Elmer Fudd Will Be Using a Different Hunting Tool Moving Forward
The famed cartoon characters from Warner Bros. are going through a bit of a revival. Not only are fans eagerly awaiting the arrival of Space Jam 2 next year, but they have 1,000 minutes of brand new cartoon footage to sift through on HBO Max. The new streaming provider has revived the famed Looney Tunes, but fans might notice something a little bit different as they work through the hundreds of shorts ordered for the platform. Elmer Fudd won’t have his trusty gun when he’s out huntin’ wabbits.
Peter Browngardt confirmed that Elmer Fudd will no longer use a gun
Anyone who has caught an episode of Looney Tunes likely remembers Elmer Fudd with his rifle in hand. That’s changing, though. Instead of using a gun to hunt Bugs Bunny, Elmer will be relying on other tools of his farming trade. Warner Bros. and HBO Max have decided to do away with the use of firearms in their cartoons. Peter Browngardt, told The New York Times, that they have chosen to move forward with the series without guns in response to the rise in gun violence across the United States.
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Fans point out that the show will be inherently different now that Elmer won’t have his rifle to fall back on, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Most fans seem totally okay with the move away from the use of firearms, with many pointing out that Elmer and Yosemite Sam were far from responsible gun owners, in the first place. The removal of guns from the series will also likely breed a bit more creativity in each short, and that’s never a bad thing.
Cartoon violence won’t be completely missing from the series, insists Browngardt
During his comments, Browngardt noted that the decision to omit guns from the series didn’t mean the show would be devoid of violence. He said that “old-timey cartoon violence” was “grandfathered” in, according to Consequence of Sound. Elmer, for example, will be using a scythe in at least some of his scenes.
That means fans will still see the use of TNT and pianos and bank safes falling from the sky. Booby traps and anvils will also make their triumphant return to television, and fans of the original cartoons are sure to see Elmer Fudd and the rest of the gang up to their old tricks.
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There will be plenty to see, too. HBO Max commissioned 16 hours of footage. Each short will run between one and six minutes and feature more action than dialogue. If all goes well, more content is expected as HBO Max further establishes itself in the overcrowded streaming world.
Presumably, Yosemite Sam will also appear sans his iconic weapons
Browngardt didn’t go into other characters known for their weaponry, but based on his statements, it’s safe to assume that Yosemite Sam will also appear without his iconic six-shooters. Yosemite Sam, a prospector, and outlaw, also hunted Bugs, but for an entirely different reason that Elmer Fudd did.
Browngardt didn’t mention what weaponry they’ll replace Yosemite Sam’s guns with. The scythe that Elmer Fudd is seen holding makes perfect sense for a farmer but doesn’t fit with Yosemite’s outlaw persona. Since the series won’t be doing away with violence altogether, they’ll likely get creative when it comes to Yosemite’s chosen tools. Perhaps Yosemite will adopt some of Wile E. Coyote’s hunting methods.
