Rabbit of Seville

"Rabbit of Seville" was produced by Eddie Selzer and directed by Chuck Jones in 1949. The cartoon starts off in the Hollywood Bowl with an orchestra warming up. This image of high culture is interrupted by gunshots from the hills. Soon the viewer sees Bugs Bunny run across the screen and into the backstage area of the Hollywood bowl. Elmer, close on Bugs' heels, bursts into the backstage area. He looks for Bugs, but he is unable to find him. When he checks the stage, Bugs pulls the curtains up. Elmer, not expecting to see a live audience staring back at him, is shell-shocked. Bugs, on the other hand, is a performer. He immediately appears on stage in barber get-up and sings. The rest of the cartoon entails Bugs tricking Elmer into getting brutal haircuts.

The cartoon uses parts of Rossini's overture for The Barber of Seville and music from "Wedding March" by Mendelssohn. Chuck Jones incorporates this music perfectly. One of the most famous scenes from the cartoon is when Bugs Bunny squishes and scrunches Elmer's scalp in perfect rhythm with the music. As he does so, Bugs looks at the viewer with a dazed, maniacal look. This short scene uses music to comment upon theatrical performances and to maximize the humor of the situation. Whereas Avery goes from gag to gag in rapid succession, “Rabbit of Seville” demonstrates perfectly how Jones utilizes slight movements and timing to create humor.