Case of the Missing Hare

Case of the Missing Hare is a 1942 Warner Bros. cartoon in the Merrie Melodies series, directed by Chuck Jones and starring Bugs Bunny. The title is a typical play on words, and although it suggests a mystery story, it bears no apparent relationship to the plot line.

This is one of the few cartoons where Bugs Bunny does not say his catchphrase, "Eh, what's up, Doc?", as well as being one of few cartoons in the character's filmography to fall into the public domain, due to the failure of the last copyright holder, United Artists Television, to renew the original copyright within the allotted 28-year period.

Plot

A bald-haired magician named Ala Bahma is nailing self-promoting posters on every conceivable surface, including a tree in which Bugs is living. He protests having his home encroached and his right to private property compromised, until the magician apologies and offers Bugs a blackberry pie. The rabbit's expression momentarily changes to joy as Ala Bahma magically brandishes a blackberry pie from underneath his cloth, which splatters in Bugs's face. As the magician walks away saying "What a dumb bunny!", an enraged Bugs decides that it is time for revenge and says his famous line: "Of course you realize, this means war!"