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About this blog

I'll post short reviews of all 1000 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons year by year. Yes, all of them.

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Looney Tunes

1951: Wabbit season! Duck season!

1951 might not be the most influential year for the WB cartoons with regard to debuting characters (in fact, there are more recurring characters we see for the last time this year). But there is one new combination of familiar characters that will appear several times later on... and obviously many great cartoons! Hare We Go Directed by Robert McKimson In 1492, Christopher Columbus sets out to prove the world is round after Queen Isabella promises him her jewels if he succeeds. Bugs
Tacodidra

Tacodidra in Looney Tunes

4
Looney Tunes

1950: Bye bye buzzard

The Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies' third decade begins! This year, we have some recurring characters making their first appearances and say goodbye to a few others. Home, Tweet Home Directed by I. Freleng Sylvester is chasing Tweety in a park. His attempts to catch the bird keep getting foiled by a woman, a bulldog and Tweety himself. In this relatively early Sylvester and Tweety entry, Tweety's character is still quite close to his 40s version. While he starts relying more on oth
Looney Tunes

1949: Wonderful, simply scrumptious!

And we've reached the last year of the Warner Bros. cartoons' second decade. This year is especially notable for the introduction of two of WB's longest-lasting and most beloved characters. Wise Quackers Directed by I. Freleng A tired Daffy is unable to fly south and gets caught by hunter Elmer Fudd. The duck promises to do anything Elmer wants if he spares him, including being his slave. Elmer agrees to this, but Daffy's attempts to help Elmer prove to be more of a nuisance. Daffy i
Looney Tunes

1948: A king-sized mouse, a musclebound mastodon!

This year will bring us the debut of a character who would become more popular in the later decades, and another notable recurring character. There will also be a significant increase in familiarity (you'll soon find out why)! We're also back to having more than 30 cartoons per year. Gorilla My Dreams Directed by Robert McKimson In the jungle, a female gorilla is sad that the stork hasn't brought her a baby. Bugs sails there in a barrel, and the gorilla decides to raise him as her ch
Looney Tunes

1947: Cat and bird win big

This year, the studio will finally start to receive accolades for their great cartoons, with the first pairing of two very familiar characters... One Meat Brawl Directed by Robert McKimson It's Groundhog Day – this should be a happy occasion for Grover Groundhog, but due to the meat shortage, everyone is hunting him! Porky and his dog Mandrake (the same dog as the Barnyard Dawg who had debuted in "Walky Talky Hawky" the year before) are also after him, trying to get a new addition to
Looney Tunes

1946: One of these things has got to be a chicken!

With the war over, the studio's full focus is on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies. And indeed, we get more shorts in the main series again. Book Revue Directed by Robert Clampett Also known by its reissue title of "Book Review", completely ruining the pun! Books come to life in a store at night and the characters in them perform a jazzy tune. Things get really wild when Daffy pops out of a comic book, starting his own performance (impersonating Danny Kaye) and eventually getting
Looney Tunes

1945: Something new has been added!

The production schedule is shrinking... For the first time since 1931 (and also the last time for a while), the number of the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts falls below the 20-mark. But there will be some milestones in the series, and the additional commissioned shorts will again form a notable part of the studio's output...   Odor-able Kitty Directed by Charles M. Jones A cat is unsatisfied with the way he gets treated. He comes up with a solution – with the help of pa
Looney Tunes

1944: Goodbye, Mr. Schlesinger

We've reached the first year when all the WB cartoons in the main series are in full color. Also a year of changes for the Schlesinger cartoon studio... Little Red Riding Rabbit Directed by I. Freleng A teenage Little Red Riding Hood is bringing her grandma a bunny rabbit (Bugs)... to have! The wolf goes to grandma's house as usual, and takes her place easily, as grandma is working swing shift at Lockheed. Once Red shows up, the wolf shoos her away, as he's only interested in eating
Looney Tunes

1943: Situation Normal: All Fouled Up

Another year, more cartoons! In what's probably one of the most controversial years of the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, we get even more war-themed shorts, and something all new from the Schlesinger studio!   Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs Directed by Robert Clampett Part of the Censored 11, withdrawn from TV distribution in the 60s. A mother tells her child a story parodying Snow White. The mean old queen asks her magic mirror to send her a prince – but Prince Chawmin' is in
Looney Tunes

1942: Tweety and... Conrad?

Despite some very bleak times in the world (which will also be reflected in the contents of many of the cartoons – some of them obviously wouldn't show up much in the later TV airings), the WB cartoons are doing extremely well. Hop Skip and a Chump Directed by I. Freleng The fast and cunning grasshopper Hopalong Casserole outwits two dumb crows who try to catch him. This is a fun one-shot with charismatic characters — could there have been potential for more? Hopalong is a trickster
Looney Tunes

1941: The year of the rabbit?

It's a year of changes for the Warner Bros. cartoons. The new Merrie Melodies star Bugs Bunny will make several more appearances, showing what an impact his debut had. Porky's role as the star of the sister series Looney Tunes is also showing further signs of weakening... Elmer's Pet Rabbit Directed by Charles M. Jones Elmer Fudd goes to the pet store and gets himself a "thoughtful, considerate, gentle" rabbit. Sadly, Bugs proves to be anything but that, constantly annoying Elmer. Th
Looney Tunes

1940: What's up, doc?

The Looney Tunes head on to their second decade. The year 1940 will be one of the most important in the history of the series, and I'd say animation in general (and that's not an exaggeration at all). Porky's Last Stand Directed by Robert Clampett Porky is running a fried chicken stand. Daffy works there and has to make a hamburger for a customer. But there's a problem – the ingredients have been eaten by mice. Daffy spots a calf and starts chasing it, but he ends up angering a bull.
Looney Tunes

1939: Of Mice and Dogs

After this year, we'll have had a full decade of the Looney Tunes! And what a year it is – as the success of the Looney Tunes and the Merrie Melodies grows, the two series release a combined total of 44 cartoons this year! For various reasons, this number would never be matched in the later years. The Lone Stranger and Porky Directed by Robert Clampett Porky is delivering gold when he gets robbed. Thankfully, the mysterious hero the Lone Stranger and his horse Silver are there to sav
Looney Tunes

1938: Going up!

The Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies move on to another year. With the introduction of Daffy Duck last year, we can look forward to more of him... and maybe some surprises!   Daffy Duck & Egghead Directed by Fred Avery Egghead goes duck hunting, but the duck he meets is a really crazy one, making him difficult to outwit. More Avery wackiness, continuing from "Porky's Duck Hunt". Despite that short being one of the most important in the whole series, I think this one is ev
Looney Tunes

1937: Grumpy goats and darnfool ducks

After what was clearly my favorite year so far, we enter the eighth year of the WB cartoons. After Porky became the Looney Tunes' lead character, we'll see many more cartoons with him, including introductions of potential co-stars! So it's another important year...   He Was Her Man Directed by I. Freleng A female mouse is selling apples on the street to earn some money for herself and her gambling husband Johnny. But he leaves her for another woman, and once she sees them together,
Looney Tunes

1936: Porky settles in

This year, the first bona fide Looney Tunes star will claim his rightful place. Other familiar aspects of the series will also be introduced! I Wanna Play House Directed by I. Freleng Two bear cubs play hide and seek. The black bear finds a cottage with food and gets drunk on cider. The brown bear goes looking for him and the two get in a lot of trouble! A nice short that may not be a standout but has some cute moments. This is also the first Merrie Melodies cartoon (at least from
Looney Tunes

1935: A star is born... but who?

And now for the most interesting year so far! You'll see why...   Mr. and Mrs. Is the Name Directed by Isadore Freleng Two little merpeople (sometimes thought to be the very similarly designed Buddy and Cookie — if that's the case, this is their only color appearance) find a sunken ship with a treasure chest on it and have fun. But then an octopus starts chasing them. A cute, somewhat Disney-esque cartoon, but there's also some wilder animation, especially for a singing crab. I may
Looney Tunes

1934: Buddy the Cartoon Star

The Schlesinger crew is now trying to make Buddy the new Looney Tunes star. After a couple of bad entries, new director Earl Duvall managed to make several enjoyable cartoons, even if the main character wasn't the most interesting personality in animation. The first full year of the new gang beckons! Buddy the Gob Directed by Isadore Freleng Friz Freleng's first official credit as a director! Sailor Buddy goes to China where he finds out a girl will be sacrificed to the Sacred Dragon
Looney Tunes

1933: An end and a new beginning

We enter the last year of the Harman-Ising cartoons, followed by the start of a new era for Warner Bros. cartoons. Again, the Bosko cartoons are usually by Hugh Harman, the others mostly by Rudolf Ising, but one of the studio's top animators starts to play a more significant role...   The Shanty Where Santy Claus Lives An orphan kid is wandering in the snow at Christmas until he meets Santa who takes him to his shanty. There we see musical scenes involving toys. This short reminds me
Looney Tunes

1932: Bring Goopy Geer?

The Schlesinger/WB cartoons enter their third year. Hooray for Bosko and random one-shots! Once again, Hugh Harman directed the former, with Rudolf Ising responsible for the latter.   Bosko at the Zoo The title says it all, and Honey is there too. At first, there's some annoying "la la la" singing from the duo and cutesy scenes with the animals, but thankfully we get some excitement later on with Bosko and some of the animals in a chase. 7.5 Pagan Moon A Hawaiian boy and gir
Looney Tunes

1931: Enter Merrie Melodies

And now we're in 1931, with more Bosko and the introduction of a new series! All of these cartoons were directed by Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising.   Big Man from the North Mountie Bosko is given the task of arresting a dangerous criminal. While this short still has a lot of focus on music, the series seems to be evolving, with this short clearly having more of a plot and conflict than the previous ones. 8 Ain't Nature Grand! And this is more like the earlier Bosko shorts, wit
Looney Tunes

1930: The beginning

Here's something of a long-planned project for me. After going through many cartoon series last year, I've finally decided to tackle an all-time favorite. The Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoon series (I'm treating them as one, as they were essentially the same for most of their existence) have been important to me since my early childhood when I was especially a huge Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner fan. But despite seeing many of these shorts, I've never seen the full series. So here it go
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