Which Is Witch (1949) User Reviews

Bugs in dark Africa

[TheOtherFool · 6/10 · 11 June 2004]

Another one of those kept secret/banned Bugs Bunny cartoons. In this he goes to dark Africa where he is being chased by a witch doctor, who ran out of 'rabbit'.

There are a couple of good jokes here: in one Bugs decides which way to go by doing 'heads or tails', after which he throws himself in the air, only to fall on his face, and his rear end up. 'That's tails'.

Then there's another one where he dresses up like the native long-necks by putting some plates in his mouth and springs around his neck and ears. Maybe offensive to some, but I thought it was pretty funny.

The ending is a bit lame though as I would like to give this one 6/10.

Quite good

[rbverhoef · 7/10 · 6 January 2004]

In this very funny but also a little insulting cartoon Bugs Bunny is in Africa. A native needs one rabbit for his recipe and since Bugs Bunny is the first he finds he tries to use him. To be honest the insulting parts were pretty funny as well. The way the native guy, who is a witch doctor, talks gave me a laugh every single time. May be you think it is too insulting, but I think it is just funny and not to be taken too serious.

Bugs and the Witch Doctor

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 27 May 2018]

Love animation, it was a big part of my life as a child, particularly Disney, Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry, and still love it whether it's film, television or cartoons. Actually appreciate it even more through young adults eyes, due to having more knowledge of it, various animation styles, studios, directors and how it all works.

'Which is Witch' is not one of Friz Freleng's best cartoons by any stretch, in a period where he had hit his stride and in one of his better periods. It is certainly entertaining and well above average, but it's not one of Freleng's funniest, most imaginative, cleverest or wildest. He did do better than 'Which is Witch' before, during this period and since, but it is a long way from a lesser effort. The presence of Bugs Bunny alone is enough to elevate the cartoon's quality.

It can be argued that some of the content is not for the easily offended, some of it is stereotypical and not in a subtle way and a way that can come over as questionable. There are far more offensive cartoons around though, like 'Angel Puss', 'Plane Dumb', some of the "Censored 11" and some other stereotype-heavy cartoons from Van Beuren.

Also it is a cartoon that is a product of its time and while interesting from a historical perspective it doesn't hold up so much now. The ending agreed is lame, instead of ending on a bang or being uproarious it instead felt too pat and rather cutesy. The story is slight and the pace is not always razor sharp.

However, Bugs shows why he is one of the best and most justifiably popular and famous characters in animation and ever, with such a great personality. The witch doctor is an amusing if somewhat stereotypical foil and they work really well together.

The animation is bright in colour, fluid and rich in detail and smooth in movement and design. Ever demonstrating why he has always been my personal favourite of the Looney Tunes composers, Carl Stalling provides yet another energetically characterful, beautifully orchestrated and cleverly action-enhancing music score.

Furthermore, there is very amusing and witty dialogue. Same with the gags, there are many and they are funny, sometimes hilarious, clever and well animated but there are more hilarious and more inventive around. Mel Blanc's voice work is terrific as always.

Overall, pretty good and well above average. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Funny, if dated short where Bugs Bunny matches wits with a witch doctor

[llltdesq · 6/10 · 12 March 2014]

This is a funny short which would probably offend a few people today. There will be spoilers ahead:

Dr. I.C. Spots is a witch doctor making a potion when he finds himself out of rabbit, so he goes out to get one. Cue the rabbit, entering stage left. There''s a cute bit at a crossroad before Bugs and the "Doc" meet up and the witch doctor's life turns upside down.

The gags are generally retreads which have been used in previous shorts, but the timing is good and there are a few fresh bits. The end result of this is totally predictable but it's good for a laugh or two.

This short is available here and there on the internet and I probably have a better chance of dating Mila Kunis than this short has of being released on DVD any time soon. It is a cute cartoon and is worth watching at least once. Recommended.

not totally under a spell

[lee_eisenberg · 6/10 · 11 July 2007]

One of those cartoons pulled from circulation due to racially offensive material. "Which Is Witch?" portrays Bugs Bunny getting chased by witch doctor I.C. Spots, but always outsmarting the guy. Obviously, it no longer looks appropriate how they portray Africa, but there are some funny gags throughout (namely "heads or tails"). Probably equally offensive as the representation of Africans is what happens with the crocodile.

So, it's OK to watch as long as you understand what it portrays. Personally, I wish that someone would make a movie portraying an African person teaching materialistic white people how to live communally.

Though maybe some if not all of them have been . . .

[oscaralbert · 7/10 · 9 November 2017]

. . . removed from the Internets by now, those reviews suggesting that Warner Bros.' always prophetic Animated Shorts Seers division (aka, The Looney Tuners) were somehow using title character (Witch) Dr. I.C. Spots during WHICH IS WITCH to channel--about 67 years in advance--Kanye West's rant against Taylor Swift during some made-for-TV music awards show strike me as being ill-advised, if not outright wrong. True, many if not most of Dr. Spots' pronouncements during WHICH IS WITCH amount to unintelligible gibberish, not unlike Mr. West's rant (which was likened by many contemptuous observers to the infamous "Lucky's Speech" from Sam Beckett's stage play, WAITING FOR GODOT). However, this comparison certainly does a great disservice to Dr. Spots, who segues several times during WHICH IS WITCH from Infantile Jibber Jabber to the King's English to get his points across. Furthermore, such a line of inquiry is bound to beg the question: who does Bugs Bunny represent here--Ms. Swift, or Beyoncé?

Not among Bugs' best

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 20 September 2015]

"Which Is Witch" is one example of these 7-minute Warner Bros cartoons where they really messed up on the title only to create an apparently funny play on words. There is no witch in here. Instead this one is about a black doctor living on an island and he needs rabbit in order to make his potion. (Un-)Luckily Bugs is on vacation on that spot at the same time, so he keeps getting chased by the little guy in black. I must say, in terms of humour this was not really a success apart from the crocodile leather bag at the end. However, it is not racist either in my opinion. people need to lighten up and stop being so politically correct all the time. Cartoons have very little to do with reality, so stop being so uptight. In terms of entertainment value I think this one here could certainly have been better despite the participation of the legendary Freleng and Blanc. Not recommended.

Perhaps it's offensive...but it IS funny.

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 15 February 2014]

It's funny that I'd watch this film now, as I am currently visiting South Africa. Part of me would like to ask the locals what they think of "Which is Witch", but I think I'd better not. Apparently some folks at Warner Brothers were worried this cartoon might offend African-Americans and so they pulled it from circulation. But fortunately, many banned cartoons are currently available to watch for free at archive.org. And, I must say that of all the banned cartoons I've seen, this appears to me to be among the most benign. Now I am not saying it doesn't offend--how can one person make such a blanket statement? But, I still think regardless it IS funny and well made.

In this film, Bugs Bunny is in Africa. What he doesn't realize is that a local witch doctor is planning on adding him to one of his potions! Of course Bugs gets the upper hand with the little guy but in an unusual twist, the witch doctor is eaten by a croc and an incensed Bugs leaps to the rescue--leading to an awfully cute ending.

This film might offend you. Heck, a lot of films offend me. But this doesn't mean it's not worth seeing--as it's clearly a product of its times yet is exquisitely made like nearly every Bugs Bunny short.