20. No Surrender (1985)
Written by Alan Bleasdale, this sharp farce is set on New Year’s Eve in Liverpool, where rival Catholic and Protestant militants accidentally book the same venue. One of the acts goes awry when Elvis Costello, playing a stage musician, expresses concern with the line:
“I’m a bit worried about me rabbit.”
His worry proves justified as events unfold.
19. Fatal Attraction (1987)
In this thriller, a cheating husband portrayed by Michael Douglas discovers the consequences of his affair when his spurned lover, played by Glenn Close, leaves his daughter’s pet rabbit simmering on the stove. This disturbing act coined the term "bunny boiler."
18. The Favourite (2018)
Set in 1705, Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) prefers playing with her 17 rabbits over political decisions in Yorgos Lanthimos’s historical comedy-drama. These rabbits symbolize her deceased children, adding a tragic dimension to her otherwise tyrannical character.
17. Night of the Lepus (1972)
This film warns viewers with the line:
“Attention! There is a herd of killer rabbits headed this way!”
Featuring rabbits with ketchup-smeared chops moving in slow motion against miniature sets, it challenges the notion of how to make a bunny menacing. Janet Leigh, the lead actress, later remarked:
“How can you make a bunny rabbit menacing?”
The film demonstrates it can be done effectively.
16. Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991)
After being killed by evil robot doubles, Bill and Ted are sent to hell where they face their worst fears. These include an army colonel, a pucker-lipped granny, and notably, a chubby-cheeked giant Easter bunny with an overbite.
15. Us (2019)
Jordan Peele’s home invasion psychothriller opens with scenes featuring caged rabbits, setting a tense atmosphere. Lupita Nyong’o delivers a remarkable dual performance deserving of Oscar recognition. Throughout the film, raw rabbit meat is served to several characters, regardless of their preferences.
14. Repulsion (1965)
Roman Polanski’s thriller includes a brief glimpse of a rabbit stew recipe early on. The sister who intended to cook it leaves for a holiday, leaving Carol (Catherine Deneuve) alone in their Kensington flat. The skinned rabbit carcass is left to rot, symbolizing Carol’s declining mental health.
13. Harvey (1950)
This amiable comedy features an invisible 6ft-tall rabbit pooka named Harvey, who is the constant companion of small-town man Elwood P Dowd, played by James Stewart. The rabbit is only seen in a painting. Elwood’s sister attempts to have him committed due to his disruptive behavior, but the film ultimately celebrates whimsy and good nature.
12. Donnie Darko (2001)
Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Donnie, a troubled teenager visited by Frank, a sinister figure in a metal-faced bunny suit who predicts the world will end in 28 days. The film’s complex narrative offers an unexpected twist. Richard Kelly’s debut as writer-director establishes a dark, ominous tone and sets a high standard for evil rabbit portrayals.
11. Zootopia (2016)
Disney’s animated film features Judy Hopps, a rookie bunny police officer, teaming up with Nick Wilde, a cynical fox, to solve a case involving missing predators. The movie delivers a clever plot and a message promoting social tolerance, making it a preferable Easter bunny-themed film compared to others like Hop (2011) or Peter Rabbit (2018).
10. Bambi (1942)
Thumper, a talkative rabbit with a distinctive adolescent leg twitch, befriends Bambi, a young deer with an absent father. The story includes lighthearted moments but also the tragic death of Bambi’s mother. Notably, this Disney classic is the only film on this list where the rabbit engages in typical rabbit behavior off-screen, resulting in multiple baby bunnies.
9. Celia (1989)
In Ann Turner’s debut, eight-year-old Celia’s pet rabbit Murgatroyd is taken during Australia’s 1957 rabbit cull. The story is complicated by intense anti-communist sentiment, an abusive uncle, and Celia’s blurred line between reality and nightmares involving Hobyahs, malevolent goblins from a children’s tale.
8. Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003)
Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck join Brendan Fraser to thwart the Acme Corporation’s plans. Initially conceived as a sequel to Space Jam, Joe Dante reworked the film into a mix of meta-references and celebrity cameos, both real and animated. Though slow to start, it features a memorable sequence where Elmer Fudd chases Bugs and Daffy through the Louvre.
7. Inland Empire (2006)
David Lynch’s semi-experimental drama about a Hollywood actress losing her grip on reality includes fragments of a TV sitcom featuring three rabbit-headed characters whose nonsensical dialogue is met with canned laughter. These excerpts originate from Lynch’s eight-part web series Rabbits, which is even more surreal and nightmarish than Inland Empire itself.
6. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
One of the film’s highlights is the beast of Caerbannog, a seemingly harmless rabbit that kills three knights before being defeated by the holy hand grenade of Antioch. The film also humorously attempts to breach French defenses with a Trojan rabbit.
5. The Illusionist (2010)
French animator Sylvain Chomet brings to life an unproduced screenplay by Jacques Tati. The story follows a lanky, washed-up stage magician, modeled after Tati, who lodges with a disgruntled rabbit and an orphaned girl in a meticulously depicted 1959 Edinburgh. The dialogue-free film is poignant and recommended for those seeking a melancholic reflection on the end of an era.
4. Alice (1988)
Jan Švankmajer’s first full-length feature presents a live-action child surrounded by stop-motion creatures. The stuffed rabbit that comes to life and guides Alice on a surreal journey is the creepiest rabbit on this list, even threatening to decapitate her with scissors, consistent with Švankmajer’s unsettling style.
3. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
As the village prepares for its annual giant vegetable contest, Wallace and his dog Gromit devise a humane method to catch rabbits. However, one of Wallace’s inventions malfunctions, transforming him into a giant were-rabbit. Gromit must save the day in this classic Aardman stop-motion film featuring puns, sight gags, choreographed action, and plenty of cheese.
2. Watership Down (1978)
Martin Rosen’s animated adaptation of Richard Adams’s novel follows a group of runaway rabbits facing predators, traps, and hostile rivals on a journey through rural England to find a new safe home. The film is action-packed and presents an unsentimental view of nature’s brutality. Watching it without trauma is a challenge.
1. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
Robert Zemeckis’s blend of live-action and animation features Roger Rabbit, a character incorporating traits from Tex Avery’s cartoons, including Br’er Rabbit’s feet, Bugs Bunny’s ears, and Daffy Duck’s speech impediment. Voiced by Charles Fleischer, Roger stars in a surprisingly dark 1940s film noir plot masked as a family movie, with Bob Hoskins delivering an exemplary performance as the detective Eddie Valiant.
