As I’ve stated many times on this site (as recently as June), I am a huge fan of animation and the voice actors who bring the characters to life. But someone has to write the dialog these actors speak. Someone has to tell a story that the characters can be in. A well written animated story can be an instant classic. A great writer can make memories that stay with a viewer for a lifetime.
One such writer was Michael Maltese. He was the writer of four of the 
top five “greatest cartoons” as judged by 1000 animation professionals.
Maltese was one of the most influential and prolific writers in the history of American animation. He is best remembered for his work at Warner Bros. during the golden age of cartoons. His clever, fast-paced, and often surreal writing style helped shape the tone of classic Warner Brothers work. I wager that if you remember any classic Warner Bros. cartoons, chances are very good it was written by Michael Maltese.
Maltese worked with legendary animation directors like Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, and Robert McKimson. But his most famous and productive partnership was with Jones. Together, they created some of the most iconic animated shorts in history, including Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century, Rabbit Fire, and What’s Opera, Doc?
His sharp wit and gift for blending wordplay with slapstick comedy made each conversation his characters had reminiscent of an Abbott and Costello comedy routine. His words gave personality to characters like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Wile E. Coyote through his scripts.
No one can forget the wordplay between Bugs and Daffy, especially in the classic “hunting trilogy” (Rabbit Fire, Rabbit Seasoning, and Duck! Rabbit, Duck!). If you’re old enough, you can probably recall almost the entire conversation between Bugs and Daffy just by rapidly reading the phrase out loud: “Duck Season! Rabbit Season! Duck Season!” And if you’re not old enough to recall it, then follow this link.
Maltese’s collaboration with Chuck Jones in 1957 on What’s Opera, Doc? demonstrated that cartoons could be both comedic and artistically ambitious. This parody of a Wagnerian opera, is considered one of the greatest animated films ever made. Bugs Bunny dies in the cartoon while uttering the classic line: “Well what did you expect in an opera? A happy ending?”
However, there was a 1950 Maltese operatic cartoon before What’s Opera, Doc? And as I think about it, Maltese is responsible for exposing the young 
me to a lot of “cultured music” and, believe me, I’m grateful.
Anyway, as I was saying, there is a Maltese cartoon that did opera long before What’s Opera, Doc? I am referring to the classic cartoon Rabbit of Seville. Carl Stalling‘s musical adaption of Rossini‘s opera is fun, but Maltese’s lyrics are brilliant. Click this link to see a three minute edited clip of the cartoon featuring Maltese’s lyric. While this clip highlights the “wordplay” of the lyrics, it’s important to remember that Maltese wrote the entire story, not just lyrics. The complete Rabbit of Seville cartoon is available on Vimeo and in the Warner Bros. library.
After leaving Warner Bros., Maltese worked for Walter Lantz Productions. There his Chilly Willy short, “The Legend of Rockabye Point” was nominated for an Academy Award in 1955. Before his death, he also worked for Hanna-Barbera, storyboarding TV shows such as The Yogi Bear Show, The Quick Draw McGraw Show, Wacky Races, The Flintstones and The Jetsons. The tone of his Hanna-Barbera cartoons are tamer than they had been at Warner Bros., but his stories were still funny.
Maltese’s storytelling influenced a whole generation. Whatever you think you know about the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon characters, chances are Michael Maltese was probably the one who put that knowledge in your head.
Below is a clip from the Bugs/Daffy/Elmer “Rabbit Season, Duck Season trilogy.” You can thank Michael Maltese for this brilliant and memorable piece of work. Ah, yes, “Pronoun trouble.”
