Cecil Turtle
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Cecil Turtle is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of films. Though he made only three theatrical appearances, Cecil is remarkable in that he is one of the very few characters who were actually able to best Warners' studio star, Bugs Bunny.
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Tortoise Beats Hare
Animator Tex Avery introduced Cecil in the short Tortoise Beats Hare, released on March 15, 1941. Even from the cartoon's opening titles, Avery lets on that Bugs Bunny is about to meet his match. Bugs wanders onto the screen munching his obligatory carrot and absent-mindedly begins reading the title card. When he finally gets to the title itself, he becomes outraged and rushes to Cecil Turtle's house. He then bets the little, sleepy-eyed turtle ten dollars that he can beat him in a race.
Cecil accepts Bugs' bet and quickly (for him, anyway) calls up nine of his cousins, all identical. The race begins, and as Bugs runs relentlessly toward the finish line, Cecil and his siblings take turns showing up at just the right moment to baffle the bunny. In the end, Bugs is convinced he has won, only to see Cecil (or one of his kin) across the finish demanding his money. Bugs suggests that he has been tricked, and the turtles reply, "It's a possibility!" Voice actor Mel Blanc supplies Cecil's drowsy drawl.
"Tortoise Beats Hare" is, of course, a take off of the Aesop fable "The Tortoise and the Hare". But even more directly, it is Avery's parody of the 1934 Disney Silly Symphony, The Tortoise and the Hare. Interestingly, Max Hare from the earlier Disney film is often cited as one of the inspirations behind Bugs Bunny.
Avery left Warner Bros. before he could produce any new cartoons featuring Cecil. However, he introduced a similar character in 1943 named Droopy Dog. Droopy would even take some of his tricks from his slow-and-steady predecessor, such as using his relatives to help him outsmart an antagonist.
Tortoise Wins by a Hare
Bob Clampett took Avery's scenario and altered it for his film Tortoise Wins by a Hare, released on February 20, 1943. Bugs again challenges Cecil to a race after viewing footage from their previous encounter. Bugs then goes to Cecil's tree home disguised as an old man to ask the turtle his secret. Cecil remarks that his streamlined shell lets him win and produces a set of blueprints for a turtle-inspired chassis. Bugs builds the device and prepares for the race.
Meanwhile, the bunny mob learns of the upcoming match-up and places all its bets on Bugs. The race begins, and Bugs still outpaces his reptilian rival. However, in his new get-up, the gangsters mistake him for the turtle. Cecil ameliorates this misconception by dressing in a gray rabbit suit. The mobsters thus make the shelled Bugs' run a nightmare, ultimately giving the race to Cecil. When Bugs removes the chassis and reveals that he's the rabbit, the rabbit gangsters remark, "Now he tells us!" and commit suicide (though, when this cartoon airs on television, this final gag is edited out).
Rabbit Transit
Cecil and Bugs would have one final match up in Friz Freleng's cartoon, Rabbit Transit, released on May 10, 1947. This time, Bugs and Cecil agree to no cheating. Cecil, however, quickly reveals that his shell is now rocket propelled. Bugs does his best to steal, dismantle, and destroy the device, all to little effect. In the end, however, Bugs does manage to top the turtle and crosses the finish line first. Nevertheless, it is Cecil who has the last laugh when he rooks the rabbit into confessing to "doing over 100" -- in a 30-miles-per-hour zone. Bugs is taken away by the police to enjoy his victory -- behind bars.
Other appearances
The Warners directors retired Cecil after his third showdown with Bugs. Nevertheless, Cecil has made occasional cameos in later projects. He is seen briefly in the 1996 film Space Jam and the 2003 DVD Looney Tunes: Reality Check, his voice now provided by Joe Alaskey. He also features in some issues of the Looney Tunes comic book.
Analysis
Cecil the Turtle's three shorts are noteworthy as they represent some of the very few occurrences where the Warner directors allowed Bugs Bunny to be bested. Despite this apparent departure from formula, however, the cartoons are perfectly in keeping with previous shorts. Normally, Bugs is purely a reactive character; he's a relentless foe, but only when other characters mess with him first. Bugs never sets out to pick a fight with Elmer Fudd or Yosemite Sam; they come looking for him and soon learn that this means war.
In the Cecil shorts, however, it is Bugs who plays the provoker. He defies the formula and goes out of his way to pester the easy-going turtle. Yes, his overconfidence helps lead to Bugs' downfall, but his disregard for formula plays an equal and perhaps more important role. It is also notable that Cecil was not the exclusive property of any one director. Rather, the character was used by three different animators who all seemed to agree on one simple axiom -- Bugs is still top dog, but only when he plays by the rules.