A Wild Hare is a Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies animated short film directed by Tex Avery and written by Rich Hogan. It was originally released on July 27, 1940. A Wild Hare is considered by many film historians as the first “official” Bugs Bunny cartoon. The title is a play on “wild hair,” the first of many puns between “hare” and “hair” that would appear in Bugs Bunny titles.
The pun is carried further by a bar of “I’m Just Wild About Harry” playing in the underscore of the opening credits. A Wild Hare is noteworthy as the first true Bugs Bunny cartoon, as well as for settling on the classic voice by Mel Blanc and appearance of the hunter, Elmer Fudd. Although, the animators continued to experiment with Elmer’s design for a few more years, his look here proved to be the basis for his finalized design.
The design and character of Bugs Bunny would continue to be refined over the subsequent years, but the general appearance, voice and personality of the character were established in this cartoon. The rabbit is unnamed in this film, but would be christened “Bugs Bunny” in his very next short, Elmer’s Pet Rabbit, directed by Chuck Jones.
