Tortoise Beats Hare is a 1941 Merrie Melodies

Merrie Melodies

Merrie Melodies is the name of a series of animated cartoons distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures between 1931 and 1969.Originally produced by Harman-Ising Pictures, Merrie Melodies were produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions from 1933 to 1944. Schlesinger sold his studio to Warner Bros. in 1944,...

animated short directed by Tex Avery

Tex Avery

Frederick Bean "Fred/Tex" Avery was an American animator, cartoonist, voice actor and director, famous for producing animated cartoons during The Golden Age of Hollywood animation. He did his most significant work for the Warner Bros...

. The short stars Bugs Bunny

Bugs Bunny

Bugs Bunny is a animated character created in 1938 at Leon Schlesinger Productions, later Warner Bros. Cartoons. Bugs is an anthropomorphic gray rabbit and is famous for his flippant, insouciant personality and his portrayal as a trickster. He has primarily appeared in animated cartoons, most...

 and, in his first appearance, Cecil Turtle.

Plot

Bugs wanders onto the title card munching his obligatory carrot and absent-mindedly begins reading the title card, grossly mispronouncing all of the credits (but gets Carl Stalling

Carl Stalling

Carl W. Stalling was an American composer and arranger for music in animated films. He is most closely associated with the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts produced by Warner Bros., where he averaged one complete score each week, for 22 years.-Biography:Stalling was born to Ernest and...

's name right, save for pronouncing the G sound with a soft sound rather than hard), such as [Avary] for "Avery" rather than the correct [Avery], and crediting Dave "Menahenn" with the story rather than "Monahan", and animator Charles "Mac-Emson" (McKimson). When he finally gets to the title itself, he becomes outraged {"Why, the big bunch of joiks!! [to audience] And I oughta know- I woik for 'em"}, tears apart the title card, and rushes to Cecil Turtle's house. He then bets the little, sleepy-eyed turtle ten dollars that he can beat him in a race.

Cecil accepts Bugs' bet. After the race starts (with the rabbit easily gaining a head start

Head start (positioning)

In positioning, a head start is a start in advance of the starting position of others in competition, or simply toward the finish line or desired outcome...

), he quickly (for him, anyway) calls up Chester Turtle and eight other cousins, all of whom look and sound like Cecil (some have deeper voices, some have higher voices). After talking to Chester about the bet, he tells him to call the other cousins and tell them to be ready when he comes to their position, and to "give him the works". Shortly after, and as Bugs runs relentlessly toward the finish line, Cecil and his relatives take turns showing up at just the right moment to baffle the bunny. At one point, Cecil confides to the audience, "We do this kind of stuff to him all through the picture!" In the end, Bugs is convinced he has won, only to see Cecil (or one of his kin) across the finish demanding the money. Bugs is left wondering if he's been tricked; then all ten turtles approach and reply, "Hmmm...eh, it's a possibility!" [echoing Artie Auerbach

Artie Auerbach

Arthur Auerbach , was an American comic actor and professional photographer who became famous as “Mr. Kitzel”, first on the Al Pearce radio show in 1937 then as a regular on the Jack Benny radio show for 12 years...

's catchphrase as "Mr. Kitzle" on Al Pearce

Al Pearce

Albert Pearce was a comedian, singer and banjoist who was a popular personality on several radio networks from 1928 to 1947....

's then-popular radio program] and give Bugs a kiss. Fade out.