Cartoon Discussion Of The Week: The Wild Chase

[Marty26]

YouTube - Road Runer 27 - The Wild Chase.avi (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yII3JfyI12Y)

This cartoon is unique (not necessarily "good" but "unique") for several reasons:

1. It's Friz Freleng's last WB cartoon.

2. It's the first and only cartoon to toss Speedy, The Roadrunner, Sylvester, and Wile E. Coyote together.

3. It's the last cartoon to show Sylvester as Speedy's adversary. In fact, barring his (rather pointless) cameo in A Taste Of Catnip, it's also his last GAC-era cartoon.

4. The cartoon directly borrows virtually all its gags from earlier Jones-era Coyote/Roadrunner cartoons.

So is it any good?

If these gags weren't already done before, it may have had a chance to be a pretty decent (if gimmicky) short. But this flaw, coupled with the cheap-o animation (which, sadly, is still better than the animation of WB's later post-64 shorts), cheesy music and cop-out ending (I'm sure I'm not alone in saying that it would've been nice to see either Speedy or The Roadrunner actually win that race) IMO result in a weak cartoon that had the potential to be great but didn't use it at all. There were still some funny jokes, such as seeing that spaced out Mexican almost shoot the judges when signalling the start of the race. Some of Sylvester and Wile E.'s interactions with each other also made me crack a smile. But those still aren't enough to save an otherwise mediocre cartoon.

Below average (ie. D/D+).

[Brandon Panther]

I found most of Paul Dini's comments in the commentary funnier than most of the cartoon put together.

[kaneda]

Warner Brothers (like many cartoons) did rely a bit too heavily on repetition. It is a wonder that they did not do more character crossovers to add some variety. Some change of scenery too. Imagine the average Roadrunner-Coyote cartoon set in a town with skyscrapers. Or at the Acme factory.

[Glowworm]

Meh-I found the cartoon OK as a kid but now that I realize that it's just a "copy and repeat many of Chuck Jones gags and artwork" I'm not very fond of it-although Bill Lava's theme music for the chase sequence and the title is actually pretty good-for this cartoon at least.

Paul Dini makes some hillarious commentary on this cartoon on Looney Tunes Golden Collection volume 4-the best part is his idea of what Wile E. and Sylvester would say to each other if they were ALLOWED to talk.

[Speedy Boris]

I remember showing this one to my mom and she said, "Eh." That says it all right there.

[Matt the Y]

A real snoozer of a cartoon and a COMPLETELY wasted opportunity. No good gags (mostly because almost all of them are re-used anyway and fare much more poorly here with the more limited animation) and no potential used at all in the idea. This one just shouldn't have been made. I give it a thumbs down.

[speedy fast]

I don't think I noticed until it was pointed out online that many of the gags were reused from odler cartoons. It's interesting that this one reuses animation from the Chuck Jones cartoons, but the later Rudy Larriva cartoons don't.

I didn't find it odd that Sylvester and Speedy didn't talk much in this cartoon (I think the commentary points out that it's because of the reused animation). There are many cartoons where Sylvester doesn't talk (the Porky and Sylvester team-ups, for example). Speedy could have talked more, but Road Runner wouldn't have talked back to him.

I like the cartoon because of the team-up.

[Marty26]

I don't think I noticed until it was pointed out online that many of the gags were reused from odler cartoons. It's interesting that this one reuses animation from the Chuck Jones cartoons, but the later Rudy Larriva cartoons don't.

I didn't find it odd that Sylvester and Speedy didn't talk much in this cartoon (I think the commentary points out that it's because of the reused animation). There are many cartoons where Sylvester doesn't talk (the Porky and Sylvester team-ups, for example). Speedy could have talked more, but Road Runner wouldn't have talked back to him.

I like the cartoon because of the team-up.

In a lot of the Tweety cartoons (particularly the earlier ones), Sylvester didn't talk either. Or he only said one or two lines.

[angilbas]

This cartoon was fairly satisfying when I first saw it in 1967 (long before I was aware of Zoom and Bored or Wild About Hurry), with the funniest part being the footage of Wile E. feeling only air below the dust (from Zoom and Bored). Seen today, it comes across as a weak homage to Chuck by his good friend Friz (Chuck would pay Friz back 30 years later with From Hare to Eternity, but at least that film had good, original animation).

Consider the rock flip borrowed from Wild About Hurry. When the rock doesn't drop, Wile E. jumps and stamps on it until an edge breaks off and gravity takes over. What makes this gag work under Jones is Wile E.'s subsequent attempt to save himself by running on the rock so that it spins (with a distinctive hum later emitted by the dart-bombs in Lickety-Splat). Then he spins after emerging from the tunnel. No such follow-through appears in The Wild Chase -- the rock, with Wile E. and Sylvester acting foolish, just drops out of sight.

A minor nitpick, but one which is provoked by the lazy writing, concerns the betting room bisected by the border. The gag would have been better if the sign on the Mexican side had been Spanish. It's odd that Friz didn't think of this, given that he often put Spanish in his earlier Speedy cartoons.

Wile E. and Sylvester sure looked hungry when they first appeared -- too bad their rocket exploded in the sky when it could have crashed in a food market.


-Tony

[Marty26]

A real snoozer of a cartoon and a COMPLETELY wasted opportunity. No good gags (mostly because almost all of them are re-used anyway and fare much more poorly here with the more limited animation) and no potential used at all in the idea. This one just shouldn't have been made. I give it a thumbs down.

I disagree with you about how it "shouldn't have been made." It SHOULD'VE been made in 1958/1959. Then there probably would've been a lot more effort put into it, and may be it would've better utilized its potential.

[nickramer]

I also liked Paul Dini's commentary for this cartoon. As for the film itself, I prefer the recent comic book remake to the film, model sheet copying aside.

[larriva9/11]

This cartoon was fairly satisfying when I first saw it in 1967 (long before I was aware of Zoom and Bored or Wild About Hurry), with the funniest part being the footage of Wile E. feeling only air below the dust (from Zoom and Bored). Seen today, it comes across as a weak homage to Chuck by his good friend Friz (Chuck would pay Friz back 30 years later with From Hare to Eternity, but at least that film had good, original animation).

Given the circumstances of Chuck's departure, how "good" a friendship existed at the time? (Also remember "Mexican Cat Dance", Friz's desecration of the memory of "Bully For Bugs".)

At best, I suppose, the "times two" formula ought to have worked a la "Deputy Droopy" relative to "Rock-A-Bye Bear".

Interesting to ponder, though--and it must certainly reflect Friz's cartoon comfort zone--that even if the gags and animation are recycled Road Runner, it's essentially a Speedy cartoon in tone and spirit. Most especially, Bill Lava's in "Speedy mode" rather than "RR mode" (and that difference in tone was all the more conspicuous back when the only DPE/WBs shown on TV were Road Runners)

[Marty26]

I just watched Road To Andelay, It's Nice To Have A Mouse Around The House, and Cats And Bruises. And since there was nowhere else to post my thoughts on those cartoons, I thought I'd post them here.

Road To Andelay - Okay, here's another example of a promising cartoon that ultimately falls victim to the time in which it was made and released. The hunting bird Malcolm was a pretty funny character, although one must wonder why Sylvester's feline instincts didn't lead him to decide to go after HIM (although, to be fair, I guess in that case a hunting bird would make more sense than a hunting dog - which, in and of itself, might've made for a funny gag). But the cartoon really suffers from its shoddy animation, especially on Sylvester (who's drawn quite badly). And the ending was rather unsatisfying. Although it was nice to see Speedy shrunken down to size.

It's Nice To Have A Mouse Around The House - Lame title aside, this is actually a pretty decent "Daffy/Speedy pilot cartoon." And probably the best of the post-64 Sylvester/Speedy cartoons (Pancho's Hideaway was better than any of them, though). I agree with Rob Reynolds (It's Nice to Have a Mouse Around the House (1965) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059322/), who's actually posted in this forum a couple times btw) that this cartoon does seem like it was thrown together to fulfill a contract, but for some reason, I find that Daffy and Speedy actually have more chemistry in this cartoon than in some of the later D/S cartoons. While Speedy's final line of dialog is pretty lame, the means by which Daffy's chased out of the house were pretty funny (I agree with Jon Cooke that the "Daffy Duck Comics" inclusion was a nice touch).

Cats And Bruises - Like The Wild Chase, this is basically an indirect clip show. With the exception of the final racecar gag, almost all of its jokes were borrowed either from older Speedy/Sylvester shorts (The Pied Piper Of Guadalupe, for example) or from older Sylvester/Tweety shorts (Canary Row and Ain't She Tweet being two examples). It's clear that, by this time, Freleng had basically run out of steam with WB. Hence the way his last two cartoons were little more than doctored up clip shows. On the bright side, Sylvester looks a bit better here than he did in Road To Andelay. And it's interesting that the later Go-Go Amigo reused Speedy's dancing technique from this cartoon.

[J. B. Warner]

Paul Dini makes some hillarious commentary on this cartoon on Looney Tunes Golden Collection volume 4-the best part is his idea of what Wile E. and Sylvester would say to each other if they were ALLOWED to talk.

I thought the funniest part of Dini's commentary was when he mentioned that he accidentally hit a roadrunner with his car once, then took a picture of it and posted it on the Warner Bros. website with a caption reading "Score one for the coyote".

It's a pretty lame cartoon, lamer still when you realize that all the gags are just stolen from classic Jones cartoons (though the sudden jump in animation quality is kind of a big tip-off). And yeah, the ending is pretty lousy too - dare I say it, I think the Road Runner/Speedy race from the most recent issue of DC's Looney Tunes comics did it better.

It's funny, I've often discussed with my co-workers whether Speedy Gonzales or the Road Runner is faster. The way I see it, the Road Runner definitely has the advantage - he's larger, so he can cover more ground than Speedy in less time, and he's more streamlined and aerodynamic. Speedy's sombrero probably just acts as wind resistance.

[Brandon Panther]

Given the circumstances of Chuck's departure, how "good" a friendship existed at the time? (Also remember "Mexican Cat Dance", Friz's desecration of the memory of "Bully For Bugs".)

In the "Chuck/Clampett" dispute from months ago, wasn't it mentioned that Chuck said he LIKED Mexican Cat Dance?

[Marty26]

In the "Chuck/Clampett" dispute from months ago, wasn't it mentioned that Chuck said he LIKED Mexican Cat Dance?

I can't imagine any reason for him to like that cartoon other than the way Freleng directly stole footage from one of his best cartoons (Bully For Bugs).

[Marty26]

I thought the funniest part of Dini's commentary was when he mentioned that he accidentally hit a roadrunner with his car once, then took a picture of it and posted it on the Warner Bros. website with a caption reading "Score one for the coyote".

It's a pretty lame cartoon, lamer still when you realize that all the gags are just stolen from classic Jones cartoons (though the sudden jump in animation quality is kind of a big tip-off). And yeah, the ending is pretty lousy too - dare I say it, I think the Road Runner/Speedy race from the most recent issue of DC's Looney Tunes comics did it better.


Like I said, Cats And Bruises was also basically a cartoon clip show in the same vein. Clearly, Freleng had grown tired of making WB cartoons by that time. Which is why this ended up being his last before the final shutdown in 1969.

[oceansoul]

Warner Brothers (like many cartoons) did rely a bit too heavily on repetition. It is a wonder that they did not do more character crossovers to add some variety. Some change of scenery too. Imagine the average Roadrunner-Coyote cartoon set in a town with skyscrapers. Or at the Acme factory.

Post of the year.

[Marty26]

Rudy Larriva, at least, did try to do something a little different from the standard Daffy/Speedy cartoon with The Spy Swatter. Which, instead of taking place in Mexico or even in a hot desert/beach area, took place in a 1960's-style metropolis and showed Daffy and Speedy as adversaries in a bizarre James Bond spoof.

Otherwise, Yosemite Sam is probably the character who had the most crossovers.

[oceansoul]

I just watched Road To Andelay, It's Nice To Have A Mouse Around The House, and Cats And Bruises. And since there was nowhere else to post my thoughts on those cartoons, I thought I'd post them here.

Road To Andelay - Okay, here's another example of a promising cartoon that ultimately falls victim to the time in which it was made and released. The hunting bird Malcolm was a pretty funny character, although one must wonder why Sylvester's feline instincts didn't lead him to decide to go after HIM (although, to be fair, I guess in that case a hunting bird would make more sense than a hunting dog - which, in and of itself, might've made for a funny gag). But the cartoon really suffers from its shoddy animation, especially on Sylvester (who's drawn quite badly). And the ending was rather unsatisfying. Although it was nice to see Speedy shrunken down to size.

It's Nice To Have A Mouse Around The House - Lame title aside, this is actually a pretty decent "Daffy/Speedy pilot cartoon." And probably the best of the post-64 Sylvester/Speedy cartoons (Pancho's Hideaway was better than any of them, though). I agree with Rob Reynolds (It's Nice to Have a Mouse Around the House (1965) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059322/), who's actually posted in this forum a couple times btw) that this cartoon does seem like it was thrown together to fulfill a contract, but for some reason, I find that Daffy and Speedy actually have more chemistry in this cartoon than in some of the later D/S cartoons. While Speedy's final line of dialog is pretty lame, the means by which Daffy's chased out of the house were pretty funny (I agree with Jon Cooke that the "Daffy Duck Comics" inclusion was a nice touch).

Cats And Bruises - Like The Wild Chase, this is basically an indirect clip show. With the exception of the final racecar gag, almost all of its jokes were borrowed either from older Speedy/Sylvester shorts (The Pied Piper Of Guadalupe, for example) or from older Sylvester/Tweety shorts (Canary Row and Ain't She Tweet being two examples). It's clear that, by this time, Freleng had basically run out of steam with WB. Hence the way his last two cartoons were little more than doctored up clip shows. On the bright side, Sylvester looks a bit better here than he did in Road To Andelay. And it's interesting that the later Go-Go Amigo reused Speedy's dancing technique from this cartoon.

Agree with most of your analyses as well.

[larriva9/11]

I can't imagine any reason for him to like that cartoon other than the way Freleng directly stole footage from one of his best cartoons (Bully For Bugs).

Or if it was meant as obvious sarcasm.

[larriva9/11]

Warner Brothers (like many cartoons) did rely a bit too heavily on repetition. It is a wonder that they did not do more character crossovers to add some variety. Some change of scenery too. Imagine the average Roadrunner-Coyote cartoon set in a town with skyscrapers. Or at the Acme factory.

Well, re the RR, the first real "change of scenery" was when Chuck returned to the subject in "Freeze Frame".

Otherwise, the closest thing to an "urban" setting occurring in a RR cartoon was, paradoxically, in the first entry, "Fast and Furry-ous"--that is, you'd have a hard time finding a multi-level cloverleaf interchange in the desert wilds of the American Southwest in 1948...

[whitsbrain]

So, Speedy and Road Runner race each other while Sylvester and Wile E. Coyote team up and try to catch them. I guess that...makes...sense.

I actually laughed quite a bit at this. The animation is so bad and the idea is really goofy, almost strange. It is fun to watch because its such a lame attempt to make something good out of past greatness.

It fails.

My Rating: 3 - Fair

[speedy fast]

It seems to me that in a few scenes, Sylvester only got hurt because the script required him to. For example, in the scene where Wile . takes dynamite through a tunnell, and the wires drag the plunger, causing it to explode, Sylvester was just watching, and got closer to the plunger before it went off. He could have easily ran away. They were a team in his short, but there's no reason (right?) why they both had to be victims to every gag.

[Mr. Semaj]

Clearly, Freleng had grown tired of making WB cartoons by that time. Which is why this ended up being his last before the final shutdown in 1969.

It would show in this particular cartoon from how Freleng would take an interesting idea, but avoid finishing it. He did this before in Gonzales' Tomales, where Speedy was cast as the antagonist, but cheated those who were paying attention to the actual story with Sylvester's typical quota of bad luck.

[Marty26]

It would show in this particular cartoon from how Freleng would take an interesting idea, but avoid finishing it. He did this before in Gonzales' Tomales, where Speedy was cast as the antagonist, but cheated those who were paying attention to the actual story with Sylvester's typical quota of bad luck.

Good point, actually. Freleng basically dropped the whole "Speedy as the antagonist" plot once Sylvester stepped in in Gonzales Tomales. And here, Speedy and the Roadrunner (despite supposedly being the stars of the show) are basically just showpieces while Wile E. and Sylvester end up stealing the spotlight once they arrive.

[The "Chase"]

Well, you guys stated your opinion, and it's kinda similar to mine, so I won't add in (other than it "plan 9 Of Outer Space" bad (if you know what I mean)). But, what I do want to add in is a couple of things.

1. Who wrote this? Nobody credited in story in this one (I'll make a guess that John Dunn wrote it).

2. What's up with the animator credits in this one? I mean, 5-6 animators on this with reused footage? Were they credited because they did the reused footage or something?

3. Why do I have the strange feeling that Pratt did the Road Runner bits and Freleng did the rest?

4. Paul Dini pointed this out, but why did Speedy and Sylvester didn't speak in this one?

But one thing for sure, this was an awful swan song for Fritz and Freleng's sylvester career to go out on.