Ali Baba Bunny

1957 animated short film by Chuck Jones

Ali Baba Bunny is a 1957 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies short directed by Chuck Jones. The short was released on February 9, 1957, and stars Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck.

In the Arabian Desert, a dimwitted guard named Hassan guards a cave where a rich Sultan stores his treasure. Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck accidentally stumble upon the cave, thinking they have arrived at Pismo Beach, California. Daffy, enamored by the riches, forces Bugs back into the burrow to keep it all for himself. When Hassan finally remembers the command to open the cave, chaos ensues. Mistaking Hassan for a porter, Daffy is attacked and seeks Bugs' help. Bugs, in turn, outwits Hassan by posing as a jinn. As Daffy steals a gem, Bugs tricks Hassan with an Indian rope trick, seemingly trapping him in the clouds. Daffy, however, discovers a lamp with a real jinn, whom he inadvertently angers. Bugs escapes as the jinn unleashes dire consequences on Daffy. Bugs reaches Pismo Beach and finds a pearl in a clam, only to discover Daffy shrunken inside claiming the pearl. The cartoon concludes with Bugs making the clam close on Daffy.

Linda Simensky writes, "Ali Baba Bunny was produced in an era where Bugs and Daffy were often paired up, and while that didn't always work, in this cartoon they seem to be formidable opponents. In the early 1950s, Daffy Duck was no longer just daffy. He had progressed to being greedy, cheap, and without a trace of empathy. When put in the right circumstances, this worked. Bugs, as paired up with Daffy, lost a little of his ability to incite conflict, being given the job of mostly reacting and politely suffering Daffy's outbursts. But in this cartoon, Bugs has his classic moments too."

Ali Baba Bunny was voted No. 35 of the 50 Greatest Cartoons of all time by members of the animation field. The film was edited into the Looney Tunes greatest hits features The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie (1979) and Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales (1982). The Offspring's 2021 album Let the Bad Times Roll features a song titled "Hassan Chop", which uses audio from the episode.