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Rhapsody Rabbit vs. The Cat Concerto
Tom and Jerry vs. Bugs Bunny
Are you interested in some animated beef? We are serving up some drama today in the form of a faceoff that took place at the 19th Academy Awards. It was MGM vs. Warner Bros. in the form of two very similar, some would say too similar, cartoons. In one corner, a Bugs Bunny Merrie Melodies short, "Rhapsody Rabbit", and in the other corner, Tom and Jerry starring in "The Cat Concerto". Both sides accused each other of plagiarism and idea theft because the cartoons were so similar. While not diving too deeply into the timelines and beef, let's examine the similarities and differences between these two nearly identical cartoons.
Same: Music
Both cartoons feature "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2" by Franz Liszt.
Same: Mouseholes
Both mice are depicted as living in the piano, with a mousehole right at the keyboard. Jerry, specifically, wakes up because Tom's piano playing shakes his sleeping quarters.
Same: Visual Gags
Bugs and Tom both play the piano with their feet at different points in the cartoons. They also both react to the piano keys seemingly playing themselves. Additionally, they both act like overly serious divas as they walk on stage at the beginning.
Different: Visual Gags
One area where Rhapsody Rabbit is unique is that Bugs heavily leans into visual gags in all the lulls. He pulls out fun gloves, he scoops up all the piano keys, and much more. When the mouse is away, Bugs still plays.
Same: Visual Gags (Mice Edition)
Jerry and the unnamed Looney Tunes mouse both run and dance across the piano keys and bounce between the piano hammers. The mouse runs away from the hammers but Jerry sees the hammers as yet another opportunity to mess with Tom.
Different: Reactions to the Mice
Bugs is surprised that there's a mouse at all. If Tom could talk, he would probably say "You again!"
Different: Mice Defense
The little mouse gets one smack back at Bugs and then he basically gives up until it's time for his big finale. Jerry sees every part of the piano as a new and exciting way to agitate Tom.
Different: Tom and Jerry
Part of why "The Cat Concerto" likely won at the Oscars is because it leaned into Tom and Jerry's typical relationship dynamics, but placed them in the arena of a piano recital. Even when they're at odds, Tom and Jerry have fun chasing and antagonizing each other.
Different: Angry Bugs
Bugs Bunny feels like an Old Testament god. He's angry almost from the first moment he steps foot on stage, even shooting an audience member for coughing. He's vicious in dealing with the mouse, and while we generally expect Tom to be angry and grumpy in the Tom and Jerry cartoons, Bugs is normally the goofy, lighthearted one.
Different: Defeat
Both Tom and Bugs are bested by their mice. Tom is outplayed to the point of exhaustion and collapses on the piano, but Bugs gives up and pouts about losing. This is also a difference between the two as characters, Tom loses to Jerry all the time and is used to it. Bugs never loses.
Same: The Mice Win!
After an epic musical battle, both mice win! They both put on tuxedos and take a bow, too.
Conclusion
Both cartoons are excellent and should be loved forever! Regardless of who copied who, both cartoons found a fun way to introduce audiences to classical music and showed all the ways a mouse can mess up a piano performance.
