Friz Freleng's 'Hare Force' is an inferior forerunner for his masterful 'Kit for Cat', which appeared four years later. 'Kit for Cat' pitted Sylvester against an unnamed kitten in a battle to be adopted by Elmer Fudd. 'Hare Force' takes the same situation but inserts Bugs Bunny in place of the kitten and a dog in place of Sylvester (although the dog's name here is also Sylvester,'Hare Force' predates the existence of Sylvester the cat by a year). Although it came first, 'Hare Force' is significantly inferior to 'Kit for Cat'. The situation feels ill-suited for a Bugs Bunny cartoon and the gags are largely routine. Sylvester the dog is an underdeveloped character who seems to shift too easily between intelligent and stupid when it suit's the storyline. 'Hare Force' is ultimately a reasonably entertaining but rather awkward short. Recasting the picture with more suitable characters worked wonders and 'Kit for Cat' was one of Freleng's greatest masterpieces. 'Hare Force' is little more than an interesting prototype by comparison.
Review of Hare Force
