Post 13- Kaboom You are Dead….NOT
Cartoons in the past, loved to use explosives. Looney Tunes is the most famous in the usage of bombs, cannons and other explosives. However, when the person is “blown up” or shot at he doesn’t die. Why is that?
This week, I watch Bunker Hill Bunny (1949), starring our favorite rabbit Bugs Bunny. In this episode, Bugs and Sam are fighting one another, using any kinds of explosives. The explosives that were used were: canons, firecracker, rifle and gun powder. However, Bugs never experiences the “fatal” blow from this explosives, Sam is the one who is always getting “blown” to smither renies.
One scene that is memorable is when Sam runs, right into the canon belonging to Bugs, and as he is about to run out of the weapon; he is launched back into his fort. One would assume that Yosemite Sam would meet his timely end because he was blasted by the canon; however he is in the next scene trying to the exact same thing to Bugs.
Whenever, I watch a Looney Tunes or a Bugs cartoon I’ve never paid any mind to the fact these characters, when they deal with explosives–they never die. Not that I have gone an watched this episode, it as come to mind on why the cartoonists, made sure the characters had never died in any of the episodes. There are many reasons, why the animators did this, but I think the main reason because of a younger audience. I don’t think parents, wanted to hear their kids deal with the idea of someone dying, even if that someone is a cartoon character.
Commented on Alissa Potter’s blog
I think this was also added to keep an element of humor to the animations. It gave the animators the chance to use the ultimate form of slapstick comedy, without having to replace actors. It also allowed recurring characters like Sam and Coyote, who the audience loved to watch mess up. We still do this in movies like American Pie, Meet the Parents, and pretty much any other Jason Biggs or Ben Stiller film.