Originally released as a short in 1957, What’s Opera Doc? later appeared in the 1979 compilation film The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie. Animation historian Jerry Beck calls it “arguably the most famous of Warner Bros. cartoons, and certainly the most honored.” A smashing together of high culture and pop culture, the short (the first nominated into the National Film Registry) runs Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny through the operas of Richard Wagner. Anyone who has ever seen What’s Opera Doc? can never forget Fudd singing “Kill the wabbit” to the tune of “Ride of the Valkyries.” As Brunhilde, Bugs Bunny is an oddly alluring vision — it’s easy to see why Fudd is so taken with her, and why he is so enraged when Bugs’ headdress and wig fall off, revealing the very male rabbit underneath.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQlmXU1zqfc]