Wackiki Wabbit (Bugs Bunny Cartoon, 1943)

Wackiki Wabbit is a classic 1943 Merrie Melodies animated short from Warner Bros., directed by Chuck Jones and written by Tedd Pierce. Released on July 3, 1943, it's a 7-minute Looney Tunes installment starring Bugs Bunny in one of his early Chuck Jones-directed adventures, blending slapstick humor, clever wordplay, and visual gags. The title is a pun on "Waikiki" (the Hawaiian beach) and Bugs' signature "wabbit" pronunciation, evoking a "wacky" tropical vibe—though notably, Elmer Fudd doesn't appear.
Plot Summary
The story kicks off with two starving castaways—a tall, skinny man and a short, fat one—drifting on a raft in the ocean, hallucinating food everywhere (even each other's limbs look like drumsticks). They spot a lush, deserted island and scramble ashore, only to discover Bugs Bunny lounging there on vacation, sipping a coconut drink and reading Robinson Crusoe. Ignoring Bugs' cheerful "What's up, Doc?", they spot his fluffy tail and yell "RABBIT STEW!" before giving chase. Bugs, ever the quick-witted trickster, swings off on a vine with a Tarzan yell and disguises himself as a hula-dancing native, greeting them in mock-Polynesian gibberish (subtitled with absurd non-sequiturs like "Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their party"). He distracts them with dances and hospitality, leading to a series of escalating chases through the jungle: Bugs "borrows" their boiling pot for a bath, swaps himself for a plucked chicken puppet to taunt them, and ultimately tricks the duo into boarding a cruise ship by swapping places and showering them with goodbye leis. As the ship sails away with the castaways aboard, Bugs waves from the island, free to relax. In a final twist, the hungry men turn on each other, imagining one as a hot dog and the other as a hamburger, chasing off-screen to the tune of "Aloha Oe.
Characters and Voices
Bugs Bunny (voiced by Mel Blanc): The star, portrayed as a laid-back vacationer who effortlessly outsmarts his pursuers with charm and cunning. This is one of Bugs' more sophisticated Jones-era depictions, emphasizing his cool-headed intellect over raw anarchy.