"Well, you either hate opera, or you love it. I love it. I love it so much, that I took the entire 18 hours of Richard Wagner's "
Rings of Nibble-lung", and squashed it down to seven minutes."
— Bugs Bunny, speaking of What's Opera, Doc?, in The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie.
What's Opera, Doc? — yes, with a question mark — is a
1957 Looney Tunes short famously described by director
Chuck Jones as "
our attempt to squish the entire Ring Cycle down to six minutes." The incredible part is that they
succeeded.
Specifically, the short is an ambitious parody of the operas of
Richard Wagner, particularly
Der Ring des Nibelungen (especially
Die Walküre), and (musically)
Der fliegende Holländer and
Tannhaeuser. It was written by Michael Maltese, who twelve years earlier had warmed up for the task with Friz Freleng's similar
Herr Meets Hare
, with
Hermann Göring (!) in the Elmer Fudd part.
The plot follows Siegfried Fudd as he attempts to (what else?) kill innocent little forest critter
Bugs Bunny with his "speaw and
magic hewmet." Along the way Fudd manages to fall in love with what he does not realize is Bugs in drag as Brünnhilde; when he discovers he's been tricked, his
tewwib — er,
terrible wrath unleashes the full force of the helmet's awesome might: "Nowth winds bwow! South winds bwow! Typhoons! Huwwicanes! Eawthquakes!
SMOOOOOOGGGGG!!"
As the tempest dies down, it reveals the broken form of the "poor wittle wabbit", which he has to all appearances finally killed. Overcome by remorse, Fudd tenderly scoops up the body and marches sniffling into the sunset... at which point Bugs raises his head and inquires briskly of the audience: "Well what did ya expect in an opera —
a happy ending?"
Naturally, 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 "
Ride of the Valkyries". 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 "
Pilgrims' Chorus" from
Tannhaeuser.
Having taken roughly six times as much time and money to produce as most contemporary
Looney Tunes shorts
* Chuck Jones wrote that, since
Wile E Coyote And The Road Runner cartoons were faster and cheaper to make, the animators were able to complete all of them within the studio's time and budget constraints
, this is possibly the most beloved and critically acclaimed animated short of all time, topping numerous lists compiled by film critics and professional animators. In 1992, it became the first cartoon short to be deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress, and thus was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. Moreover, it was chosen by a number of animation industry insiders for
the Number One spot on the list of
The 50 Greatest Cartoons. It has also earned a position on
The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes.
What's Opera, Doc? provides examples of the following tropes:
- Affectionate Parody: Of everything Wagnerian and Romantic in general.
- Amusing Injuries: This most-favored-Trope of Looney Tunes is surprisingly averted at the end but purely Played for Drama.
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: "Typhoons! Huwwicanes! Earthquakes! SMOOOOOOOOOOOOGGGGGGGGGG!"
- The Bad Guy Wins: Yes, you read that correctly. Lampshaded as well.
- Berserk Button: When Elmer catches on to Bugs' tricks, all hell breaks loose.
- Big Shadow, Little Creature: The opening, when Elmer Fudd first appears.
- Brawn Hilda: Averted; Bugs as Brünnhilde is really quite petite. The horse "she" rides in on, however...◊ Chuck Jones once explained that, denied the traditionally curvaceous opera heroine, they threw every curve they had into her noble steed.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: "Well, what did you expect in an opera — a HAPPY ending?"
- Clothes Make the Superman: Elmer Fudd's "spear and magic helmet" allow him to control the weather and finally kill da wabbit... kind of.
- Cool Helmet: Elmer's magic helmet.
- Cradling Your Kill: What Elmer does after he has killed da Wabbit.
- Downer Ending: Lampshaded by Bugs.
- Hat of Power: The magic helmet, of course.
- My God, What Have I Done?:
- Nerd in Evil's Helmet: Elmer Fudd wearing a magic helmet instead of his usual hunter cap.
- Oh Crap
- When Bugs realizes Elmer wasn't bluffing about his Helmet's powers, complete with doe eyes and drooping ears.
- And to the audience, the dramatic Drum Roll which signaled the start of Elmer's Villainous Breakdown. When they heard it and saw Bugs running for his life, they knew things were going to get REALLY ugly.
- One-Winged Angel: While not actually turning into one, when he has a Villainous Breakdown, Elmer unleashes enough power that would make him seem capable of becoming this.
- Pun-Based Title
- Pyrrhic Villainy: Elmer succeeds in killing Bugs, yes, but at the same time kills the...er...rabbit he loved and is overcome by grief and remorse.
- Wecycled IN SPACE!
- This short is basically just your typical Bugs Bunny being hunted by Elmer Fudd scenario... but this time, AS AN OPERA! And ELMER WINS!
- Alternately, The Ring Cycle Abridged WITH BUGS BUNNY!
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Elmer gets this as well as everything around him glowing red with rage when he catches on to Bugs' tricks.
- Scenery Porn: Particularly when Elmer carries Bugs away.
- Shock and Awe: "Stwike, wightning! Stwike da wabbit!"
- Siegfwied Fudd Syndwome
- Sophisticated as Hell: Opera motifs. Ballet. Love duets. Wagnerian motifs. Yet Siegfried is still out to "kill da wabbit."
- Stylistic Suck: Not the cartoon itself by any means, but the song "Return My Love" was deliberately written to be as sappy and cliché as possible.
- Team Rocket Wins
- True Art Is Angsty: Invoked by Bugs at the Punchline.
- Unexplained Recovery: Bugs suddenly recovers, to deliver the Punchline.
- Unsettling Gender Reveal: Brünnhilde was da wabbit! Leading to Elmer's Villainous Breakdown.
- Unstoppable Rage: Elmer gets like after catching wise to Bugs' trickery. See also: Red Eyes, Take Warning and Villainous Breakdown.
- Valkyries: Bugs as Brünnhilde, obviously.
- Villainous Breakdown: When Elmer discovers who his love really is.
- Wholesome Crossdresser: Bugs at one point in the short.
"Well what did you expect in an opera? A happy ending?"
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