At the end of the day, I often find myself pondering a question my truck-driving buddy once asked: when it comes down to it, do you prefer Disney or Looney Tunes? As I reflect on this, I have to admit that I lean toward Looney Tunes. The nostalgia I feel for those characters runs deep. While I’ve enjoyed every classic Disney animated film, when I want something to unwind with or play in the background, I always reach for Bugs Bunny and the gang. After all I was one of the 90’s kids that rocked a Taz skateboard while wearing a kool Bugs Bunny hip hop shirt at one point in my life.

Recently, as in today, this thought led me to revisit some classic Looney Tunes specials, particularly those centered around Halloween. Was this thought merely perfect timing or a forced seasonal article – who knows! 

One of the true classics Halloween cartoon specials and a must watch Looney Tunes Halloween lore is the Bugs Bunny Halloween Special from 1977.

It features a solid compilations of older shorts centered around Halloween or horror, all cleverly linked by Bugs Bunny as he guides viewers through each story. The intro itself is a total banger. I wonder if those classic Halloween” noises we love came from this special? *Note to self – research this in 12 years. 

The story begins with Bugs trick-or-treating and eventually running into Witch Haze – one of the greatest witch designs of all time in my opinionl. Hazel wants to cook him for a potion, leading to a series of hilarious sequences. Other Six Flag big leaguers like Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, and Sylvester also make appearances, each facing their own Halloween-related challenges involving ghosts, goblins, and spooky situations. 

The special blends the lighthearted humor of Looney Tunes with Halloween and horror themes, offering a fun mix of gags, magic, and slapstick humor that is sorely missed in todays rather stupid cartoon age. The cultural heritage of the way-back days gives us a sneak peak into the past. It’s actually kind of sad how far we fell.

As I dove into this special, I realized how much they encapsulate the spirit of Halloween while remaining entertaining and light-hearted – mostly.  There’s something timeless about these cartoons that quite frankly isn’t talked about enough. I can still remember sitting on my coach in Chicago and watching reruns of these specials. The problem is I don’t remember how or on what channel. What I do remember is the comfortable feeling it gave me. 

It’s interesting that I never went back to this classic until now. It’s interesting that nobody talks about it either. Personally, I will be changing that in the upcoming seasons with my kiddo. She did watch the majority of the special with me and enjoyed it. I think it’s important to fall back to the oldies, especially in this age of saturated Saturday mornings.