Any day is Saturday with Korg and Bugs Bunny

If you want to put some fun back into your Any Day is Saturday viewing, the Warner Archive Collection has also recently released the feature film Bugs Bunny Superstar (1975), a pseudo-documentary about the creation of the Warner Brothers animation unit and its humble beginnings at a building on the WB lot known as Termite Terrace. The film is narrated by Orson Welles, and features input from some of the great Warner animators including Bob Clampett, Tex Avery and Friz Freleng (sadly, there is no participation from Chuck Jones or Mel Blanc, probably the two people most closely associated with the classic Warner Brothers cartoons).

The documentary aspect of the film is interesting but very short, showing us some key moments in the animation unit’s history and how they went about creating their brilliant animations (filming themselves performing various actions, for instance). While Welles does narrate here and there, most of the film is actually hosted by Bob Clampett, and his enthusiasm for the business and love of the characters they all created is infectious. Unfortunately, if you’re really interested in knowing all about Termite Terrace and its occupants, Clampett is constantly interrupted by a full-length cartoon that may tie into what he’s been talking about (or will talk about). And while it’s always a treat to see Bugs and company in action, most of the shorts chosen aren’t really the A-level classics, and are older than what most viewers are familiar with: What’s Cookin’, Doc?, A Wild Hare, A Corny Concerto, I Taw a Putty Tat, Rhapsody Rabbit, Walky Talky Hawky, My Favorite Duck, Hair-Raising Hare, and The Old Grey Hare. Viewers raised on the Saturday morning Bugs Bunny and Looney Tunes cartoons (all made as theatrical shorts for adults) will notice differences in the looks of Bugs, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd and Tweety (Clampett does address the fact that the characters’ looks changed subtly over the years). Of course, if you’re just here for the cartoons, then you can easily skip past all of the talking and get right down to business!

The Warner Archive DVD release also includes a director’s commentary track from Larry Jackson, which focuses more on Jackson and his life and love of the Warner Brothers cartoons than it does on anything specific to the movie. If you’re really interested in Jackson’s life story — which sounds as if he’s reading from a book — it may actually be better to listen to his track without the accompanying video, as it becomes distracting and confusing as he talks about things that aren’t happening on screen. The DVD also includes an Image Gallery and Behind-the-Scenes photos. I was hoping Bugs Bunny Superstar would focus more on the people who brought Bugs and friends to life instead of filling up the running time with full-length cartoons, but it still manages to give us a tiny glimpse inside the minds of the men and women behind those beloved Looney Tunes characters.

These reviews were based on retail versions of the DVDs provided to CliqueClack by the Warner Archive Collection.