A Disappointing Continuation

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

As an avid Looney Tunes fan, this was throughly enjoyable and clever. While perhaps a tad too short with an abrupt ending, The Hare-Brained Hypnotist was simply great fun.The animation is really good, with beautiful crisp backgrounds and lavish colouring. The music is wonderful too, from the haunting opening credits from the rousing and playful motifs that crops up every now and again, it is a mighty fine orchestral score. The story is pretty dark in tone in comparison to other Looney Tunes cartoons, but has enough amusing moments, thanks to some funny, witty dialogue typical Looney Tunes fashion and some clever sight gags. Bugs is a lot of fun yet again and Elmer is a great foil, and both characters are superbly voiced by Mel Blanc and Arthur Q. Bryan.Overall, very clever and fun. 9/10 Bethany Cox

When dim-witted Elmer Fudd gets his hands on a book about hypnotism, we just know that it won't take long for his plan to backfire… what we didn't anticipate, however, is that it would subsequently backfire again in his favour. 'The Hare-Brained Hypnotist (1942)' was directed by Friz Freleng, and was released October 31, 1942. The cartoon is notable in that the animators have reverted back to the Elmer Fudd we're all accustomed to, after retiring the experimental rotund version that was last featured in 'Fresh Hare (1942).' It is also interesting in that, unlike the majority of Bugs' encounters with Fudd, the humiliation isn't all one-way traffic, and the pair actually find their traditional comedic roles to have been reversed due to the influence of the powerful hypnotism. The film ends with arrogant Bugs as the fall-guy, having been duped into the belief that he is a Douglas XB-19 experimental bomber aircraft ("I'm the B-19!"), promptly due at the airport to make his flight.The characteristically-dim Fudd opens the cartoon on his usual hunting trip through the forest, though he's also found it necessary to read a new book at the same time. When he happens upon the secret to hypnotism, Fudd tests the technique on a ferocious bear, which is soon fluttering in the stratosphere with the presupposition of being a canary. Here, he decides, is his real opportunity to bamboozle the "pesky wabbit" once and for all. But, of course, Bugs proves himself to be more troublesome than his opponent had anticipated, and it isn't long before Fudd finds himself at the receiving end of a hypnotist's powerful glare. This is when director Friz Freleng turns the tables: after Fudd is ordered to act like a rabbit, he immediately hijacks Bugs' usual comedic niche, and the hapless rabbit, despite thinking himself the winner in this particular spate, is consistently out-witted by the stealthy wabbit known as Elmer Fudd. The cleverest Merrie Melodies are those that recognise the series' clichés and actively subvert them – 'The Hare-Brained Hypnotist' does this very well.

Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny find themselves as each other thanks to Elmer's faulty attempt to hypnotize Bugs. I found this cartoon to be clever and funny for the most part and the change between the personalities of the two main characters was interesting. I didn't really care for the ending as it just seemed that the powers that be told Friz to wrap it up to keep the length of the short to a lean 7 minutes even and it seemed like a non-ending more than anything else. But overall I did enjoy this one a lot. This animated short can be seen on Disc 1 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 2.My Grade: B+

"The Hare-Brained Hypnotist" is probably not one of the better cartoons in the Bugs Bunny/Elmer Fudd series, but it still has its good moments. Elmer hypnotizes a bear to chirp and fly like a canary bird, and as it does so, the familiar song "Listen to the Mockingbird" can be heard, thanks to the cleverness of Carl W. Stalling. When Elmer sticks his rifle in Bugs' rabbit hole, Bugs grabs the rifle and starts a tug-of-war with Elmer. They both apply this same tug-of-war gag a little later, after Bugs hypnotizes Elmer and switches roles with him. And while Bugs talks to the audience and munches on a carrot, Elmer hides behind him and shoves two more carrots in Bugs' mouth.This cartoon was directed by Friz Freleng, who wasn't crazy about Elmer Fudd and probably felt uncomfortable using him. This could be why he allowed Elmer and Bugs to switch roles in the second half of the picture, so that Elmer does not appear to be nearly as idiotic as he usually does. It is not often that we see Bugs as the fall guy, thus proving that nobody, not even Bugs Bunny, wins ALL the time. So when he becomes the victim instead of the prankster, he sure does take it hard! In any event, Friz need not have worried about Elmer for long, because another one of Bugs' adversaries was soon to take root. The name: Yosemite Sam!