On today’s date in 1950, The Rabbit of Seville was released in theatres. The Looney Tunes cartoon features Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny. The Royal Canadian Mint created a 99.99% pure silver coin to highlight one of the iconic scenes from the film.
The Rabbit of Seville was the first time Looney Tunes parodied a classic opera. The film was written by Michael Maltese and Chuck Jones. In typical fashion, Bugs antagonizes Elmer at the Hollywood Bowl. Bugs leads Elmer onstage and uses barbershop antics to take control of the Opera leading to the depicted scene on the 2 oz. fine silver coloured Loony Tunes coin. Bugs’ hilarious barbershop skills leave Elmer with bright red flowers for “hair” as seen on the reverse of the coin.
You can watch the full The Rabbit of Seville here.
In May 2020, HBO Max launched “Looney Tunes Cartoons”. This vintage-inspired collection of shorts is marketed to be watched before other films in the same way the originals were enjoyed in the past. The HBO Max Looney Tunes Cartoons are said to be less of a remake and more of a return to the original classics many know and love.