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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.

Entries in this blog

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

Tacodidra

Tacodidra in Looney Tunes

1965: Duck and mouse chase

The first year with DePatie-Freleng fully at the helm. This was the last year to have more than 20 entries in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series, though it wasn't entirely thanks to new cartoons... Zip Zip Hooray! Directed by Chuck Jones (uncredited) Ralph Phillips and his friend (Arnold) watch Wile E. Coyote chasing the Road Runner on TV. Ralph tells Arnold how he wants to be the Road Runner, and the coyote explains to the boys why he always tries to catch the Road Runner.

Tacodidra

Tacodidra in Looney Tunes

1963: Abracapocus!

Another year with many WB cartoon shorts... and another failed TV pilot getting a new life in theaters. I Was a Teenage Thumb Directed by Chuck Jones, Esq. Co-director: Maurice Noble A new take on the story of Tom Thumb. George Ebenezer and Prunhilda Thumb haven't had a baby despite Prunhilda's wishes. Just when she says she'd like to have one, even one the size of her thumb, magician Ralph K. Merlin Jr. happens to walk past and grants her wish. But one night a cat snatches the bab

Tacodidra

Tacodidra in Looney Tunes

1967: The grand (?) reopening

With the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies now focusing on nothing but Daffy and Speedy, the year might seem like an uneventful one for the series (even if the quality has improved lately). But no, a lot will happen! Daffy's Diner Directed by Robert McKimson Daffy runs a diner in the desert, trying to sell mouseburgers to cats for 19 cents. He finally gets a customer, but it's the bandit El Supremo. The cat isn't impressed with Daffy using a rubber mouse for the burger and makes him g

Tacodidra

Tacodidra in Looney Tunes

1968: Cool Cat, cars and copters

The second year of the new Warner Bros.-Seven Arts animation studio brings us ten Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies with old and new faces, as well as various additional projects. Hocus Pocus Powwow Directed by Alex Lovy Merlin and Second Banana get kicked out of the train while traveling to perform in Powwow City. Lo, the poor Indian sees them and tries to steal Merlin's magic hat, leading to a wild chase. Apart from the dated stereotypes (which have largely kept this short out of ci

Tacodidra

Tacodidra in Looney Tunes

1964: Friz, the producer

A year of big changes for the WB cartoons... in more ways than one! Dumb Patrol Directed by Gerry Chiniquy Running out of titles? Bosko had already appeared in a cartoon with the same name back in 1931 (not that many would have remembered it anyway). Bugs knocks out a French soldier intending to take on Baron Sam von Schpamm since he has a wife and kids to look after. The rabbit therefore fights the baron in the air, constantly outwitting him. Fairly ordinary Bugs and Sam effort, exc

Tacodidra

Tacodidra in Looney Tunes

1966: Beeping in a new medium

Another year consisting of Daffy and Speedy and Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote cartoons, produced by DePatie-Freleng (and sometimes Format Films). Nothing more, nothing less. The Astroduck Directed by Robert McKimson For the summer, Daffy rents a house that's a little run down but most importantly cheap. But it proves to be worse than he expected – it's the House of Gonzales where Speedy's family has lived for generations. Daffy tries various ways (mostly related to explosives) to ge

Tacodidra

Tacodidra in Looney Tunes

1954: The Tasmanian Devil's on the loose

This year will bring us several debuts of memorable secondary characters, one of whom would eventually become one of the best-known Looney Tunes characters in the later decades. There's also a technological advance of sorts: as many theaters had started showing films in widescreen, the WB cartoon studio also started taking this into account. While the cartoons continued to be produced in full-screen for the rest of the run, they were now designed with both aspect ratios in mind, at least to some

Tacodidra

Tacodidra in Looney Tunes

1952: Super genius

This year gives us the return of a few characters we had only seen once before, along with an adorable new pair of recurring characters! Who's Kitten Who? Directed by Robert McKimson Hippety Hopper hops away while in his crate, ending up in a basement. In the same house, Sylvester is trying to show his son how to catch mice. Then the kangaroo shows up and Sylvester stands no chance against him, to the embarrassment of Sylvester Jr. Another nice entry with Hippety Hopper. The basic id

Tacodidra

Tacodidra in Looney Tunes

1958: Lucky rabbit's feet?

This year of WB cartoons includes one more award-winning entry, and in addition to the usual cartoon shorts, the start of a new project for the cartoon studio... Don't Axe Me Directed by Robert McKimson After Daffy snatches Rover's (the Fudds' pet dog) food, the dog decides to take revenge by convincing Mrs. Fudd to serve roast duck for their guest Reverend Brown. Daffy finds out about the plans and tries his best to prevent Elmer from using his axe on him. Elmer's wife, making her o

Tacodidra

Tacodidra in Looney Tunes

1961: Three times "nearly"

This year brings us more Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, along with the second season of the unfortunately rare Bugs Bunny Show. Cannery Woe Directed by Robert McKimson Mayor Raton's cheese committee fails to get any cheese, as the shop they always got it from is now guarded by Sylvester. But two mice, José and Manuel, can help – José knows Speedy Gonzales who does the job. Very much in the style of the previous Speedy cartoons, it's certainly fun but besides the mayor character, t

Tacodidra

Tacodidra in Looney Tunes

1962: Rabbits, road runners and moonlighters

This year, WB breaks new ground in animation. In addition to the usual short films, a few Looney Tunes characters appear in an extended featurette, and thanks to an acquisition from another studio, Warner Bros. releases its first full-length animated feature! On the downside, we have to say goodbye to a few WB cartoon stars... Wet Hare Directed by Robert McKimson Bugs is showering under a waterfall, but the water stops running all of a sudden. Blacque Jacque Shellacque has built a da

Tacodidra

Tacodidra in Looney Tunes

1956: One of these days...

This year won't bring us significant new stars (though a couple of recurring characters debut), but fun cartoons for sure! And we can see the crew experimenting with new character combinations, supporting characters and even a few one-shots! Bugs' Bonnets Directed by Chuck Jones The narrator explains how clothes, even just a hat, affect a person's behavior. This is then demonstrated with Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny, as theatrical hats fly out of a truck and keep landing on their heads.

Tacodidra

Tacodidra in Looney Tunes

1953: Arriba, arriba!

This year, Chuck Jones introduces yet another new pair of characters. There are also several all-time classics in the mix! On a more negative note, the WB cartoon studio was temporarily shut down this year, but thankfully that didn't affect the release schedule due to the existing backlog of cartoons.   Don't Give Up the Sheep Directed by Charles M. Jones A hungry wolf tries to steal a bunch of sheep, but a sheepdog watches over the herd and foils all his attempts, for which

Tacodidra

Tacodidra in Looney Tunes

1960: Overture, curtain, lights

The first year of the new decade brings not only more theatrical releases of the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, but the WB cartoons will also find a home in a new medium! Fastest with the Mostest Directed by Chuck Jones Wile E. Coyote (Carnivorous slobbius) is after the Road Runner (Velocitus incalcublii). He tries to use a hot air balloon and a missile, a fake detour and other methods. In addition to the usual expressive animation for the coyote, we get a great portrayal of the R

Tacodidra

Tacodidra in Looney Tunes

1957: Just one... no one will know the difference...

And we reach 1957 – not just another year out of many, but one of the studio's most successful! Three Little Bops Directed by Friz Freleng A modern jazzy take on the story of the Three Little Pigs. The wolf wants to play with the Three Little Bops who are performing in the House of Straw. His corny trumpet playing doesn't impress the pigs and he gets thrown out, blowing the house down in anger. Fairytale parodies (including ones of the Three Little Pigs) were something the stud

Tacodidra

Tacodidra in Looney Tunes

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