Tortoise Beats Hare

Tortoise Beats Hare
Merrie Melodies (Bugs Bunny) series
Bugs Bunny, disgusted after reading the title of the cartoon.
Directed by	Tex Avery
Produced by	Leon Schlesinger
Story by	Dave Monahan
Voices by	Mel Blanc (uncredited)
Music by	Carl Stalling
Animation by	Charles McKimson Robert McKimson Rod Scribner (uncredited) Virgil Ross (uncredited) Sid Sutherland (uncredited)
Layouts by	Tex Avery (uncredited)
Backgrounds by	John Didrik Johnsen (uncredited)
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date(s)	March 15, 1941
Color process	Technicolor
Running time	7:55
Language	English

Tortoise Beats Hare is a 1941 Merrie Melodies animated short directed by Tex Avery. The short stars Bugs Bunny and, in his first appearance, Cecil Turtle.

As the opening credits appear, Bugs Bunny comes on the screen while eating an obligatory carrot and absent-mindedly begins reading them, grossly mispronouncing them in the process (e.g. /əˈvɛrɪ/ for "Avery" over the correct /ˈeɪvərɪ/). As he finishes, he sees the name of the cartoon and becomes exasperated, spitting out his mouthful of the carrot he was eating. He then goes on a rant saying "those guys don't know what they're talking about" before calling them out as 'jerks.' Bugs then claims to work for them but in another slight meltdown rips apart the opening credits to reveal a set behind them, during which he begins looking for Cecil Turtle until he finds his house, where, after a brief conversation, he bets Cecil ten dollars that he can beat him in a race. Cecil accepts and, as the race begins several days later, he finds a public telephone and, using it, calls in his cousin Chester and eight others, all of whom look and sound like Cecil. On the telephone, he begins plotting to outsmart Bugs at his game and arranges for them to double as him at significant points along the track while he himself crosses the finish line ahead of Bugs and claims the money. Bugs begins wondering how Cecil beat him, but soon realizes he may have been tricked the entire time. Upon turning around, he notices all nine turtles standing behind him, each with a dollar in hand, and as they reply to him in unison "It's a possibility!", they kiss Bugs, after which the cartoon fades to black and the "That's All Folks!" ending appears.

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