A toast to the greatest toon character ever

New network MeTV Toons is home to a lineup of cartoon all-stars led by one wascally wabbit

- DAMIAN HOLBROOK

Hare's to Bugs! A Bugs Bunny Celebration Saturday, July 27, 10am/9c, MeTV Toons

EHHHH, WHAT'S UP, DOC...UMENTARY?

In honor of his momentous 84th birthday, Bugs Bunny is getting the royal treatment in a nostalgia-filled new special befitting the cotton-tailed king of animated comedy. The just-launched MeTV Toons network debuts Hare's to Bugs! A Bugs Bunny Celebration (airing multiple times on Saturday, July 27), a lively hop through the history of this wisecracking icon who's all that and a bag of carrot chips. And the new over-the-air broadcast channel (where Bugs Bunny and Friends can be seen every day, along with countless other classic cartoons) has recruited a parade of experts to sing the praises of Looney Tunes' most prolific pet project. Or, as Looney Tunes voice actor Candi Milo calls him, "the Johnny Carson of cartoons."

"Bugs Bunny is in that upper pantheon of the most-recognizable cartoon characters in the world," agrees Michael Schneider, Variety's TV editor, in the special, adding that Bugs' impact on entertainment far exceeds just the world of animation. "[He] is probably one of the most influential characters in comedy history. When you see [on shows] today the use of irony, of asides, of just clever wordplay, that all goes back to all of us watching Bugs Bunny as a kid."

Speaking of those early days, the film features a fascinating archival clip from Porky's Hare Hunt, a 1938 Looney Tunes entry that includes what animator Alex Kirwan refers to onscreen as "a protoBugs" character. He was more squat, less refined and sported Woody Woodpecker's laugh. "His appearance has changed considerably over the course of his films," Kirwan continues.