Bunnies aren’t just cute like everybody supposes. They got them hoppy legs and twitchy little noses, and what’s with all the carrots? What do they need such good eyesight for anyway?” –Anya from Buffy the Vampire Slayer
You know what? I’m just going to say it. Bunny rabbits are kind of weird. Their big ears and unbearable cuteness are kind of unearthly. This must be why bunnies crop up so often in science fiction and fantasy films. Here is a quick run down of the most important bunnies to make the big screen. Some bunnies we love, some bunnies we hate, some haunt our dreams, but all bunnies are important.
#8 The Horde of Rabbits in Night of the Lepus
Once upon a time, around the year 1972, someone said “Hey, let’s make a scary movie about giant bunnies.” And, someone else thought that was a good idea! They built a bunch of miniature sets so that the bunnies would look like giants destroying small town Americana. Night of the Lepus is a cult classic for worshippers of terrible movies.
#7 Bugs Bunny and Lola Bunny in Space Jam
In the immortal film Space Jam, Bugs teams up with Lola Bunny, Bill Murray, Michael Jordan and his Looney Tunes gang to defeat the Monstars and save the world. Bugs Bunny doesn’t always do Sci-Fi, but when he does, it changes the life of a generation.
#6 The Rabbit of my Nightmares from Twilight Zone: The Movie
In the Twilight Zone movie from 1983 a little boy with god-like power tortures people in a country house and makes them pull nightmares out of hats.
Nothing about this is okay. I’m still not ready to talk about it.
#5 The Were-Rabbit from Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
It may seem like a were-rabbit would be scarier than this, but far more upsetting is Wallace’s nonchalance with an obviously dangerous device such as the Mind Manipulation-O-Matic. However, it is generally my policy to forgive anyone in a bowtie, were-rabbit or no.
#4 Harvey from Harvey
Jimmy Stewart has an invisible best friend named Harvey, who happens to be a spirit of Celtic folklore taking the form of a 6ft tall bunny rabbit. While Jimmy Stewart hangs out with Harvey and delivers quips, his friends and family try to decide if he is drunk or crazy.
#3 Frank from Donnie Darko
Donnie Darko is a dark, convoluted movie and Frank the rabbit is the fluffy, disturbing center of it all. He appears to Donnie prophesizing the end of the world and suggesting he burn things down. But, how much should you really trust someone in a stupid bunny suit?
#2 The Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog from Monty Python and the Holy Grail
One of the most notorious and demonstrably villainous rabbits of all film, the killer rabbit of Caerbannog appears in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Though seemingly cuddly and approachable, the killer rabbit of Caerbannog soon strikes terror into the heart of Arthur and his knights. Those that survive, run away!
#1 The White Rabbit (who is Omnipresent)
The White Rabbit must be recognized as the granddaddy and king of all of genre’s bunnies. Since his first print appearance in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland all the way back in 1865, the White Rabbit has been a powerful iconic force. Another generation followed Alice and the White Rabbit down the rabbit-hole in 1951 with Disney’s Alice in Wonderland. Now following the White Rabbit and going down the rabbit-hole are synonymous with diving headfirst into wild adventures. If you don’t think the White Rabbit is a very big deal, just contemplate The Matrix for a second, then come back and talk to me. Of course, the rabbit king of the genre world is an innocuous character that leads to worlds unknown.