More animated opera today. This time, quite familiar: What’s Opera, Doc? (also known as “Kill de Wabbit” thanks to Elmer’s famous line sung to the tune of Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries).
Celebrating its fiftieth anniversary this summer, What’s Opera, Doc? was originally released to theaters by Warner Bros. on July 6, 1957. It features the speaking and singing voices of Mel Blanc as Bugs and Arthur Q. Bryan as Elmer.

In 1994, What’s Opera, Doc? was voted by animators to be the greatest cartoon of all time in the book, The 50 Greatest Cartoons: As Selected by 1,000 Animation Professionals. To read the full story behind the creation of What’s Opera Doc?, click here.