Hold the Lion, Please Review

Hold the Lion, Please is a 1942 animated short film from the Merry Melodies series. It is a very good short.

Leo the lion wants to prove that he is still the king of the jungle by going after Bugs Bunny. He tries to kill him, but he cannot even catch him as was to be expected. I personally find this film very good, but somewhat flawed. The second act is excellent, but more on that later. However, the first act is prolonged and the finale is odd as they made up a girlfriend character for Bugs just for this film and it’s uncalled for and unnecessary.

But that middle section truly is terrific. It features all the best moments in the film, such as the scenes with the door which are particularly clever and funny. The action in the middle is excellent as is the humor and I particularly loved the animated scenery there. The lion is memorably incompetent whereas of course Bugs steals the show per usual. The score’s also pretty good.

Hold the Lion, Please definitely has a weaker ending, but it’s particularly effective in characterization, humor and a lot of memorable action.