Parents' Guide to Carrotblanca

This fun animated tribute to the movies mixes old and new, compiling four classic Looney Tunes from the 1940s and 1950s with two contemporary cartoons produced in the 1990s. The older cartoons are all acknowledged classics, the best of which is "You Ought to Be in Pictures," one of the most unique shorts to come out of the Warner factory. A mix of animation and live action (and colorized from its original black-and-white), the plot involves Daffy trying to convince Porky to pursue a movie career. A funny story, combined with surprisingly strong special effects, make this one a winner. "Hare Do" contains the oft-quoted bit where Elmer hunts Bugs in a crowded movie theater, and the two continually stumble over seated patrons with an apologetic "Excuse me, pardon me, excuse me." The swashbuckler spoof "The Scarlet Pumpernickel" offers a sly parody of "all star cast" extravaganzas, as every role in Daffy's movie is played by a famous Looney Tunes character.

One of the newer shorts, the Casablanca lampoon "Carrotblanca," repeats this concept, but with less panache. It doesn't really work having Bugs do Bogie. Bugs is always at his best when he's just being Bugs. It must be said, however, that Tweety's Peter Lorre imitation is pretty funny. A look at the voice credits for "Carrotblanca" reveals a subtle tribute to the vocal skills of the late, great Mel Blanc. It now takes the skills of four people to provide the voices for characters that were originally voiced solely by Mel. Incredible!