Cal Dalton

Lore & Background

In 'Porky's Hare Hunt', released on April 30, 1938, Dalton's design featured a white rabbit with an oval head and shapeless body, voiced by Mel Blanc with a loud, zany laugh similar to his later Woody Woodpecker performance. This character was so popular that the Termite Terrace staff decided to reuse it. Dalton co-directed this effort with Hardaway, who had previously directed 'Porky's Duck Hunt' which introduced Daffy Duck. The rabbit in this film was described as a rural buffoon, differing significantly from the refined gray-and-white hare that would debut two years later in Tex Avery's 'A Wild Hare'. Dalton also co-directed 'Hare-um Scare-um' in 1939, which marked the first time the character appeared as a gray bunny and featured his first singing role.

In Their Own Story

During the production of 'Porky's Hare Hunt', Cal Dalton worked alongside Ben Hardaway to create a new prey for Porky Pig. Following the success of 'Porky's Duck Hunt', they decided to dress a character in a rabbit suit, resulting in Dalton's initial design: a white rabbit with an oval head and shapeless body. The animation featured this new creation driving the hunter crazy before being bested or escaping. Later, in 1939, Dalton returned as co-director for 'Hare-um Scare-um'. In this film, lead animator Charles Thorson provided a new model sheet that changed the rabbit to gray and gave it the name 'Bugs's Bunny', which was altered to 'Bugs Bunny' in promotional materials. This 1939 cartoon remains the only other short explicitly co-directed by Dalton.

Reader's Guide

To identify Cal Dalton's work, look for the specific shorts where he is credited as a co-director with Ben Hardaway: 'Porky's Hare Hunt' (1938) and 'Hare-um Scare-um' (1939). In these films, the rabbit character undergoes significant evolution. The 1938 version is white with an oval head, while the 1939 version introduces the gray color scheme and the name 'Bugs Bunny'. Note that Dalton was uncredited for the design work in 'Porky's Hare Hunt', though sources state he was responsible for the initial design. Unlike later directors like Tex Avery or Chuck Jones who defined the mature Bugs, Dalton's contributions belong to the character's developmental phase where the personality was still a mix of rural buffoonery and early trickster traits.

Did You Know?

• Cal Dalton was an uncredited director on 'Porky's Hare Hunt' (1938), the first film to feature a prototype of Bugs Bunny.
• Dalton is credited with creating the initial design for the white rabbit in 'Porky's Hare Hunt', which had an oval head and shapeless body.
• He co-directed 'Hare-um Scare-um' (1939) with Ben Hardaway, which was the first short to depict the character as a gray bunny.
• 'Hare-um Scare-um' marked the rabbit's first singing role and the first time Charles Thorson wrote 'Bugs's Bunny' on the model sheet.