French Rarebit

French Rarebit
Merrie Melodies/Bugs Bunny series
Title card for French Rarebit
Directed by	Robert McKimson
Produced by	Edward Selzer (uncredited)
Story by	Tedd Pierce
Voices by	Mel Blanc Tedd Pierce (uncredited)
Music by	Eugene Poddany Orchestrator Milt Franklyn
Animation by	Phil DeLara Emery Hawkins Charles McKimson Rod Scribner
Backgrounds by	Richard H. Thomas
Studio	Warner Bros. Pictures
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date(s)	June 30, 1951 (United States)
Color process	Technicolor
Running time	7 minutes (one reel)
Language	English
Preceded by	Rabbit Fire
Followed by	His Hare-Raising Tale

French Rarebit is a 1951 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies (Blue Ribbon reissued in 1960 with the original ending) animated short, directed by Robert McKimson and written by Tedd Pierce. The title is a takeoff on "Welsh rarebit", which is also known as "Welsh rabbit".

In Paris, France, a delivery truck carrying a crate marked "Carrots from U.S.A." accidentally loses the crate, along with Bugs Bunny, after driving on a bumpy road. As Bugs is trying to figure out where he is, he looks at the Rue de la Paix, the Champs-Élysées, and the Eiffel Tower, he realizes where he is, and decides to "stroll down this boulevard and look over the monsewers and mademoysels" where two French chefs, Louis and François, both want to cook him as a dinner special for their restaurants, and both their dishes involve rabbits. They both spot Bugs and, after secretly measuring him while Bugs is not looking, attempt to catch him. But Bugs is already on to them, and is not caught. He asks François what he has in the tureen, to which François says he has a rabbit. Bugs asks if he could see the "rabbit" and François agrees, but after that, Bugs comments, "Hmm...sort of a short-eared critter, ain't he, doc?" That makes François realize in shock that he has entrapped Louis instead of Bugs and accuses Louis of stealing his rabbit, to which Louis replies that the rabbit is his, to which François points out that the rabbit is his and NOT Louis.

That gives Bugs the perfect idea to trick the two chefs into fighting over who gets to cook him, to which Bugs whispers to the audience, "What a revolting display of temper," until François comes out on top. Bugs tricks François into believing he has a recipe for "a good old Louisiana Back-bay Bayou Bunny Bordelaise, a la Antoine" from the famed Antoine's of New Orleans. François asks for the recipe, which Bugs refuses. But he decides to demonstrate it on him. So he disguises François as a rabbit, dips him in wine, pickles him, and stuffs him full of every spicy ingredient in the kitchen before placing him in flour and into a bowl of vegetables.