TheLittleSongbird Mississippi Hare is not one of the greatest Looney Tunes cartoons, and Chuck Jones has done better and perhaps been more original. The story is rather predictable, Bugs disguising himself as a woman(southern belle here) has been seen many times though here it's still pretty amusing. However it didn't and doesn't deserve to be banned, the opening scene is stereotypical in a sense but as far as I'm concerned it wasn't racist(believe it or not black people did actually pick cotton). Much makes up for the story's predictability, for one thing it's always crisply paced and doesn't come across as dull. It's beautifully animated, bright and colourful with very well-rendered backgrounds and character designs. Carl Stalling's music is perfectly in sync with the action and is very characterful, the way the music is orchestrated also still impresses. The dialogue still maintains the freshness and wit you expect from Looney Tunes- who doesn't love the ending line?- while the gags are similarly funny, strictly speaking the one with Colonel Shuffle setting fire to his pants is hilarious. Bugs is still cunning and likable as well as smart and arrogant, while Colonel Shuffle is a fun foil, like the southern answer to Yosemite Sam. Mel Blanc's vocals are still nigh-on perfect, likewise with Billy Bletcher. Overall, fun, witty, well-voiced and beautifully animated and scored if a little predictable that was/is undeservedly banned. 8/10 Bethany Cox

slymusic "Mississippi Hare" is quite a decent Bugs Bunny cartoon directed by Chuck Jones. In the days of cotton plantations and riverboat gamblers in the 19th Century, Bugs matches wits with Colonel Shuffle, perhaps the most hot-tempered, trigger-happy gambler who ever set foot on a riverboat.My favorite scenes from "Mississippi Hare" include the following (DON'T read any further if you have not yet seen this cartoon). At the opening of this film, the plantation workers harmonize "Dixie" as they pick cotton; what really makes this scene funny is how the tempo of the song suddenly speeds up as Bugs' tail is accidentally plucked out of the bush and Bugs gets bagged, sucked upward, transported on a conveyor belt, and baled. During the poker game, Bugs consistently has a wryly humorous expression on his face as he eventually wins all of Colonel Shuffle's stacks of chips and finally shows him six aces; the colonel is then hilarious as his face turns red and he blows a fuse! Bugs does a nice tap dance as he sings "Camptown Races" to the accompaniment of Colonel Shuffle's banjo. Shuffle is quite funny as he jumps around while his butt is ablaze; Bugs protracts the colonel's pain by stalling to give him spare change for a cup of water. Plus, I must praise Carl Stalling's music score for this cartoon; in addition to "Dixie" during the opening cotton-picking scene, "Camptown Races" can be heard during the poker game; a snippet of "Beautiful Dreamer" at the start of the duel; "Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair" as Bugs (in drag) asks a Southern gentleman to protect him (her) from Colonel Shuffle; a distorted version of "Dixie" as the colonel's rear end is on fire; and then, interestingly enough, "Merrily We Roll Along" (one of the familiar opening themes for the Warner Bros. cartoons) as the emblazed colonel requests some spare change from Bugs.In closing, I must also praise Mel Blanc and Billy Bletcher for their vocal characterizations in "Mississippi Hare." Blanc provided the voice of Bugs (and a few other minor characters), while Bletcher supplied the voice of Colonel Shuffle. Blanc could have easily provided the fiery-tempered colonel's voice - he did Yosemite Sam's voice, after all - but Bletcher adds another dimension to the vocal characterizations that is just brilliant. Too bad he didn't receive screen credit, huh?

Lee Eisenberg I understand that "Mississippi Hare" got censored for showing black people picking cotton, but most of the cartoon has nothing to do with that. In fact, most of the cartoon nearly made me die laughing, as Bugs Bunny plays every kind of trick to avoid getting shot by an aggressive riverboat gambler whom he beats at poker. While some scenes set up what's about to happen, others are sped up so that you can't wait to see what's going to happen! Yes, once again, someone tries to go after Bugs, but Bugs is somehow always ten steps ahead. You gotta love it. And as for that scene where Bugs dresses up as a Southern belle...well, seeing a woman like that, I might have easily fallen for any trick!

smicalef One of the better Bugs shorts, although not seen much today due to its depiction of blacks picking cotton and parodies of Uncle Tom's Cabin. If you can forgive those misgivings, then this is a definite must see short. Bugs takes on a Mississippi Colonel on a riverboat.