Here's what might be the oddest cartoons I'll cover, so far at least.
"Tom Thumb in Trouble" stars a very tiny boy who goes by Tom Thumb (no shit), who goes out on a snowy night to search for the bird that narrowly saved his life from drowning
This short was made during an interesting time in Chuck Jones's career; by this time, Jones was leaning HARD with this more cutesy, Disney-esque style of animation.
This is an era of his career that most fans and critics have panned, and rightfully so, as, outside of looking visually stunning, most of these cartoons were lacking in terms of gags and just overall substance, on top of being incredibly boring, especially since by this time, WB was moving away from that old Disney style for more funnier, cynical, and fast paced cartoons.
Anyway, back to "Tom Thumb", if I'm gonna be honest, as of right now, this has to be the weakest cartoon I've covered, but I wouldn't be talking about it if I didn't like it, now would I?
This is one I've always had a massive soft spot for, not only is it a gorgeous looking cartoon, with some of the best animation in any WB short, I especially love the animation on the dad, no, it is not rotoscoped, Bob McKimson was just that goated at character acting, he was like the OG Kou Yoshinari, but it also tries to tell a genuine story, you tell Jones was trying to go for a more Snow White-eqsue piece, with how much more serious and dramatic the short is, hell, it doesn't even try to tell any gags, that's how serious they were with this!
This is far from one of my all-time favorites, but it's one I've always respected for actually trying something new. I do wish Jones had gone with this far more cinematic style for his earlier cartoons. Though. I don't think ol' Schliesinger would've been too happy with that, and besides, that'll take away from what makes this elegant piece so unique compared to the rest of the WB catalogue.
"Devil May Hare", unfortunately, for the Devil May Cry fans reading this post, this has nothing to do with Bugs shooting up some demons; instead, this cartoon is Taz's debut.
Admittedly, as much as I love this cartoon, I'm only covering it out of pity for my boy Taz, cause honestly, most Taz cartoons are kinda mid, except for this one and "Dr Devil and Mr Hare".
Anyway, the actual cartoon itself is fantastic; the slapstick is quite good, and Taz is given actual dialogue. I love his response to Bugs after the latter tried to bury him alive in the cold, cold ground, as well as the "flattery'll get you nowhere" line.
And if nothing else, Taz is shown to be a genuine threat to Bugs, as, despite lacking in brains, he makes up for it with his strength, as he's capable of breaking through boulders and entire mountains!
Also, a bit of a fun fact, Taz wasn't supposed to appear in more shorts, as apparently, producer Eddie Selzer found the character to be unfunny, and ordered McKimson to not use the character again, but due to fan outcry, Taz was brought back!
So thank you, 50s Looney Tunes audience, for helping bring back such a great character :)
Here's another really underrated Daffy short by Norm McCabe.
"Daffy's Southern Exposure" has a starving Daffy go up against a weasel and the wolf, and yeah, this one's fun!
There's tons of great stuff throughout this one, like the hand sandwich bit, Daffy pausing the chase between him and the wolf all just to sucker punch him, and that song in the middle always makes me hungry for beans. Also, don't worry, folks, my fridge is now full :D
It is a shame that McCabe wasn't given time to truly shine in the director's chair; who knows what other great Daffy, or maybe even Bugs, cartoons he could've directed?
Oh well, at least we got Tashlin's legendary return, right?
Anyway, give this one, alongside McCabe's other Daffy cartoons, a watch; they're public domain, too, so you're able to find them easily on YouTube.
"Ohhhhhhhh for a loaf of bread! A jug of wine, and thou, hoohoo!"
With how much I've been glazing Freleng in these posts, you'd be surprised that we haven't looked at my favorite Freleng Bugs cartoon... UNTIL NOW!!!!!
"Bugs and Thugs" is, as YouTuber videogamedunkey says, "IT'S A FUCKIN' MASTAPIECE, IT'S A MASTAPIECE, POP THE CHAMPAGNE, WE DRINKIN’ TONIGHT BABYYYYYYY!!!!!!!”
The dialogue throughout is phenomenal. I love Bugs' responses to Rocky when he tries to interrogate him, and Mugsy taking Rocky's words way too literally.
And as is a standard for Freleng cartoons, the gags are all hilarious and well-timed, the train gag and the "let me have it" gag will always be personal favorites of mine, but nothing'll beat the godlike stove gag, gotta see it for yourselves, fellas.
"Life with Feathers" is a fucked up cartoon where Sylvester avoids eating a suess-slidle lovebird, because he presumes it to be poison.
This cartoon is a masterpiece; it's fast-paced, well-timed with tons of great gags, and really mean-spirited! As well as a fantastic showcase of Sylvester himself, as this cartoon marks his debut.
Also, that scene of the lovebird turning on the radio, that shit made me mad hungry, especially since my fridge is lookin' mighty empty right now.
Ahh, yes, here's another really iconic piece of animation.
"Bully for Bugs" is without a doubt THE bull-fighting cartoon!
When people are discussing these "Bugs Revenge" cartoons, they usually say "Long-Haired Hare", overrated as fuck btw, is the best of those cartoons. But I'm here to argue and say "Bully for Bugs" is the best of those type of cartoons!
This is an incredibly sharp piece, featuring some of the most beautiful timing and execution in any of these cartoons, and these gags are truly ingenious. I especially love the ending climax; it's peak toon logic, and I can't help but love it!
I also love this bull character, for being his only appearance in the golden age, he's given so much life and personality in this one cartoon, especially compared to other bull characters!
And what makes this cartoon even funnier to me is that this was created out of spite! Apparently, producer Eddie Selzer, out of nowhere, burst into Jones's office and yelled about how bullfighting cartoons are unfunny, so Jones and Maltese, like the madmen they are, immediately got to work and created the best damn bullfighting cartoon that anyone could ask for.
What more can I say? It just does everything right! This one has always been one of my top 10 favorite Bugs cartoons, if not one of my top 10 favorite Looney Tunes shorts of all time!
Beaky makes his grand return in "The Bashful Buzzard."
This is one I love for the same reasons as "The Hasty Hare"; it features more of a certain character I greatly enjoy!
Beaky here is a lovable little dope as usual, being so dumb and weak that he’s not even able to catch a bumblebee.
The gags revolving around what Beaky's sibilings are carrying are all great, I especially love the Dumbo gag and the Old MacDonald’s delayed reaction!
And speaking of Beaky’s siblings, those fuckers are terrifying, the stuff they’re capable of carrying is CRAZY!
This is one also has Clampett toying around with the Hayes Code, with stuff like Beaky nearing cussing and ripping off a lamb's coat, also, no, that isn't the Minus8 lamb.
"The Hasty Hare" has one overconfident earth creature match his wits against two disgruntled Martians.
Anyway, this one has twice as much Marvin than in his first appearance, so therefore it's peak, no, seriously, that's partially the reason why I really love this one, on top of the fact that it's just another really great Bugs outing!
Bugs and Marvin's dynamic is great; all the gags are wonderfully executed. Yeah, I have nothing more to add. It's exactly what I said - another great Bugs cartoon!
Welcome back, children, here's another Clampett cartoon.
"A Gruesome Twosome" is the final Tweety cartoon directed by Clampett, and yeah, it's good :)
I like the two cats in this one, especially the Jimmy Durante cat; their dynamic is great!
Tweety being a menace to society is a joy to watch, and I really appreciate the gag where the dog remarks about how he doesn't belong in the cartoon but doesn't pass up the opportunity to give the female kitten a smooch before leaving.
Before I end this post, I'd like to give a quick honorable mention to "Birdy and the Beast", that one's quite good too, though the weakest out of the three imo.
"Operation: Rabbit" has Bugs go up against, of all people, Wile E. Coyote. This may seem weird at first, but it should be noted that when this came out, there was only one other Wile E cartoon, so there was lots of room for experimentation for the character.
Frankly, this dynamic works really well, and I guess Jones thought so, too, as there would be 4 more of these Bugs V. Wile E cartoons.
I love how much Wile E sucks his own dick in this one, making the slapstick towards him all the more satisfying, and what makes this cartoon even more funnier to me is that, I believe, if he weren't constantly up his own ass, he probably could've caught Bugs.
Spicygolf
Here's what might be the oddest cartoons I'll cover, so far at least.
"Tom Thumb in Trouble" stars a very tiny boy who goes by Tom Thumb (no shit), who goes out on a snowy night to search for the bird that narrowly saved his life from drowning
This short was made during an interesting time in Chuck Jones's career; by this time, Jones was leaning HARD with this more cutesy, Disney-esque style of animation.
This is an era of his career that most fans and critics have panned, and rightfully so, as, outside of looking visually stunning, most of these cartoons were lacking in terms of gags and just overall substance, on top of being incredibly boring, especially since by this time, WB was moving away from that old Disney style for more funnier, cynical, and fast paced cartoons.
Anyway, back to "Tom Thumb", if I'm gonna be honest, as of right now, this has to be the weakest cartoon I've covered, but I wouldn't be talking about it if I didn't like it, now would I?
This is one I've always had a massive soft spot for, not only is it a gorgeous looking cartoon, with some of the best animation in any WB short, I especially love the animation on the dad, no, it is not rotoscoped, Bob McKimson was just that goated at character acting, he was like the OG Kou Yoshinari, but it also tries to tell a genuine story, you tell Jones was trying to go for a more Snow White-eqsue piece, with how much more serious and dramatic the short is, hell, it doesn't even try to tell any gags, that's how serious they were with this!
This is far from one of my all-time favorites, but it's one I've always respected for actually trying something new. I do wish Jones had gone with this far more cinematic style for his earlier cartoons. Though. I don't think ol' Schliesinger would've been too happy with that, and besides, that'll take away from what makes this elegant piece so unique compared to the rest of the WB catalogue.
Check it out, even if you're not a fan of early Jones cartoons, it's a very fascinating piece, in my eyes at least. archive.org/details/35-the-band-concert/('40)+Tom+…
1 day ago (edited) | [YT] | 26
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Spicygolf
"Devil May Hare", unfortunately, for the Devil May Cry fans reading this post, this has nothing to do with Bugs shooting up some demons; instead, this cartoon is Taz's debut.
Admittedly, as much as I love this cartoon, I'm only covering it out of pity for my boy Taz, cause honestly, most Taz cartoons are kinda mid, except for this one and "Dr Devil and Mr Hare".
Anyway, the actual cartoon itself is fantastic; the slapstick is quite good, and Taz is given actual dialogue. I love his response to Bugs after the latter tried to bury him alive in the cold, cold ground, as well as the "flattery'll get you nowhere" line.
And if nothing else, Taz is shown to be a genuine threat to Bugs, as, despite lacking in brains, he makes up for it with his strength, as he's capable of breaking through boulders and entire mountains!
Also, a bit of a fun fact, Taz wasn't supposed to appear in more shorts, as apparently, producer Eddie Selzer found the character to be unfunny, and ordered McKimson to not use the character again, but due to fan outcry, Taz was brought back!
So thank you, 50s Looney Tunes audience, for helping bring back such a great character :)
Anyway, give it a watch, it's a fun little cartoon archive.org/details/35-the-band-concert/('54)+Devi…
4 days ago (edited) | [YT] | 50
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Spicygolf
Here's another really underrated Daffy short by Norm McCabe.
"Daffy's Southern Exposure" has a starving Daffy go up against a weasel and the wolf, and yeah, this one's fun!
There's tons of great stuff throughout this one, like the hand sandwich bit, Daffy pausing the chase between him and the wolf all just to sucker punch him, and that song in the middle always makes me hungry for beans. Also, don't worry, folks, my fridge is now full :D
It is a shame that McCabe wasn't given time to truly shine in the director's chair; who knows what other great Daffy, or maybe even Bugs, cartoons he could've directed?
Oh well, at least we got Tashlin's legendary return, right?
Anyway, give this one, alongside McCabe's other Daffy cartoons, a watch; they're public domain, too, so you're able to find them easily on YouTube.
"Ohhhhhhhh for a loaf of bread! A jug of wine, and thou, hoohoo!"
6 days ago (edited) | [YT] | 52
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Spicygolf
With how much I've been glazing Freleng in these posts, you'd be surprised that we haven't looked at my favorite Freleng Bugs cartoon... UNTIL NOW!!!!!
"Bugs and Thugs" is, as YouTuber videogamedunkey says, "IT'S A FUCKIN' MASTAPIECE, IT'S A MASTAPIECE, POP THE CHAMPAGNE, WE DRINKIN’ TONIGHT BABYYYYYYY!!!!!!!”
The dialogue throughout is phenomenal. I love Bugs' responses to Rocky when he tries to interrogate him, and Mugsy taking Rocky's words way too literally.
And as is a standard for Freleng cartoons, the gags are all hilarious and well-timed, the train gag and the "let me have it" gag will always be personal favorites of mine, but nothing'll beat the godlike stove gag, gotta see it for yourselves, fellas.
As is also a standard for Freleng cartoons, I have nothing more to say; this one's perfect. This is Freleng at his peak, with Bugs, that is. archive.org/details/35-the-band-concert/('54)+Bugs…
1 week ago (edited) | [YT] | 41
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Spicygolf
"Life with Feathers" is a fucked up cartoon where Sylvester avoids eating a suess-slidle lovebird, because he presumes it to be poison.
This cartoon is a masterpiece; it's fast-paced, well-timed with tons of great gags, and really mean-spirited! As well as a fantastic showcase of Sylvester himself, as this cartoon marks his debut.
Also, that scene of the lovebird turning on the radio, that shit made me mad hungry, especially since my fridge is lookin' mighty empty right now.
This one's great! Give it a watch if you're interested -> archive.org/details/35-the-band-concert/('45)+Life…
"SUFFERIN' SUCCOTASH, SQUAB!!!!!!"
1 week ago (edited) | [YT] | 55
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Spicygolf
Ahh, yes, here's another really iconic piece of animation.
"Bully for Bugs" is without a doubt THE bull-fighting cartoon!
When people are discussing these "Bugs Revenge" cartoons, they usually say "Long-Haired Hare", overrated as fuck btw, is the best of those cartoons. But I'm here to argue and say "Bully for Bugs" is the best of those type of cartoons!
This is an incredibly sharp piece, featuring some of the most beautiful timing and execution in any of these cartoons, and these gags are truly ingenious. I especially love the ending climax; it's peak toon logic, and I can't help but love it!
I also love this bull character, for being his only appearance in the golden age, he's given so much life and personality in this one cartoon, especially compared to other bull characters!
And what makes this cartoon even funnier to me is that this was created out of spite! Apparently, producer Eddie Selzer, out of nowhere, burst into Jones's office and yelled about how bullfighting cartoons are unfunny, so Jones and Maltese, like the madmen they are, immediately got to work and created the best damn bullfighting cartoon that anyone could ask for.
What more can I say? It just does everything right! This one has always been one of my top 10 favorite Bugs cartoons, if not one of my top 10 favorite Looney Tunes shorts of all time!
Give it a watch, this is as good as a bullfighting cartoon can get! archive.org/details/35-the-band-concert/('53)+Bull…
1 week ago (edited) | [YT] | 58
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Spicygolf
Beaky makes his grand return in "The Bashful Buzzard."
This is one I love for the same reasons as "The Hasty Hare"; it features more of a certain character I greatly enjoy!
Beaky here is a lovable little dope as usual, being so dumb and weak that he’s not even able to catch a bumblebee.
The gags revolving around what Beaky's sibilings are carrying are all great, I especially love the Dumbo gag and the Old MacDonald’s delayed reaction!
And speaking of Beaky’s siblings, those fuckers are terrifying, the stuff they’re capable of carrying is CRAZY!
This is one also has Clampett toying around with the Hayes Code, with stuff like Beaky nearing cussing and ripping off a lamb's coat, also, no, that isn't the Minus8 lamb.
Not much else I can really add, this is just fantastic stuff from Clampett, as to be expected -> archive.org/details/35-the-band-concert/('45)+The+…
"Oh, you shrivilled up intestable shrivilled up piece of shhhhhhhhhoe leather."
2 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 55
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Spicygolf
"The Hasty Hare" has one overconfident earth creature match his wits against two disgruntled Martians.
Anyway, this one has twice as much Marvin than in his first appearance, so therefore it's peak, no, seriously, that's partially the reason why I really love this one, on top of the fact that it's just another really great Bugs outing!
Bugs and Marvin's dynamic is great; all the gags are wonderfully executed. Yeah, I have nothing more to add. It's exactly what I said - another great Bugs cartoon!
Sit your ass down for 7 minutes and watch it! -> archive.org/details/35-the-band-concert/('52)+The+…
"Oh, that wasn't a bit nice! *heavy breathing* You have made me very angry!!!!!! *heavy breathing* very angry indeed!!!!!!!!!"
2 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 67
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Spicygolf
Welcome back, children, here's another Clampett cartoon.
"A Gruesome Twosome" is the final Tweety cartoon directed by Clampett, and yeah, it's good :)
I like the two cats in this one, especially the Jimmy Durante cat; their dynamic is great!
Tweety being a menace to society is a joy to watch, and I really appreciate the gag where the dog remarks about how he doesn't belong in the cartoon but doesn't pass up the opportunity to give the female kitten a smooch before leaving.
Before I end this post, I'd like to give a quick honorable mention to "Birdy and the Beast", that one's quite good too, though the weakest out of the three imo.
Not much else to add, just watch it, it's funny :) archive.org/details/35-the-band-concert/('45)+A+Gr…
UMBRIAGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 62
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Spicygolf
Here's a pretty interesting cartoon.
"Operation: Rabbit" has Bugs go up against, of all people, Wile E. Coyote. This may seem weird at first, but it should be noted that when this came out, there was only one other Wile E cartoon, so there was lots of room for experimentation for the character.
Frankly, this dynamic works really well, and I guess Jones thought so, too, as there would be 4 more of these Bugs V. Wile E cartoons.
I love how much Wile E sucks his own dick in this one, making the slapstick towards him all the more satisfying, and what makes this cartoon even more funnier to me is that, I believe, if he weren't constantly up his own ass, he probably could've caught Bugs.
Aside from that, this is just 7 minutes of great and well-timed slapstick from the GOAT Chuck Jones, what more could you ask for? archive.org/details/35-the-band-concert/('52)+Oper…
"And remember, mud spelled backwards is dum."
2 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 57
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