''The Adventures of Brer Rabbit'' is a 2006 American
animated
Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anim ...
comedy film
A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...
loosely inspired by the
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
Br'er Rabbit
Br'er Rabbit (an abbreviation of ''Brother Rabbit'', also spelled Brer Rabbit) is a central figure in an oral tradition passed down by African-Americans of the Southern United States and African descendants in the Caribbean, notably Afro-Bahami ...
stories popularized by
Joel Chandler Harris
Joel Chandler Harris (December 9, 1848 – July 3, 1908) was an American journalist, fiction writer, and folklorist best known for his collection of Uncle Remus stories. Born in Eatonton, Georgia, where he served as an apprentice on a planta ...
. The film notably features an all-black cast, including
Nick Cannon
Nicholas Scott Cannon (born October 8, 1980) is an American television host, actor, rapper, and comedian. In television, Cannon began as a teenager on ''All That'' before going on to host ''The Nick Cannon Show'', ''Wild 'n Out'', ''America's G ...
as the titular character. It was described by ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' as having
hip-hop influences.
It was nominated for the
Best Home Entertainment Production Annie Award.
Plot
A girl named Janey is constantly pushed around by her siblings, Lester and Julie. She goes for a walk in the woods, only to happen upon an anthropomorphic rabbit named Brer Rabbit being chased by a fox named Brer Fox. Brer Rabbit soon tricks Brer Fox into getting trapped down a well before scurrying off. Janey is soon approached by Brer Turtle, who begins to tell her some of Brer Rabbit’s exploits. The movie then becomes a series of vignettes starring Brer Rabbit.
How the Animals Came to Earth
Brer Turtle explains that the animals once lived as constellations in outer space, watched over by Sister Moon. When Sister Moon catches a cold, she tasks Brer Rabbit to send a message to a human on Earth named Mr. Man that she will be going away for a while to recuperate through a series of metaphors. While Brer Rabbit manages to get the message across, he was confused and didn’t tell Mr. Man exactly how she said it, prompting Sister Moon to get upset and they have a spat that culminates in Brer Rabbit making holes in her. Because of this, Brer Rabbit decides to move to Earth and when he tells the other animals how good it is, they decide to move with him.
How Brer Rabbit Tricks Brer Fox Again and what came next
Brer Rabbit spends his days trying to avoid getting eaten by the predator animals (most notably Brer Fox and Brer Wolf) and constantly outwits them through a series of comical hijinks.
Brer Rabbit Tricks Brer Bear
When Brer Rabbit tries to pick some peanuts in Brer Fox’s property, he is promptly caught in a trap and hung from a tree. He notices Brer Bear coming along and dupes him into taking his place by saying that he is “earning a dollar and hour” by guarding the peanut bushes and they manage to switch before Brer Fox comes.
Sister Moon in the Pond
The animals have an annual fishing trip at night. Brer Rabbit is having no such luck, so he and Brer Turtle work together to distract the others by making them think Sister Moon is in the pond and scaring away the fishes so that they can steal their fish for themselves.
How Brer Rabbit breaks up the Party
Brer Turtle tells Janey that Brer Rabbit’s antics eventually caused the other animals to snub him from a party at Brer Fox’s house. Brer Rabbit soon gets an idea to retaliate by covering himself in mud, leaves and sticks and pretends to be a monster to scare away the animals, putting an abrupt end to the party. Satisfied with his payback at first, Brer Rabbit then sadly walks away to sulk in loneliness.
Brer Rabbit to the Rescue
Feeling sorry for Brer Rabbit, Brer Turtle attempts to get Brer Wolf to befriend him, but Brer Wolf rebuffs him and soon tries to eat him before Brer Rabbit saves him. After which, Brer Rabbit then begins to perform selfless acts for the other animals, causing him to be in their good graces, with the exception of Brer Fox.
How Brer Rabbit and Brer Bear Trick Brer Fox
When Brer Rabbit learns from Brer Fox that he is after some “big game” food to feed his relatives, he soon find out that he’s trying to capture Brer Bear. So the two of them manage to trick Brer Fox into catching the ferocious Brer Lion and Brer Fox is promptly beaten to a pulp. However, later that night, Brer Fox breaks down Brer Rabbit’s front door and captures him.
Brer Rabbit’s Laughing Place
Tied up to a pole to be roasted by Brer Fox, Brer Rabbit manages to convince him that creatures who eat “sad rabbits” don’t fare very well and tells Brer Fox that he can be happy if he goes to his “laughing place”. Brer Rabbit leads Brer Fox way across the forest to an old tree where he tricks Brer Fox into causing a bee-hive to fall on his head, prompting the Fox to run away, leaving Brer Rabbit tied up on the pole.
Brer Wolf Gets in Trouble
Brer Wolf finds Brer Rabbit tied to the pole but before he eats him, Brer Rabbit fools Brer Wolf into going into a log by saying that there’s buried treasure within it. Brer Rabbit pushes the log off a cliff it was hanging over and into a pond where he meets Brer Fox and they soon find out that Brer Rabbit tricked them both again.
Brer Rabbit and The Briar Patch
Brer Fox and Brer Wolf resolve to get revenge on the rabbit by making a baby out of tar. When Brer Rabbit happens upon it he gets trapped in it, and Brer Fox and Brer Wolf appear to ponder on how to get rid of Brer Rabbit. The rabbit sees a briar patch and gets an idea to use reverse psychology to make them throw him in there. They do so, and Brer Rabbit gets free and tricks them into jumping into the patch themselves.
Back in the present, Brer Fox happens upon Brer Turtle and Janey and asks where Brer Rabbit went. Brer Turtle points him in the wrong direction. After Brer Fox leaves, Brer Rabbit arrives and Janey asks how he is able to trick the other animals, to which Brer Rabbit responds “just give them what they think they want”. Janet’s mother than calls her for dinner and she says goodbye to the animals.
How Janey Tricks Lester
In the final vignette, Janey takes what Brer Rabbit said to heart and dupes Lester into wanting their mom’s dinner, which is tuna casserole, much to his dismay. Brer Rabbit and Turtle see this and are impressed before they have a race to go back to the woods. Brer Rabbit is then caught in another trap.
The movies ends by showing Sister Moon in outer space watching over the rabbit with a smile before winking at the audience.
Voice cast
*
Wayne Brady
Wayne Alphonso Brady (born June 2, 1972) is an American television personality, comedian, actor, and singer. He is a regular on the American version of the improvisational comedy television series ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' He was the host of ...
as Brer Wolf
*
Nick Cannon
Nicholas Scott Cannon (born October 8, 1980) is an American television host, actor, rapper, and comedian. In television, Cannon began as a teenager on ''All That'' before going on to host ''The Nick Cannon Show'', ''Wild 'n Out'', ''America's G ...
as
Brer Rabbit
Br'er Rabbit (an abbreviation of ''Brother Rabbit'', also spelled Brer Rabbit) is a central figure in an oral tradition passed down by African-Americans of the Southern United States and African descendants in the Caribbean, notably Afro-Baham ...
*
Danny Glover
Danny Lebern Glover (; born July 22, 1946) is an American actor, film director, and political activist. He is widely known for his lead role as Roger Murtaugh in the ''Lethal Weapon'' film series. He also had leading roles in his films include ...
as Brer Turtle
*
D. L. Hughley
Darryl Lynn Hughley (; born March 6, 1963) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. Hughley is best known as the original host of BET's ''ComicView'' from 1992 to 1993, the eponymous character on the ABC/ UPN sitcom ''The Hughleys'', and as ...
as
Brer Fox
Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear (also spelled Brer Fox and Brer Bear, ) are fictional characters from African-American oral traditions popular in the Southern United States. These characters have been recorded by many different folklorists, but are most ...
*
Phil LaMarr
Phillip LaMarr (born January 24, 1967) is an American actor, comedian and screenwriter. LaMarr was one of the original featured cast members on the sketch comedy television series ''Mad TV''. His voice acting roles in animated series include Jo ...
as Brer Gator
*
Wanda Sykes
Wanda Yvette Sykes (born March 7, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actress, and writer. She was first recognized for her work as a writer on ''The Chris Rock Show'', for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1999. In 2004, ''Entertainm ...
as Sister Moon
*
Gary Anthony Williams
Gary Anthony Williams (born March 14, 1966) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. He voiced the character of Uncle Ruckus on ''The Boondocks'', and a number of video game characters. He also appeared on the television series '' Weeds'', ...
as
Brer Bear
Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear (also spelled Brer Fox and Brer Bear, ) are fictional characters from African-American oral traditions popular in the Southern United States. These characters have been recorded by many different folklorists, but are most ...
*
Debra Wilson
Debra Wilson, also known as Debra Wilson Skelton or Debra Skelton, is an American actress and comedian. She is known for being the longest-serving original cast member on the sketch comedy series ''Mad TV'', having appeared on the show's firs ...
as Sister Buzzard
*
Monica Allison
Monica Allison is an actress and voice actor. She is perhaps best known for her role as ''Hazel Gordy'' in
'' The Jacksons: An American Dream'' and the voice of Julie in ''The Adventures of Brer Rabbit
''The Adventures of Brer Rabbit'' is ...
as Julie
*
Rhyon Nicole Brown
Rhyon Nicole Brown (; born October 6, 1992) is an American actress, singer, and dancer.
Career
She made her film debut in ''Santa & Pete'' (1999) And has since appeared in various television shows. Brown has had recurring roles on shows such as ...
as Janey
*
Dorian Harewood
Dorian Harewood (born August 6, 1950) is an American actor, best known for playing Jesse Owens in ''The Jesse Owens Story'' (1984), Paul Strobber on '' Strike Force'' (1981–1982), and Rev. Morgan Hamilton in '' 7th Heaven'' (1996–2003).
Ea ...
as Mr. Man
*
Dawnn Lewis
Dawnn Jewel Lewis (born August 13, 1961) is an American actress. Lewis is best known for her role as Jaleesa Vinson–Taylor on the NBC television sitcom ''A Different World'' from the series beginning in 1987 until the end of its fifth season in ...
as Mom
*Quinton Madin as Lester
*Daniel Christopher Paige as Brer Crow/Brer Lion/Brer Skunk/Brer Elephant
*Deborah Speck as Momma Mouse
*Michael Ferdie as Ninja #1
*
Jeff Kushner
Jeff Kushner (born May 4, 1965) is a Film Editor, Supervising Sound Editor and educator who has worked in various post production positions since 1987. He also taught film history and sound design at the Los Angeles Film School between 2005 and 2 ...
as Ninja #2
See also
*''
Song of the South
''Song of the South'' is a 1946 American Live-action animated film, live-action/animated musical film, musical drama film directed by Harve Foster and Wilfred Jackson; produced by Walt Disney and released by RKO Pictures, RKO Radio Pictures. ...
'', a controversial 1946 adaption by Disney.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adventures of Brer Rabbit, The
2006 animated films
2006 films
2006 direct-to-video films
Universal Pictures direct-to-video animated films
American children's animated comedy films
Universal Animation Studios animated films
Universal Pictures direct-to-video films
2000s musical comedy films
American folklore films and television series
Films scored by Stephen James Taylor
2000s American animated films
African-American animated films
2006 comedy films
Br'er Rabbit
2000s English-language films