There is no doubt that the Looney Tunes are amazing. None of us can ever forget what an entertaining, quotable, and hilarious impact these cartoons have had on us. Looney Tunes is probably the most influential cartoon series in that it helped form so many people’s sense of humor. So many of us, in one way or another, have gotten our writing, our delivery, our performing, and our sense of comedy in general from the absolute genius that was Looney Tunes. But which ones were the best? Which ones were the best written, best delivered, or got the best laughs? It’s tough to choose seeing as how so many Looney Tunes shorts have been ranked among the greatest cartoons of all time, so we’re going to look at the best of the best. These are my picks for the top 10 greatest Looney Tunes Shorts of all time.

10. The Three Little Bops

It’s been said that if Disney cartoons were like classical music, then Looney Tunes cartoons were definitely jazz, and nowhere is that more prominent than in comparing both studios’ iterations of the Three Little Pigs. In this version, the pigs are jazz musicians that work at a local nightclub built from straw. But then the Big Bad Wolf enters, but instead of wanting to eat the pigs, he just wants to join the band. Too bad his trumpet-playing is “corny” as the narrator puts it. So, he blows the house down because they kicked him out. The rest is pretty much what you’d expect, but what makes this short so good is the choice to make the entire short a jazz musical number. The rhymes are clever, the music’s swingin’, and they never miss a beat. Whether or not you like jazz music, you’ll be swingin’ to this all day once you watch it.

9. Rabbit Of Seville

Its premise is as hilarious as its execution. Elmer’s out hunting wabbits as usual, but this time, he chases Bugs into the opera house where they end up on set of the local production of “Barber of Seville”, and Bugs decides to take on the lead role with Elmer being his customer. The music they use is the overture to the original opera, but the interesting thing about it is, the structure of the original overture is left intact throughout the entire short. What makes this one so funny is how committed Bugs is to the role while doing such wacky things to Elmer throughout the short. On top of that, this might be some of the fastest pacing the Looney Tunes has ever given us, particularly towards the end. You don’t have to know the opera to enjoy this short, but it helps to know the source material.

8. Rabbit Seasoning

One of the three episodes of Chuck Jones’ hunting trilogy, the premise is what you’d expect; Daffy tries to get Elmer Fudd to shoot Bugs, but keeps getting shot himself. Now, before you say anything, no, this is not the “Duck Season! Rabbit Season!” short (we’ll get to that one later down the list), but it is very similar in its setup. I think the funniest segment in this short is when Daffy calls Bugs out on his “pronoun trouble” and still ends up getting shot. Its three of Looney Tunes’ greatest comedic giants all working off each other, what more is there to say?

7. High Diving Hare

Like many Looney Tunes shorts, this one has a simple premise, but hilarious execution. Yosemite Sam goes to see a vaudeville act hosted by Bugs where Fearless Freep is supposed to do a high diving act. Unfortunately, he couldn’t make it to the show, so Sam forces Bugs to take a dive instead. The rest of the short is Sam trying to get Bugs to jump, but he ends up jumping instead. The ways they get Sam to go off the diving board constantly top each other until the end, which I won’t ruin for those who haven’t seen it. All I can say is if you like good slapstick, this one is guaranteed to get you a ton of laughs.

6. Show Biz Bugs

In this short, Bugs and Daffy do a show together, but after Bugs receives all the applause, Daffy challenges Bugs to do his own acts, and the rest is Daffy either failing at his act or failing to make Bugs fail. One of Daffy’s most prominent characteristics over the years has always been his jealousy of Bugs. And that leads to some of their finest comedy. In my opinion, some of the best comedy out there is based on competition, and these two work off each other perfectly. There’s only one act that Daffy receives thunderous applause for, but I won’t dare ruin it for those who haven’t seen it. Let’s just say this is one act you should never try at home.

5. Birds Anonymous

Sylvester and Tweety have made a lot of great shorts together, but by far the best one is “Birds Anonymous”, where with the help of the titular organization, Sylvester tries to give up his addiction to birds. At first, he feels confident that he can avoid his primal instincts, but overtime he starts to lose control, but the leader of B.A. stops him every time he comes close to eating Tweety. It’s really funny to see Sylvester try to restrain himself but ultimately lose control. The animation on him going crazy is just hilarious to watch, but once again, what makes this one so great is the punch line, but again, I’m not going to ruin it for those who haven’t seen it. Let’s just say it’s a perfect book end to a perfect setup. Tweety and Sylvester had a lot of great shorts over the years, but by far the best was the one where Sylvester went from being a “Bad Ol’ Puttytat” to a crazy ol’ puttytat.

4. Rabbit Fire

This short has been quoted so much it needs no introduction. This was the first in the hunting trilogy mentioned earlier. It’s kind of similar to “Rabbit Seasoing”, but the jokes are different, the ways Daffy gets shot are different, and they all lead to great laughs. It also features one of the greatest moments in voice acting history; Daffy and Bugs impersonate each other in one scene, and they still have distinct voices. Now, there are two reasons I think this short is greater than “Rabbit Seasoning”. One reason is its quotability, that is to say “Rabbit Seasoning” had its memorable lines, but they weren’t quite as memorable as the first “Duck Season! Rabbit Season!” argument. The other reason is the ending. Let’s just say Bugs and Daffy were both wrong. Whatever season though, this short is a ton of laughs and they never get old.

3. Duck Amuck

A master-class in cartoons, this short is basically Daffy working with an animator who’s not doing his job right, and even pulls a few pranks on Daffy. What makes this one so brilliant is that it keeps building up to the start of a cartoon, but because of all the problems, it never does start. It constantly plays with your expectations, as well as Daffy’s. Daffy himself is what really makes this episode; he’s trying his best to get along with what’s going on, but because everything’s going wrong, he keeps getting angry. On top of that, what I love so much about this cartoon is that in not really having a story, it makes the character feel more real somehow. This short makes Daffy seem more like an actor than a cartoon. And the reason everything goes wrong, I won’t dare ruin here, but this ending will have you laughing for hours.

2. What’s Opera, Doc?

This cartoon is widely considered the greatest cartoon short ever made. Personally, I’m inclined to disagree, and you’ll see why in my number one spot. But with that said, I still consider it one of the best cartoons of all time, as well as the best example of how to properly do a parody. If you want to learn how to satirize something right, this short should be mandatory viewing. This short satirizes Richard Wagner’s operas by putting Bugs and Elmer in the lead roles. What makes this one so brilliant is that the weight and genius of Wagner’s music is still there, but it’s suddenly made hilarious by switching the leads out with Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd, especially during the romantic duet. This gets down the most essential rule in parody; the contrast between character and situation. Granted, the ending can be a bit sad, but as Bugs says “What did you expect in an opera, a happy ending?” It’s grand, epic, and of course, hilarious. What could possibly top it?

And the number 1 greatest Looney Tunes Short of All Time is…

Duck! Rabbit, Duck!

The final entry in the hunting trilogy, this is by far the funniest cartoon ever written. Just like the other two, it’s Daffy trying to convince Elmer to shoot Bugs, but getting shot himself. Unlike the others, though, this one doesn’t let up. Every few seconds they find a new way to keep shooting Daffy, with each moment topping the last, until Daffy finally cracks, resulting in the funniest moment I’ve ever seen. And what happens after that, I won’t dare ruin for those who haven’t seen it, but it will leave everyone in stitches. This short has the quickest pacing, best timing, and funniest punch lines of any of their shorts, which is why I can easily deem it the number one Looney Tunes short.

Are there any I missed? Are there any others you prefer? Be sure to mention which ones you love and keep talking about a cartoon series that is still worth talking about.