What’s Opera Doc? is voted the best cartoon of all time.

On May 7, 2021, Bill the curator for MeTV's TOON IN WITH ME, and his pal Toony the Tuna presented the first annual Toony Awards. Earlier the viewers had been asked to choose their favorite Bugs Bunny episode of all time and What’s Up Opera? was the winner. This six-minute short has an even greater distinction as it was previously determined to be the greatest animated cartoon that WARNER BROTHERS has ever released, It has also been ranked number one in numerous cartoon polls, and in 1994, 1000 members of the animation industry ranked What's Opera, Doc? as No. 1 out of a list of the top 50 animated cartoons of all time.

This just goes to show that great minds do think alike because What's Opera Doc? was one of the first cartoons shown on the premiere episode of TOON IN WITH ME. MeTV offers classic television programming for those who enjoy shows from the 1950s, 60s, 70s, and 80s. In February they answered viewers pleas for old school cartoons by airing them from 7-8 AM Monday through Friday. They also added a Saturday morning lineup of animation to the delight of baby boomers who grew up watching cartoons on Saturdays. This gives Bugs Bunny fans 6 days of antics from the beloved rabbit.

In the opening of this episode, Elmer Fudd sings "Be very quiet I'm hunting wabbits" and “Kill the Wabbit.” Bugs Bunny replies in a sad questioning voice, “ Kill the Wabbit”? Chuck Jones directed this Merrie Melodies cartoon and it was voiced by Mel Blanc, (Bugs Bunny) and Arthur Q Bryan, (Elmer Fudd). It was written by Michael Maltese and released in theaters on July 6, 1957. This was the last time Elmer was ever in a Chuck Jones Merrie Melodies short.

The story features Elmer chasing Bugs through a parody of classical composer Richard Wagner's operas from the 19th-century. This is the third of only 3 cartoons where Bugs Bunny is defeated by Elmer Fudd. The other two were others Hare Brush and Rabbit Rampage. In 1979 Bugs Bunny introduced Whats Opera Doc? as one of the shorts that were shown during The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie.

The Wascally Wabbit said that Wagner's entire 17-hour opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung, was condensed into this cartoon that was under 7 minutes. Bugs Bunny in his thick Brooklyn accent purposefully mispronounced the opera as "The Rings of Nibble-lung". This was done in the same way that Bugs refers to those who challenge him as Maroons when he obviously means moron. You can watch What's Opera Doc? accompanied by a full orchestra by clicking on the following link.

In 1992, the Library of Congress decreed What's Up Opera? as "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant", and selected this classic as the first cartoon ever to receive the honor of preservation in the National Film Registry. Way to go Bugs and Elmer. A number of film critics, filmmakers, cartoon fans, and MeTV viewers all concur that this is Chuck Jones' masterpiece.

Online reviews for What's Opera Doc? have all been favorable. One 70 year old male replied that perhaps the younger generation needs to watch this classic and find out what real fun is. Another individual said that she can recite the entire cartoon. Most of those who responded shared that they can watch this over and over again and never get tired. Hands down the "Kill the Wabbit" classic is the very best from Bugs Bunny as well as number one among all cartoons ever produced.