Cartoon Discussion Of The Week: Transylvania 6-5000

[Marty26]

I was tempted to discuss this cartoon in the Rabbit Seasoning thread when it came up, but since I don't want it to veer too much off topic, I'll post my thoughts in this seperate thread. With a youtube link to the actual cartoon: YouTube - Transylvania (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65lNfcJ_GQQ&feature=related)

It's sad that this was the best Jones could do with Bugs in 1963. The cartoon gets props for originality. But I can't stand Jones's Bugs during this era (and am I the only one who found Bugs's voice to be really annoying in these 1960's Chuck Jones cartoons?). Count Bloodcount was also a wasted character, and even the whole Abracadabra/Hocus Pocus thing could've been done with a lot more wit and humor. By this time, it seems Jones was trying to tailor to the Saturday Morning Cartoon crowd by making Bugs less like the "Wascally Wabbit" we all know and love, and more like a cutesy Saturday Morning cartoon character. The limited animation and lack of the classic "Bugs Bunny In" opening simply reinforce the fact that Jones was probably tired of making Bugs Bunny cartoons by this time.

Yet a lot of people seem to love this cartoon, probably just because of the two Jones cartoons that preceded it, of which this is admittedly a masterpiece in comparison. But comparing those two cartoons with this is basically like comparing an F to a D- IMO.

[J Lee]

See this July 2006 thread (ttp://forums.goldenagecartoons.com/showthread.php?t=6841&highlight=6-5000) for other comments.

[speedy fast]

I think that Transylvania 6-5000 is a fairly good cartoon, thouygh it's not one that I fantasize about having on a video or DVD release.

[nickramer]

A nice, pleasent way to end Jones' studio relationship with the rabbit. 7 out of 10.

[lonesome-lenny]

http://forums.goldenagecartoons.com/showthread.php?t=6841&highlight=6-5000

that prior link was missing the "h" in "http." And, yes, this cartoon was discussed briefly two years ago.

It's substantially funnier than most of the late WB cartoons. Had it been made a decade earlier, it would have been better. For a 1963 WB cartoon, it so surpasses the norm that it's notable.

[angilbas]

Jones' designers and animators made a hit of Transylvania 6-5000 and upheld the director's reputation as a person who resisted the limited animation/simple art trend of the time. The animation doesn't look limited when compared with other releases from the studio's last few years, and Ben Frommer's characterization of the Count more than makes up for a slightly sub-par Mel Blanc. Overall the film is eerie and effective, with Bugs showing his classic aplomb in a dangerous situation.


-Tony

[thornhill]

The walking corpse in this film is "Bugs." It's a miss by default, but better than the other Jones shorts that year.

From the same year, Freleng's The Unmentionables is better.

[J. J. Hunsecker]

It certainly looks nice. The colors and stylized designs raise this cartoon above the mediocrity Warners had sunk to in the 60's because of the limited budgets. Count Bloodcount is a funny and unique design, and the strange, stylized movements of his cape is the only interesting animation in a Warner cartoon of the era. The character animation of Bugs and the other incidental characters is so-so.

Of course the stylishness of Jones's later cartoons had their drawbacks, too. It became a little too self-conscious, and was the only strong point of his later cartoons. Since the animation is more limited than before, Jones's layout poses would need to be stronger. However, Jones started to devolve in drawing ability around this time, and except for the nice designs, his animation became duller, and his characters acted more coyly.

The humor and gags in Transylvania 6-5000 are alright, but the pacing is slower than the cartoons made in Jones's peak years. The music is also terrible.

[larriva9/11]

By this time, it seems Jones was trying to tailor to the Saturday Morning Cartoon crowd by making Bugs less like the "Wascally Wabbit" we all know and love, and more like a cutesy Saturday Morning cartoon character.

Though Jones wasn't alone in this dumbing-down of Bugs--but yes, this "talking to children" diction was a likely symptom of the post-Bugs Bunny Show era. You'd almost expect him to take a break in the proceedings to hawk Kool-Aid or something.

As for Leonard Maltin's pan-in-passing, I wonder if there's a little paradox behind it--i.e. the reason why he picked on Transylvania 6-5000 as a career low of sorts is that it's tended to be the first end-of-the-line Lava-scored Bugs short to come to most people's minds, therefore it's the most useful one to mention--yet maybe that "first to come to mind" quality makes it more the best of a bad lot than an absolute nadir? It seems to me that more people remember T6-5000 fondly than not.

As for Count Bloodcount's "funny and unique design", remember that Chuck essentially conceived him as Witch Hazel with a gender change (and the "Newport News" drives that point home)

[angilbas]

As for Leonard Maltin's pan-in-passing, I wonder if there's a little paradox behind it--i.e. the reason why he picked on Transylvania 6-5000 as a career low of sorts is that it's tended to be the first end-of-the-line Lava-scored Bugs short to come to most people's minds, therefore it's the most useful one to mention--yet maybe that "first to come to mind" quality makes it more the best of a bad lot than an absolute nadir? It seems to me that more people remember T6-5000 fondly than not.



In the same page, Maltin mentions the graphics of the early 1960s shorts and complains that characters sometimes get lost in the backgrounds. He also names Aqua Duck as a low point for Daffy. That cartoon had Daffy lost in a stark but very eye-catching desert -- an unusual example of a Robert Gribbroek background calling attention to itself. When I first saw it, the Daliesque aridity was quite a surprise -- and IMO it still sets the film apart, providing the necessary atmosphere for Daffy's delirious babbling. But Maltin just seems to see a lost character.


-Tony

[Matt the Y]

In the same page, Maltin mentions the graphics of the early 1960s shorts and complains that characters sometimes get lost in the backgrounds. He also names Aqua Duck as a low point for Daffy. That cartoon had Daffy lost in a stark but very eye-catching desert -- an unusual example of a Robert Gribbroek background calling attention to itself. When I first saw it, the Daliesque aridity was quite a surprise -- and IMO it still sets the film apart, providing the necessary atmosphere for Daffy's delirious babbling. But Maltin just seems to see a lost character.


-Tony

Well, in regards to Larriva 9/11's previous point of "Transylvania 6-5000" being the final Jones-directed Bugs Bunny short (and therefore being the first one that would come to his mind), remember that, similarly, "Aqua Duck" was the last McKimson-directed cartoon (at least, until the post-1964 cartoons which were disdained and reviled by Maltin in a separate light onto themselves entirely) to feature Daffy Duck.

[shoshani]

Though Jones wasn't alone in this dumbing-down of Bugs--but yes, this "talking to children" diction was a likely symptom of the post-Bugs Bunny Show era. You'd almost expect him to take a break in the proceedings to hawk Kool-Aid or something.

Wasn't Bugs hawking Tang at one point? Those commercials would have come during the commercial breaks of the Bugs Bunny Show, so you're essentially right.


BTW, I honestly don't understand why people think that TR6-5000 is such a lifeless heartless soulless miserably dull excuse for a cartoon...it positively shines compared with the dreadful remake that DePatie-Freling did with The Inspector. Bugs at least got the chance to mix up his assailant by coming up with "Hocuscadabra! Abracapocus!"; The Inspector couldn't even do that with "Biggie Wiggie! Teeny Weeny!", the phrases used in his version.

[Speedy Boris]

Not a big fan of this cartoon. The backdrops are indeed pretty and there are some decent background jokes (like all the book names for good bedtime reading), but the dreary music really drags things down and Bugs sounds and acts low key and subdued. Not to mention, the cutesy Bugs design isn't my cup of tea.

To top it off, it just isn't very funny, as Bugs spends most of the time just talking to himself. About the only joke I like is "Asleep yet?"

I agree with the sentiment that Bugs's best in 1963 was The Unmentionables.

[Marty26]

I agree with the sentiment that Bugs's best in 1963 was The Unmentionables.

I third that. In fact, it actually contains one of my favorite moments ever in a Bugs Bunny cartoon:

Bugs (pointing his carrot at Rocky and Mugsy like a gun) - "Stick'em up! You're under arrest."

Rocky - "Heh, heh heh! Look Mugsy, he's gonna shoot us with a carrot! Heh, Heh, Heh!"

::Bugs "pulls the trigger" and the edge of the carrot opens up to reveal a gun barrel, blasting both Rocky and Mugsy::

Rocky (both he and Mugsy covered in soot, shocked at what just happened) - "Herr, herrr, herrrr, herrrrrrr..."

And, of course, "Happy Boithday Rocky" was classic.

[StillHowardFein]

In the same page, Maltin- also names Aqua Duck as a low point for Daffy.

Funny, but I really like AQUA DUCK. It's an rather intriguing one-duck show that really effectively conveys Daffy's rapid, hallucination-induced personality changes. I like it far better than T6-5000, Maltin's other example of WB's deterioration.

As far as T6-5000, Bugs' virtually nonstop monolgue drags it down badly. That leaves the Count to steal the picture, with some funny dialogue nicely done by Ben Frommer. ("Just ring if you need anything- some cyanide, or like that.") Maurice Noble's graphic design was still vivid, as was the work of Jones' animators; notice the classic Ken Harris 'eye shift' by the Count. ("Telephone? Oh, yes, telephone!")

The sight of the Count cradling Bugs' entire head in his hand ("Rest now- telephone tomorrow") is priceless.

[J. J. Hunsecker]

As for Count Bloodcount's "funny and unique design", remember that Chuck essentially conceived him as Witch Hazel with a gender change (and the "Newport News" drives that point home)
Well, I can see some similarities with Hazel, like the chisel tooth, big chin and tiny legs, But there are also several differences. Bloodcount has a tiny, sharp nose in contrast with Hazel's big, rounded shnozz. Hazel's body is wider, the Count is taller and thinner. The Count looks powerful, and the way his huge hand wraps around Bugs's head is proof of that. The Count also seems to look slightly different in each scene too, like Jones was playing around with his model as he drew him.

[thornhill]

If we're going by production number order (which is what I usually do), Mad as a Mars Hare is technically the last Jones Bunny. Transylvania 6-5000 seems to have been held up quite a bit (very common in the Warner cartoon world).

[Glowworm]

Okay,okay-I admit it!I love this cartoon and find it classic. I find this cartoon very nostaligic because I saw it very often on The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show during my childhood. Also-as a child I loved all the psuedo-scary halloween like cartoons. Ben Frommer as the voice of Count Bloodcount is absolutely awesome-as it is not a typical cheesy Transylvanian-Romanian accent that is usually reserved for vampires. Count Bloodcount's design and personality is equally amazing-and the backgrounds are fun-I really dig that winged tv set! Also in my opinion the entire "I'm a vampire" "Oh yeah? Well Abracadabra! I'm an umpire!" sequence is hysterical-as well as when Bugs starts mixing up his magic phrases-causing the Count to change as well. "Golly,what big mosquitoes they have around here.":D

[Fibber Fox]

It's OK, but Bugs is phoning it in.

It's really another Jones cartoon that saunters along in a stop-and-pose, stop-and-pose manner. There's no energy.

Jones seems to want Bugs to be casual (or "underplayed" as McKimson put it) so that's the kind of read he got out of Mel Blanc.

He fit in a Jack Benny reference at the end, and there are a couple of nice dialogue gags, but it should be packed with a lot more. Then, again, Jones wasn't going in that direction by the early 60s; I'm sure if he had wanted to, he could have done it that way.

F. Fox.

[thornhill]

Jones seems to want Bugs to be casual (or "underplayed" as McKimson put it) so that's the kind of read he got out of Mel Blanc.

That's not fair. All of Blanc's performances in the last two dozen or so Warner cartoons were basically phoned in from his body cast. There's not a single strong performance in the batch.

[zavkram]

All of Blanc's performances in the last two dozen or so Warner cartoons were basically phoned in from his body cast.

Which would explain the lethargic quality of the voice-acting; Blanc was probably doped to the gills with pain-killers.