Looney Tunes Games (1) – Bugs Bunny Lost in Time (PS, 1999)

2017 Update: Check out my video review of this classic:

Let’s take a look back at some of the best Looney Tunes-themed games to ever grace the gaming universe. Today we look at an underrated classic: Bugs Bunny Lost in Time!

Bugs meets Merlin in Knight-Mare Hare (1955)

If there’s anything that truly excites the cartoon fanatic it’s references and lots of them – something PlayStation One classic Bugs Bunny Lost in Time is certainly not lacking. Released in 1999, the very first Looney Tunes game for the PS console saw Bugs Bunny travel through time, switching between different eras reminiscent of (or rather, directly adapted from) the shorts he starred in during the Golden Age. The game’s narrative arc is derived from Knight-Mare Hare (1955), a short which featured the appearance of a goofy-looking sorcerer named Merlin (of Munroe). In the game, Merlin, voiced by Jess Harnell, informs Bugs (Billy West) that in order to find his way back to the present, he must collect clocks to unlock and access various time periods. Each era contains a main antagonist – in the Stone Age, it’s Elmer Fudd (also Billy West); in the Medieval Period, it’s Witch Hazel (voiced by Looney Tunes veteran June Foray); the Pirate Years is governed by (Yosemite) Sam (Maurice LaMarche); the 1930s, Rocky and Mugsy (Joe Alaskey); and Dimension X is overseen by Marvin the Martian (Alaskey). While the gameplay is at times a little clunky and altogether rather simplistic to be overly engaging, the graphics, for its time, aren’t too shabby, and they don’t detract from the game’s overall appeal. A vast number of Tunes shorts are referenced in the game. To name a few:

The Stone Age derives most of its inspiration from the 1958 dud Pre-Hysterical Hare (including the basis for the entire era and Elmer’s caveman guise), in addition to the Rabbit/Duck Season Trilogy, namely Rabbit Fire (1951).

Robin Duck in the Medieval Period

The Medieval Period is inspired by a number of ‘Medieval’-themed shorts. Firstly, there are a number of references to Knighty Knight Bugs (1958), including the sneezing green dragon. Robin Duck appears as an antagonist, a direct reference to Robin Hood Daffy (1958). Also acknowledged is Rabbit Hood (1949), Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid (1942), and A Witch’s Tangled Hare (1959) as well as, possibly, the other Witch Hazel cartoons of the 1950s. Title cards of various shorts are also used for the loading screens.

Captain Hareblower (1954)

The Pirate Years is mostly inspired by Captain Hareblower (1954), particularly the level ‘When Sam Met Bunny’ (despite its loading screen having been extracted from the title card for the Speedy Gonzales cartoon Assault and Peppered (1965)). The same level also features gags that were seen in the Sam/Bugs cartoon Bunker Hill Bunny (1950). Blacque Jacque Shellacque, a wanted claim jumper first seen in Bonanza Bunny (1959), here appears as a recurrent pirate enemy. Since the era revolves around the feud between Pirate Sam and Bugs Bunny, it could also be argued that it derives inspiration from other shorts with similar nautical narratives, such as Mutiny on the Bunny (1950) and Buccaneer Bunny (1947), which inspired Captain Hareblower.

The 1930s is inspired mostly by Rocky and Mugsy cartoons. The level ‘The Big Bank Withdrawal’ is particularly inspired by Bugs and Thugs (1954), and utilises the title card for the loading screen, while ‘The Greatest Escape’ utilises artwork and a setting not unlike Bugsy and Mugsy (1957) and, again, it uses the title card from that cartoon. The bonus level ‘La Corrida’ is adapted from the cartoon Bully for Bugs (1953), while the blue mouse seen in ‘The Carrot Factory’ bears a resemblance to Chuck Jones’ mouse duo Hubie and Bertie, first seen in The Aristo-Cat in (1943). The era loading screen is taken from the Rocky/Tweety/Sylvester short Catty Cornered (1953), and Shellacque returns as a gangster (oddly, with the same ‘arr!’ pirate laugh).

Hare-Way to the Stars (1958)

 Dimension X derives much of its inspiration from Hare-Way to the Stars (1958), including the setting and its layout, the opening clip to ‘The Planet X-File’, and the use of ‘instant martians’ as antagonists. ‘The Conquest for Planet X’ is inspired by Duck Dodgers in the 24½ Century (1952).

In all, this game is incredibly detailed – and the people who put it together really did their research. While reviews upon release might not have been exceptionally positive, it spawned an indirect sequel the following year, which leads us to discuss the next game…

Image Sources:

Bugs Bunny Lost in Time. [VG] (PS, 1999) Infogrames, Behaviour Interactive.

Looney Tunes Bumper Collection, Volume Three. [VHS] (1996) Warner Home Video, Burbank, California.

Looney Tunes Bumper Edition, Volume Six. [VHS] (1998) Warner Home Video, Burbank, California.

Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Volume Four. [DVD] (2006) Warner Home Video, Burbank, California.

Stark Raving Looneys. [VHS] (1998) Warner Home Video, Burbank, California.