The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie

The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie, originally released under the title The Great American Chase, is a 1979 Looney Tunes film with a compilation of classic Warner Bros. Cartoons shorts and newly animated bridging sequences, hosted by Bugs Bunny. The bridging sequences, which had been filmed in 1978, show Bugs at his home, which is cantilevered over a carrot-juice waterfall (modeled on Frank Lloyd Wright's "Fallingwater" house in Bear Run, Pennsylvania).

Early on, Bugs discusses the wild villains he had co-starred with in his cartoons, which is followed by a tongue-in-cheek sequence depicting the history of comedy and a scene in which Bugs discusses his "several fathers". The latter scene was written by Chuck Jones as a way to debunk fellow animation director Robert Clampett's claims throughout the 1970s that he alone created Bugs, and Clampett's name is notably missing from Bugs's list, as a result of the conflict between Jones and Clampett. The movie Bugs Bunny: Superstar featured Bob Clampett, and is another compilation of cartoon shorts, probably the first to examine the history of Warner cartoons, which under-played Bugs' other 'several fathers,' and is part of the mentioned conflict.

All of the shorts featured were directed by Chuck Jones. The combination of classic animated footage along with new animation would become the template for the theatrically released Looney Tunes movies for this film up until Daffy Duck's Quackbusters released in 1988.

Plot
Bugs Bunny, while giving a tour of his home, talks about some of the famous rivalries, battles, and chases from the Looney Tunes shorts, which serves as introductions to footage from the classic short subjects. The final segment of the film consists of an extended chase sequence between Wile E. Coyote and The Road Runner.

Voice Characterizations

 * Mel Blanc

Cartoons with Bugs Bunny and others

 * Rabbit Seasoning (a brief clip is used)
 * Hare-Way to the Stars
 * Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century
 * Robin Hood Daffy (shortened)
 * Duck Amuck
 * Bully for Bugs
 * Ali Baba Bunny
 * Rabbit Fire
 * For Scent-imental Reasons (shortened)
 * Long-Haired Hare (shortened)
 * What's Opera, Doc?
 * Operation: Rabbit (shortened)

Cartoons with Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote

 * Hip Hip-Hurry! (Intro chase scene with mock-Latin names and the boulder attempt)
 * Zoom and Bored (The scene where Wile E. gets tricked off a cliff and uses a jack-hammer.)
 * To Beep or Not to Beep (The lasso scene and the catapult scenes)
 * Zip 'N Snort (Human Bow and Arrow Scene and the Giant Canon Scene)
 * Guided Muscle (Human Bow and Arrow Scene and the slingshot scene)
 * Stop! Look! And Hasten! (The Road-Wall Scenes, ACME Bird Seed on Bridge Scene and the ACME Leg Muscle Vitamins Scene)
 * Wild About Hurry (ACME Giant Rubber Band Scene)
 * Going! Going! Gosh! (Slingshot Scene and Wile E. Coyote disguising himself as a woman scene)
 * Zipping Along (Human-canon Ball Scene and the Wrecking Ball scene)
 * Whoa, Be-Gone! (Teeter-Totter Scene, the Trampoline Scene and the high wire structure and dons a wheel-head scene)
 * Hot-Rod and Reel! (Trampoline Scene)
 * There They Go-Go-Go! (Rock Avalanche Scene)
 * Scrambled Aches (Spring Coil Scene)
 * Fast and Furry-ous (ACME Super Outfit Scene)
 * Gee Whiz-z-z-z-z-z-z (ACME Bat-Man's Outfit Scene)
 * Hopalong Casualty (Earthquake Pills Scene)
 * Beep Prepared (The final cartoon to have the ending scene where Wile E. uses an ACME Little-Giant Do-It-Yourself Rocket Sled)

DVD release
This movie is on the Looney Tunes Movie Collection DVD from Warner Home Video. It is also available for purchase or rent in the Apple iTunes Store.