
46'''Elmer:''' ''[sings]'' I'm going to kill the wabbit!\
47'''Bugs:''' ''[sings]'' O mighty hunter, 'twill be quite a task, How will you do it, might I inquire to ask?\
48'''Elmer:''' ''[sings]'' I'll do it with my spear and magic helmet!\
49'''Bugs:''' ''[sings]'' Your spear and magic helmet?\
50'''Elmer:''' ''[sings]'' Spear and magic helmet!\
51'''Bugs:''' ''[sings]'' Magic helmet?\
52'''Elmer:''' ''[sings]'' Magic helmet!\
53'''Bugs:''' ''[derisively]'' Magic pfelmet.\
54'''Elmer:''' ''[sings]'' Yes! Magic helmet! And I’ll give you a sample!\
55''[Elmer uses his powers of thunder and lightning to reduce the tree Bugs is under to a cinder.]''\
56'''Bugs:''' ''[with an OhCrap look on his face]'' Bye-eee! ''[Runs off.]''\
57'''Elmer:''' That was the wabbit!
58* DisguisedInDrag: Bugs, dressed as Brünnhilde.
59* DownerEnding: {{Parodied}}. Elmer succeeds in killing Bugs, [[PyrrhicVictory but weeps over the "poor widdle bunny"]]. {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d by Bugs while BreakingTheFourthWall.
60-->"Well, what did you expect in an opera? A ''happy'' ending?"
61* ElmuhFuddSyndwome: Siegfwied Fudd Syndwome!
62-->'''[[VillainousBreakdown Elmer]]:''' [[RedEyesTakeWarning I'll]] '''[[RedEyesTakeWarning KILL DA WABBIT!]]'''
63* FoeRomanceSubtext: The usual RunningGag in shorts; Bugs DisguisedInDrag, and Elmer falling head over heels for him. What's a little different here is that the "Return My Love" segment is pretty sappy, cliché and emotional yet still funny, while all other times Bugs pulled out his drag act it was only PlayedForLaughs.
64* GoneHorriblyRight: Elmer succeeds in his goal to kill the wabbit, but isn't very happy about it.
65* HatOfPower: The magic helmet, of course.
66* HeelRealization: Elmer at the end.
67* HornyVikings: Elmer's magic helmet has a pair of horns in the classic "viking" design. Justified here, in that the original opera was one of the [[TropeCodifier Trope Codifiers]].
68* KilledOffForReal / FakingTheDead: This was the only short where Bugs was the former trope. And it was lampshaded as well, during which Bugs is the latter trope.
69* MusicalEpisode: Every line is sung to the tune of music by Wagner.
70* MyGodWhatHaveIDone:
71-->'''[[HeelRealization Elmer]]:''' What have I done?... [[IronicEcho I've killed da wabbit...]]
72* NerdInEvilsHelmet: Elmer Fudd wearing a magic helmet instead of his usual hunter cap.
73* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Elmer Fudd.
74* OhCrap: Twice with Bugs when he realized the full extent of Elmer’s power:
75** When Bugs realizes Elmer wasn't bluffing about his helmet's powers -- complete with doe eyes and drooping ears.
76** At the end of the big love song, Bugs’s wig and helmet fall off, and Bugs gives an OhCrapSmile before pulling Elmer’s helmet down and running for his life. All of which is accompanied by a dramatic {{Drum Roll|Please}} which signals the start of Elmer's VillainousBreakdown. When audiences heard it and saw Bugs running for his life, they ''knew'' things were going to REALLY go downhill.
77* OhCrapSmile: When Elmer realizes that Bugs duped him, the rabbit gives Elmer this kind of smile before he runs off.
78* OneWingedAngel: While he doesn't actually turn into one, when he has a VillainousBreakdown, Elmer unleashes enough power that would make him seem capable of becoming this.
79* PietaPlagiarism: Elmer lifts Bugs' broken body in the La Pieta pose.
80* PlayfulPursuit: WesternAnimation/ElmerFudd as Siegfried chases after Brunhilde as she dances in a flirty fashion, not realizing that she's really WesternAnimation/BugsBunny in disguise.
81* PublicDomainSoundtrack: Obviously; the entire piece is a pastiche of Music/RichardWagner's {{opera}}s. Most famously, the Music/RideOfTheValkyries is given the immortal lyrics, "Kill da wabbit, kill da wabbit, kill da wabbit..."
82* PunBasedTitle
83* PyrrhicVictory: Elmer succeeds in killing Bugs, yes, but at the same time kills the...er...[[DisguisedInDrag rabbit]] he loved and is overcome by grief and remorse. It makes perfect sense for the character. Every time Bugs fooled Elmer into thinking he got him before, Elmer broke down similarly. Perhaps he's not as cut out for hunting as he thinks he is. Or he should stick to hunting the non-sentient.
84* QuestioningTitle: "What's Opera, Doc?"
85* RecycledInSpace
86** This short is basically just your typical Bugs Bunny being hunted by Elmer Fudd scenario... but this time, '''AS AN OPERA!''' And '''ELMER WINS!'''
87** Alternately, The Ring Cycle [[TheAbridgedSeries Abridged]] '''WITH BUGS BUNNY!'''
88* RedEyesTakeWarning: Elmer gets this as well as everything around him glowing red with rage when he catches on to Bugs' tricks.
89* SceneryPorn: Particularly when Elmer carries Bugs away.
90* ShockAndAwe: "Stwike, wightning! Stwike da wabbit!"
91* ShoutOut: Beside all the opera references, the opening scene is also a parody of the "Night On Bald Mountain" segment of ''WesternAnimation/{{Fantasia}}'' (which, fittingly, was also set to classical music).
92* ShownTheirWork: This was one of the only Looney Tunes shorts in which the animators did extensive research (the other one being the notorious ''WesternAnimation/CoalBlackAndDeSebbenDwarfs''). Professional ballet dancers were hired for the animators to study.
93* SophisticatedAsHell: Opera motifs. Ballet. Love duets. Wagnerian motifs. Yet Siegfried is still out to "kill da wabbit."
94* StylisticSuck: Not the cartoon itself by any means, but the song "Return My Love" was deliberately written to be as sappy and cliché as possible.
95* SubvertedRhymeEveryOccasion: [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed.]] Bugs rhymes 'task' with 'ask', but he pronounces task with his usual Brooklyn accent and ask as a more British 'ahsk'.
96* TeamRocketWins: Notably one of the only three occurrences in Looney Tunes history where Elmer gets one over on Bugs.[[note]] The others are "WesternAnimation/HareBrush" and "WesternAnimation/RabbitRampage", both from 1955.[[/note]]
97* TearsFromAStone: As Bugs lies seemingly dead, rain drops falling from a flower make it seem as if it was mourning him.
98* TrueArtIsAngsty: Invoked by Bugs at the {{Punchline}}.
99* UnexplainedRecovery: Bugs suddenly recovers, to deliver the {{Punchline}}.
100* UnsettlingGenderReveal: Brünnhilde was da wabbit! Leading to Elmer's VillainousBreakdown.
101* UnstoppableRage: Elmer gets this after catching wise to Bugs' trickery. See also: RedEyesTakeWarning and VillainousBreakdown. In fact, it's likely the most angry he has ever been in any cartoon to date. It's no longer about hunting, or good sport. ItsPersonal. And perhaps the only instance in which he comes off as a truly frightening villain (it helps that he's ridiculously overpowered in this one as well).
102* {{Valkyries}}: Bugs as Brünnhilde, obviously.
103* VillainousBreakdown: When Elmer discovers who his love really is.
104* VocalDissonance: As Elmer unleashes the elements on Bugs and screams, "SMOG!", it sounds significantly different than usual. That is actually Creator/MelBlanc, not Arthur Q. Bryan, shouting that word, briefly sounding more like Yosemite Sam.
105* WeatherManipulation: Siegfried-Elmer can control the weather using his magic helmet, from commanding the lightning to brewing a massive storm with typhoons, hurricanes, earthquakes, and smog.
106* WhamLine: Not the words themselves, but how they're uttered.... Elmer's "I'll '''KILL DA WABBIT!!!'''" is genuinely frightening. Play-time is ''over!''
107* WholesomeCrossdresser: Bugs (as usual) disguises himself as a woman (specifically, Brünnhilde) to trick Elmer.
108* WordSchmord: Bugs derisively refers to Elmer's magic helmet as "Magic pfelmet."
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