Among the new offerings coming from the high-profile streaming service HBO Max? New animated shorts featuring the likes of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. Writing about the new shorts in The New York Times in late May, Robert Ito observed that these animations recall the mid-century golden age of the cartoons in question.
“[I]in both form and function, Looney Tunes Cartoons hearkens back to the franchise’s roots,” wrote Ito. This included everything from an embrace of music to some deep-cut character choices — Hubie and Bertie, anyone? But there’s one substantial change with this new era of Looney Tunes: antagonists Elmer Fudd and Yosemite Sam, both known for their choice of armaments, will be sans guns in the new shorts.
At Consequence of Sound, Alex Young noted that the new animations will give both characters something other than firearms to menace Bugs and company with:
Though the new Looney Tunes episodes have been in the works since late 2017, the decision to omit guns seems like a sound decision given the rash of school shootings, instances of police brutality, and other episodes of violence that have plagued America as of late.
This is not to say that the duo won’t have weapons of any kind; Elmer Fudd, for instance, will utilize a scythe in the new shorts. Quite frankly, a scythe-wielding Elmer Fudd sounds like nightmare fuel. And for those craving an armed Fudd, it’s not as though there aren’t literally decades’ worth of shorts (and a couple of features) out there.
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