Wee-Willy Wildcat

Yup. Willy Wildcat. The meanest kid that ever lived!
Another great Barney Bear cartoon and another fine addition to the Dick Lundy film collection. I feel sorry for poor Barney because he tries everything to bond with the kid, gets practically killed. The end was the payoff of the short.
Yessir, that child psychology really works, don't it?

Barney Bear - Wee-Willy Wildcat (1953)
by Cartoonzof2006

The Bear's Tale

An early Tex Avery fairy-tale cartoon. I find this cartoon a good attempt at having most of the story's jokes based on narrative break-downs. The papa bear, of course, was my favorite. That hearty laugh (supplied by Avery himself) really knows how to make me laugh, as well as the line, "I know there's no robber! There's just a little girl asleep up there. I read this story last week in Reader's Digest!" The below gag, I heard, has been used in a lot of Benny Hill episodes.
So what does Red Riding Hood have that Goldilocks hasn't?
Well...

Merrie Melodies - The Bear's Tale (1940)
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Buckaroo Bugs

Man, there's a lot of history with this cartoon. First of all, it was Bug bunny's first Looney Tunes cartoon and the final cartoon produced by Leon Schlesinger during his stay at the Warner Bros.

Buckaroo is also one of Bob Clampett's finest cartoons. There's great animation from Bob McKimson and Rod Scriber to see in this gem, especially near the end when Red Ryder and his horse jump off a canyon cliff. The horse's take in that scene was genius and could only be thought up of by an animator from Clampett's unit. I think it was McKimson, but I'm not sure.

Looney Tunes - Buckaroo Bugs (1944)
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Cobs and Robbers

I don't think I ever covered a Barney Bear cartoon before, but here goes...
Now, Barney was made back in 1941 by Rudie Ising. His earliest shorts were kinda Disney-esque, but rather dull to me. His last official cartoons were made in the 50's by Dick Lundy. I think these were the best thatnks to great comic timing. Lundy's cartoons weren't funny on the same level as Tex Avery's, but still laughable.
Cobs and Robbers is actually my favorite one from this era. The wind-up crow bait gag was just hilarious. Don't know who animated it, but combined with Scott Bradley's musical score - genius!
Oh, and look at the card around 1:27! ;)

Barney Bear - Cobs and Robbers (1953)
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Hare-abian Nights

Man, it's been a while!

Sorry for the lack of updates lately. Hope this will entertain all you faithful readers.
This is the only cartoon that I know of that was directed by one of Chuck Jones' best animators, Ken Harris. I feel it could have been better, since this is only a "clip-show" type of cartoon. At least we get to see Yosemite Sam drawn the Chuck Jones way. It's a rare find, and that's why I felt I should of posted it.

Merrie Melodies - Hare-abian Nights (1959)
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Pluto and the Armadillo

I just got into watching Disney films again. I gotta say, some of them are pretty impressive. Sure, they're no Warner Bros. cartoons, but these films have real craftsmanship. True art in motion. Wonderful animation. Lively music.

Anyway, this one isn't very remarkable. I'm not really a big Pluto fan, but this cartoon was really cute. I also really like the theme music for the armadillo when it's walking. It's a nice way to kill off 7 minutes.

From what I heard, Pluto and the Armadillo was supposed to have been in the movie, Saludos Amigos, but ended up being cut from the final film due to time constraints. Well, I'm glad they finished it instead of abandoning the idea.

Below are some really cool sketches by Frank Thomas.

Pluto and the Armadillo (1943)
Uploaded by Cartoonzof2006 - Full seasons and entire episodes online.

The Mouse on 57th Street

In honor of the new Chuck Jones documentary and marathon on tonight on TMC, I thought I'd post this underrated feature directed by Mr. Jones.

This cartoon has the honor of being the last Warner Bros cartoon written by Mike Maltese. It's really hard to find and just as hard to see on TV. I think I only saw it once on Cartoon Network before I rediscovered it on YouTube.

Anyway, this is one of Chuck's best and most unique cartoons he did at Warner Bros. I don't think he ever made another short like this during his career.

Merrie Melodies - The Mouse On 57th Street (1961)
by Cartoonzof2006

Foxy by Proxy

What Friz Freling lacks in animation quality, he makes up for with really funny cartoons, like this one. Foxy is definitely one of my favorite Bugs Bunny cartoons directed by Freling. The train track scene always leaves me howling wth laughter! I swear, It also looks like one of Bob McKimson's animators did a scene on this one. It's the scene where Bugs tries to lose the other hunting dogs after the stupid one caught the train. If I'm wrong let me know.

Here's some good drawings from the cartoon. A little light on the lines, though...

Merrie Melodies - Foxy by Proxy (1952)
Uploaded by Cartoonzof2006

Woodsman, Spare That Tree

I'd like to drift away from all the big animation studios for a minute to talk about a wonderful, under-rated and rarely seen series of cartoons: the Fox and Crow cartoons from Columbia pictures. These are real gems from the golden Age and rarely ever talked about, even by today's big shots of the business.

I like that the whole series, like Tom and Jerry or the Coyote and Roadrunner, revolves around the chemistry between two different characters except that they aren't out to kill each other. The characters go well together, and never needed a third supporting character to make it work. I don't think they ever did.

Anyway, the example I'm showing you is the second one of this two-dozen titled series and my personal favorite out of all of them. I can't really say anything bad about this one. The backgrounds are amazing and the animation is the best of the series. I heard Emery Hawkins animated at least two scenes in this, but I bet he did more judging by some of the drawings and the way the Fox looks and moves. Also, the voices really fit the characters better than the first cartoon, The Fox and the Grapes to me. Here, they're voiced by Frank Graham and Paul Frees (God love them both!) respectively versus the first one where both were performed by Mel Blanc. (the greatest voice actor ever!) No offence to Blanc lovers, but Graham and Frees portray the pair better.

I also like the music and how the beginning of almost each one is introduced by a Johann Strauss waltz and makes up the bulk of the score. In this one, it's Künstlerleben (An Artist's Life), Op. 316.

Any who, take a look for yourself and see what I'm talking about. Feel free to comment if you like it. :)

Fox & Crow - Woodsman, Spare That Tree (1942)
Uploaded by Cartoonzof2006

Jumpin' Jupiter

My favorite Porky and Sylvester cartoon. I love the way Chuck draws Sylvester in his cartoons. It's the best one to me next to Clampett's version. Jumpin' Jupiter has amazing backgrounds, funny jokes, and a good story with some good animation. Also, one of the instant martians from Hare-Way to the Stars makes an appearance.

Merrie Melodies - Jumpin' Jupiter (1955)
Uploaded by Cartoonzof2006