Marvin The Martian!

Has there ever been a more adorable Martian than Marvin. Despite the obvious fact he has a mission on most days to destroy the Earth, his haplessness in that relentless effort makes us root for him nonetheless. In a universe in which coyotes defy gravity and ducks can be blasted over and over again with shotguns, it's not much of a worry when a little Martian wants to blast us all to kingdom come. 

The first cartoon on this dvd is Bugs Bunny's Lunar Tunes and it's a 90's mash-up of several of the classic Looney Tunes cartoons showing Bugs and Marvin among many other things. The premise that Earth is being put on trial with Marvin as the "Persecutor" and Bugs for the defense. The trial features new animation in the linking segments with elements of vintage Marvin bits from across the decades. It's pretty funny but not as good as the real stuff. Fortunately the second part of this dvd Marvin Martian Space Tunes gives the viewer the genuine articles. The classic Marvin cartoons are all here and a few from the 1980's as well, along with a few other bits of Looney Tunes wonderment. 

The Marvin character is unnamed in his debut in 1948's "Haredevil Hare" in which Bugs Bunny first defends the Earth from his schemes to blow it up. His ally "K-9" is named oddly enough. 

He returns in 1952's "The Hasty Hare" in which he and K-9 come to Earth to get a sample Earthling and pick Bugs as a likely candidate. Needless to say, it doesn't go well for the still unnamed Marvin. 

One of my favorites is 1953's "Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2 Century" in which the titular Duck Dodgers and his space cadet Porky Pig go to a distant planet to claim it for Earth but are in competition with Marvin for said planet. As usual explosions occur. This is a properly celebrated cartoon which always works. 

1958's "Hare-Way to the Stars" features Bugs as he unwittingly boards a rocket to a space station where he finds Marvin attempting to yet again blow up the Earth. Bugs steals his "Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator" and is chased by instant "Martians" hit with water and who spring to full size. (These Martians remind me of Stanley Weinbaum's "Tweel" from his famous story "A Martain Odyssey".)

Marvin's final theater appearance was in 1963 in "Mad as a Mars Hare" in which once again Bugs is sent by rocket ship to the Martian's outpost on Mars where he tries to stake a claim and Marvin takes issue ultimately changing Bugs into a Neanderthal bunny, much to his regret. 

Marvin turns up on TV in a Bugs cartoon called "Spaced Out Bunny" in which our hapless Martian ends up a toy for Hugo the Abominable Snowman. This 1980's offering is clever but not really funny. 

Marvin also turns up that same year in the sequel "Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24 1/2 Century" which pretty much follows the pattern of the original theater version but with less verve and energy. 

There are a few more cartoons in this collection not having to do with Marvin and the best of them is 1956's "Rocket Bye Baby" about a mistake which switches Earth and Mars babies for some hapless couples. This is a funny cartoon.

All the Marvin the Martian cartoons are funny, but the early ones are hilarious! Marvin is the perfect foil for Bugs Bunny, an officious dweeb who represents way too many in modern life. They need a trickster to bring them low, for the good of us all. 

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