Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales is the third Looney Tunes Compilation Movie, released in 1982. It was produced and directed (uncredited) by Friz Freleng. It was the first of the Looney Tunes movies to tell an original story and the first to include cartoons by multiple directors.
Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck are Traveling Salesmen for the Rambling House publishing company, competing to see who can sell the most books. While on their way, Bugs takes the usual Wrong Turn at Albuquerque and ends up in the Arabian desert, where Sultan Yosemite Sam forces him to read bedtime stories to his son, Prince Abba-Dabba. Now, like Schecherazade before him, Bugs has to use storytelling to save his hide.
Cartoons: "Cracked Quack", "Apes of Wrath", "Wise Quackers", "Ali Baba Bunny", "Tweety and the Beanstalk", "Goldimouse and the Three Cats", "Bewitched Bunny", "A Sheep in the Deep", "Red Riding Hoodwinked", "The Pied Piper Of Guadalupe" (and "Mexican Boarders"), "One Froggy Evening", "Aqua Duck."
This film contains examples of:
- Adapted Out: Current versions of the film remove "A Sheep in the Deep" for time. The scene can be viewed on Archive.org.
- "Arabian Nights" Days: Bugs wanders into the Arabian desert, where Sultan Yosemite Sam lives in his palace. There's even a scene where Bugs uses a Flying Carpet. Meanwhile, Daffy finds the treasure of the Forty Thieves and meets a genie (in footage from "Ali Baba Bunny").
- The Bad Guy Wins: Subverted. Bugs lets Sam and Prince Abidaba think they killed Bugs Bunny, never finding out the truth. They are satisfied, though they once again no longer have a storyteller.
- Bland-Name Product: The publishing house Bugs and Daffy work for is Rambling House, a pun on Random House.
- Breath-Holding Brat: Prince Abba-Dabba threatens to hold his breath if he doesn't get new stories. Sultan Sam tells him he's not going to... because the Vizier will hold his breath for him.
- Briar Patching: Bugs begs the Sultan not to throw him into the deep, dark hole... which is, of course, his own burrow.
- Compressed Adaptation: Again, most of the featured cartoons suffer from this.
- "Wise Quackers" and "Aqua Duck" are the biggest sufferers of this, with only a small portion of the shorts being included (with the footage from the latter actually being mirrored as well!).
- Likewise, "Apes of Wrath", "Ali Baba Bunny", "Tweety and the Beanstalk", "Goldimouse and the Three Cats", "Bewitched Bunny" and "One Froggy Evening" all have their endings cut (with "Bewitched Bunny" in particular ending abruptly after the prince takes his leave)
- Two Speedy Gonzales cartoons - "The Pied Piper of Guadelupe" and "Mexican Boarders" are combined as one.
- Disproportionate Retribution: For not wanting to read to the prince, Sultan Sam threatens to dip Bugs in boiling oil.
- Here We Go Again!: Just as Bugs escapes from the Sultan, Daffy is approaching the palace. Bugs tries to warn him, but Daffy just ignores him. He returns after having all his feathers boiled off.
- Left Hanging: The plot is set off by a book selling contest, but the results of the contest are never revealed.
- Royal Brat: Prince Abba-Dabba. Even his own father can't stand him.
- Self-Insert Fic: Prince Abba-Dabba calls out Bugs for inserting himself into the story of Hansel and Gretel. Bugs claims it's actually one of his relatives.
- Shout-Out:
- King Kong is seen in the main title sequence.
- Prince Abba-Dabba is introduced in a parody of Jaws, his feather acting as a Shark Fin of Doom as he wanders through the hedge maze, with a spoof of the theme music playing.
- Talking with Signs:
- King Kong's cameo in the credits has him holding a sign calling "Help", since he's apparently can't get down from the skyscraper.
- Sultan Sam orders his Vizier to hold his breath for Prince Abba-Dabba. After a few minutes of this, the Vizier holds up a sign reading "Air, please?" as he turns blue in the face.
