Transylvania 6-5000 (1963 film)

Transylvania 6-5000
Transylvania 6-5000
Directed by	Chuck Jones; Maurice Noble
Story by	John Dunn
Produced by	David H. DePatie
Starring	Mel Blanc; Ben Frommer; Julie Bennett
Edited by	Treg Brown
Music by	Bill Lava
Animation by	Bob Bransford; Tom Ray; Ken Harris; Richard Thompson
Layouts by	Bob Givens
Backgrounds by	Philip DeGuard
Color process	Color
Production; company	Warner Bros. Cartoons
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date	November 30, 1963;
Running time	7:01
Country	United States
Language	English

Transylvania 6-5000 (1963) is a Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies animated short directed by Chuck Jones.^[1] The short was released on November 30, 1963, and stars Bugs Bunny.^[2]

It is a comedy film, depicting a confrontation between Bugs and a vampire in Transylvania.

Plot

Bugs Bunny's journey to Pittsburgh takes an unexpected turn when he stumbles upon a signpost in Transylvania, mistaken for Pennsylvania. Seeking directions from the ominous Agatha and Emily, he unwittingly finds himself at Count Bloodcount's eerie castle.

While Bugs innocently seeks a phone, the Count, eager for a midnight snack, attempts to prey upon him. However, Bugs' accidental recitation of magical phrases transforms the Count into a bat, leading to a comedic battle of wits and words. As Bugs outsmarts the vampire with clever incantations, chaos ensues, culminating in the Count's transformation into a mishmash of creatures. Amused by the spectacle, Bugs orchestrates the Count's pursuit by Agatha and Emily, leaving him to flee in distress.

Amidst the chaos, Bugs finally locates a phone in a coffin, but his impromptu magic results in bat-like ears. Opting for an unconventional mode of travel, Bugs decides to fly home to Perth Amboy with his newfound wings.

Voice Cast

Mel Blanc as Bugs Bunny
Ben Frommer as Count Bloodcount
Julie Bennett as Agatha and Emily, the Two-Headed Vulture

Production notes

Transylvania 6-5000 marked Chuck Jones' departure from Warner Bros. Cartoons to found Sib Tower 12 Productions at MGM, making it his last original Warner Bros. cartoon before the move. Released in 1963, it is also the second-to-last Warner cartoon of that year and Jones' tenure with the studio. The title, "Transylvania 6-5000," is a play on the song "Pennsylvania 6-5000," associated with Glenn Miller, referencing the old telephone exchange system where letters represented numbers in phone numbers.

References in other media

Count Bloodcount also reappeared in the video game Bugs Bunny and Taz Time Busters as the final boss.

Count Bloodcount also appeared in the Tiny Toon Adventures episode "Stuff That Goes Bump in the Night" in the segment "Fang You Very Much", where he is adopted by Elmyra Duff while disguised as a bat. In this, the Count repeatedly tries to bite Elmyra in his vampire form, but any time the Count is exposed to light, he turns back into a bat.

The Tiny Toons version of the Count also appears as a boss character in the video game Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster Busts Loose!.

The song "Dracula" by Gorillaz, a bonus track on their eponymous debut album, samples portions of the short where the Count states "I am a vampire!" and "rest is good for the blood".

Portions of the cartoon were used in the 1977's Bugs Bunny's Howl-oween Special, which repurposed classic Looney Tunes cartoons in a new storyline. In the special, Bugs Bunny gave Witch Hazel a bottle of Hyde formula, which transformed her into Count Bloodcount, leading to her stalking Bugs through her home in reused footage from Transylvania 6-5000 and trying to catch him. When Bugs uses the spell "Newport News", she remains as Witch Hazel for the special's final act. Witch Hazel voice actress June Foray re-dubbed Count Bloodcount in scenes incorporating his dialogue.

Most of the cartoon was used in Daffy Duck's Quackbusters, but some dialogue was redubbed to connect it to the film's main story. Also, the end was changed so that instead of Bugs sprouting bat wings and flying away, he reports his findings to Daffy Duck (although he still sings "abraca-pocus" to himself while in the coffin phone-booth, but the film cuts away before his ears transform), who is displeased to hear from him (saying "What do you think we're running here, a matrimonial agency?!"). Later, Bugs is seen leaving the castle from the cartoon before he answers a nearby payphone as part of the link to the cartoon The Abominable Snow Rabbit.

Count Bloodcount appeared in The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries episode "Fangs for the Memories". He was voiced by Corey Burton.

Count Bloodcount also appears in Looney Tunes Collector: Alert! as a boss character. After the player defeats him, he decides to become an NPC ally of Bugs to find some opportunities in blood.^[3]

References

^ Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 345. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 60–62. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
^ Infogrames (June 24, 2000). Looney Tunes Collector: Alert! (Game Boy Color). Infogrames. Level/area: Count Bloodcount's mansion. COUNT BLOODCOUNT: The rabbit's smart. I'll follow him for now. I may get some blood out of it!

External links

Transylvania 6-5000 at IMDb

Preceded by Mad as a Mars Hare	Bugs Bunny Cartoons 1963	Succeeded by Dumb Patrol

[Beck-1] Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 345. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.

[2] Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 60–62. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved June 6, 2020.

[3] Infogrames (June 24, 2000). Looney Tunes Collector: Alert! (Game Boy Color). Infogrames. Level/area: Count Bloodcount's mansion. COUNT BLOODCOUNT: The rabbit's smart. I'll follow him for now. I may get some blood out of it!

[1]

[2]

[3]