AllMovie

In this Academy Award-winning Disney cartoon, the animals of the forest have gathered in the grandstands for the Big Race, with banners flying and a traffic cop to control the surging crowd. The odds-on favorite is the egotistical Max Hare, aka "The Blue Streak". His opponent is Toby Tortoise, "Slow but Sure"--and none too bright, either. The official starter (a raccoon) blows his whistle and the race in on. There's no question that Max is in the lead, rocketing through the countryside while poor Toby can't even keep pace with a family of snails. Supremely confident of victory, Max pauses to show off for a quartet of pretty female bunnies. . .and we all know what happens next. More than one Warner Bros. animator has admitted that the cocky, prank-pulling Max Hare was one of the primary inspirations for Bugs Bunny. So popular was The Tortoise and the Hare that cartoon warranted a sequel (or perhaps a rematch?) titled Toby Tortoise Returns.