''Which Is Witch'' is a ''

Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series ''Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation.

cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of images ...

released by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

in 1949, directed by

Friz Freleng Isadore "Friz" Freleng (August 21, 1905May 26, 1995), credited as I. Freleng early in his career, was an American animator, cartoonist, director, producer, and composer known for his work at Warner Bros. Cartoons on the ''Looney Tunes'' and '' ...

and written by

Tedd Pierce Edward Stacey "Tedd" Pierce III (August 12, 1906 – February 19, 1972) was an American screenwriter and voice actor of animated cartoons, principally from the mid-1930s to the late 1950s. Biography Pierce was the son of a stockbroker, Samue ...

. The cartoon was released on December 3, 1949, and features

Bugs Bunny Bugs Bunny is an animated cartoon character created in the late 1930s by Leon Schlesinger Productions (later Warner Bros. Cartoons) and voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his starring roles in the '' Looney Tunes'' and '' ...

Plot

is exploring Dark Africa. A

short Short may refer to: Places * Short (crater), a lunar impact crater on the near side of the Moon * Short, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Short, Oklahoma, a census-designated place People * Short (surname) * List of people known as ...

witch doctor A witch doctor (also spelled witch-doctor) was originally a type of Folk healer, healer who treated ailments believed to be caused by witchcraft. The term is now more commonly used to refer to Alternative medicine, healers, particularly in region ...

("Dr. I.C. Spots") wants to use him as a key ingredient in a prescription. Initially believing he is enjoying a hot bath, Bugs notices that he's being cooked and escapes, while Dr. Spots chases him. Bugs disguises himself as a Zulu native woman, but this ploy fails. In the river, Bugs finds and swims to a

ferry boat A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water tax ...

. As Dr. Spots follows, a

crocodile Crocodiles (family (biology), family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term crocodile is sometimes used even more loosely to inclu ...

eats him. Although the witch doctor is his enemy, Bugs demands that the croc "cough him up" and, when refused, wrestles the croc, finally emerging from the water with a crocodile skin handbag (Bugs having implicitly killed the animal and converted it to this form), from which Spots emerges, clad in crocodile skin attire. "Very becoming, short stuff!", Bugs nods, before making a face. "Gives you that, uh, New Look!"

Analysis

The film includes racist images of Africans. Among the stereotypes used was the depiction of a cannibal with a giant lip plug. A record is depicted in place of the plug. Warner Bros' use of these racist stereotypes ended in the late 1940s; this is the last Bugs Bunny cartoon to include caricatures of

Black people Black is a racialized classification of people, usually a political and skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have dark skin; in certain countries, often in s ...

. Like most other similar cartoons involving such race-related stereotypical scenes it's rarely broadcast on television today.

Reception

The Film Daily ''The Film Daily'' was a daily publication that existed from 1918 to 1970 in the United States. It was the first daily newspaper published solely for the film industry. It covered the latest trade news, film reviews, financial updates, informatio ...

'' reviewed the film on January 1, 1950: "When Dr. Ugh, Witch Doctor extraordinary for a tribe of little people, decides it's time to leave. The jungle medico learns he can't split the hare, and B.B. emerges victorious once more. Wonderful cartoon."

References

External links

* 1949 films 1949 short films 1949 animated films 1940s Warner Bros. animated short films Looney Tunes shorts Short films directed by Friz Freleng Bugs Bunny films Animated films about crocodilians Films set in Africa Film controversies Race-related controversies in animation Race-related controversies in film 1940s English-language films Films about witch doctors {{looney-tunes-stub