Let's be realistic.

Excellent, a Must See

I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

The ending of "Gorilla My Dreams" has special meaning for me because it is one of those Bugs Bunny vignettes with allusions to the real world that took me a several years to decipher. The ones with allusions to celebrities and classic movies are fun, and this one has a twist. At the end of the cartoon Mrs Gruesome makes a plaintive telephone call, after receiving the irrevocable filial rejection from Bugs and says, "Mr Anthony… I have a problem." My mother was once walking through the room while I watched this episode (after multiple times) in the 1970s and laughed at that line, which had never made sense to me. When I asked her why she laughed she said that "Mr. Anthony was a radio adviser, an Agony Uncle, from the 1950s" and she found that it was funny that a gorilla in a cartoon would make such a call. This concept was possibly loosely copied in a Simpson's episode: After Homer suspects that the alien Kodos is the father of Maggie, the family makes an appearance on the Jerry Springer Show. During the course of trying to reconcile a possibly cuckolded Homer, Kang and Kodos appear in the studio, which they proceed to destroy, including Jerry Springer. The Simpsons family are spared, but there is no resolution to the dilemma. As they walk outside of the destroyed studio, Marge says that she is really disappointed because even Jerry Springer was not able to solve their problem. In 50 years it is likely that Jerry Springer will be as remembered as Mister Anthony was 50 years after his appearance, but the joke remains.

The best thing about Robert McKimson's 'Gorilla My Dreams' are the sumptuous jungle backgrounds against which the action is set. It's a lovely setting for a so-so cartoon. Bugs Bunny is washed ashore on a tropical island and immediately adopted against his will by a broody, childless mother gorilla. Her husband, Gruesome, is less than pleased by this development and sets out to render himself childless. It is from hereon in that the cartoon starts to falter with some clumsily timed sequences (the dance with the coconut tree being the prime example) and a less than satisfactory ending. It's a shame the script is so off during the main body of the cartoon because much of the animation is extremely nice, such as the beautiful chase sequence which culminates in a striking layout which charts the lengthiness of the pursuit by showing Bugs and Gruesome's silhouetted figures in several different places at once. Despite being serenaded by Bugs with several hit songs of the day, I still always think of 'Gorilla My Dreams' as a far nicer cartoon to look at than it is to listen to.

Bugs Bunny is adrift in a barrel, content to be sailing and reading until being rescued. He drifts onto an island where a childless gorilla with a time bomb of a biological clock finds him and takes him in as her child. Bugs plays along to placate her but finds that her husband is less keen on this new arrival.The short here opens well with some nice wit, Bugs reading and relaxing in his barrel, the apes reading such classics as `apes of wrath' however the actual plot is a little off and sees Bugs just aping it up with his mother. After this we have a chase between \the father and Bugs which, while amusing, isn't the funniest thing you'll see.Bugs is as good as he always is and he holds the short up well. The mother ape isn't great and the father is just too gruff and ignorant to be a good foil for Bugs – he reminded me of Taz and we all know how poor the Bugs/Taz cartoons were at times.Overall, not a great short but has enough going for it to be worth watching.

Bugs Bunny has found home with his parents both being gorillas. Crazy, isn't it? Despite being crazy, this is a classic short. Once again, Bugs has to face a villain, the Gorilla Gruesome who would rather not have Bugs around and decided to 'play' rough. What are the odds he is going to regret it in the end? Very good.