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 Porky's collection of stuffed animals, but the clever groundhog keeps outsmarting the hunting pair. Another great cartoon! Grover is a fun character with a cute design, starting the short with a song, and with the lovable trickster personality that was so popular in this series. Porky and Mandrake are also brilliant in their roles, and the gags are all great, especially the last one!
10

The Goofy Gophers
Directed by Arthur Davis
A dog is guarding a vegetable garden, but two gophers manage to sneak in and eat the vegetables. The dog tries his best to get rid of them, but the two cleverly defeat him every time. The adorable and polite (but violent) gopher duo would make several appearances in the series, and this first one is a very entertaining cartoon with their personalities pretty much already finalized (although their designs would soon be recolored to make them brown instead of gray, and they would later receive the names of Mac and Tosh). There are some nice gags, with one of the gophers impersonating another WB cartoon star being my favorite!
9.5

The Gay Anties
Directed by I. Freleng
We return to the 1890s. A couple is having a picnic, but ants arrive and attempt to snatch all the food away. We also see various gags involving the ants performing and having fun. In a way, this reminds me of some of the earlier music-focused Merrie Melodies, although in a more comedic version. The nostalgic feel is appealing, and the various gags with the ants are amusing. Maybe not a standout but a nice, and for the time, different cartoon.
8.5

Scent-imental over You
Directed by Charles M. Jones
A little dog, Fifi, wants to have a fancy look for the spring, so she dresses in a fur coat. The only problem is that it makes her look like a skunk and all the other dogs keep avoiding her. Things get even worse when Stinky the Skunk (formerly known as Henry, yet to be renamed Pepé Le Pew) sets his sights on her. The Pepé cartoons are clearly yet to find their final formula, as it's a dog being chased instead of a cat (the first one did have a cat, but a male one). But I don't find this a bad thing – this provides some variety, and the dog character is a likable and cute one. The clever ending in particular helps make this one of the most memorable appearances of the skunk.
9.5

A Hare Grows in Manhattan
Directed by I. Freleng
A magazine wants to publish Bugs' biography, so he tells us about his youth in New York. We hear how he managed to outwit a group of mobster dogs. I always find it interesting when cartoons show the backstory of a character, and this is a very entertaining cartoon with Bugs being his usual clever and charming self. The narrative elements definitely do a lot of the work making this more than just one more typical Bugs cartoon, but the result is a great one in any case!
10

Birth of a Notion
Directed by Robert McKimson
Daffy doesn't want to fly south for the winter, so he tries to find a home to stay in instead. After convincing Leopold the dog that he has saved his life, Daffy is let in by him, but the scientist living there must not find out or he'll throw both of them out. Soon it turns out the scientist needs a duck's wishbone for his experiment... A wonderfully wacky and violent cartoon, with a great performance from Daffy and entertaining supporting characters (Leopold the dog is fine in his role and has the funniest line of the short, while the Peter Lorre caricature scientist is a great mixture of creepy and funny). McKimson continues to impress, definitely the best early run of any director to date!
10

Tweetie Pie
Directed by I. Freleng
After Tweety who's out in the cold is almost eaten by Thomas the cat (later known as Sylvester), the cat's owner takes the little bird in. The cat repeatedly tries to catch the bird, but Tweety always ruins Thomas' attempts. The first cartoon to pair Sylvester and Tweety, after an unproduced earlier attempt by Clampett. The pairing of the two characters works brilliantly, though for some reason Sylvester is mute here. This was also the first to give Tweety his yellow feathers, bringing him closer to his famous design. Similarly to Clampett's cartoons with him, Tweety is still very much capable of defending himself from the cat, though this is usually followed by an extra beating for Sylvester from the owner! Despite all this, the short almost never came to be – producer Edward Selzer insisted Freleng use the woodpecker character from "Peck Up Your Troubles" as Sylvester's foil instead of Tweety, though Freleng won the argument in the end. And he was proven right, as the short finally got Warner Bros. Cartoons a much deserved Oscar for best cartoon short in their ninth consecutive year of being nominated! It was a very deserved win, and the start to one of the studio's most memorable and longest lasting series...
10

Rabbit Transit
Directed by I. Freleng
After reading the story of the tortoise and the hare, Bugs challenges Cecil Turtle to a race once again. This time, the rules include no cheating, though this doesn't really come true, with Cecil's jet propulsion engine and the duo's various tricks on each other. A great last entry of an amazing trilogy – despite the same characters and basic plot as in "Tortoise Beats Hare" and "Tortoise Wins by a Hare", all three cartoons are clearly different, with new gags and different endings (this possibly having the most imaginative one). Maybe this was in part thanks to different directors handling each one.
10

Hobo Bobo
Directed by Robert McKimson
Bobo, an Indian elephant, hates having to carry logs around, so he decides to travel to America to join the circus like his uncle Jumbo. After various failed attempts to get on the boat, a minah bird convinces him to paint himself pink. A funny little cartoon with a humorous narration and an adorable lead character. The Minah Bird's appearance (complete with his theme tune) is a particularly nice one – he was always the best thing about the Inki cartoons, and he is also great here.
9

Along Came Daffy
Directed by I. Freleng
Two hillbillies (one of whom resembles Yosemite Sam) are starving in their cottage when traveling salesman Daffy Duck shows up trying to sell them a cook book. The hillbillies decide to have some roast duck, and Daffy tries to escape from the two. Fast-paced fun with a great appearance from Daffy and some nice gags. The two hillbillies also fare well in their roles, even if they're overshadowed by the star. Daffy as a salesman was a concept that would be used many times in the series to humorous effect, and this early attempt is already a success!
9.5

Inki at the Circus
Directed by Charles M. Jones
And right after the Minah Bird's surprise return, his co-star Inki is back too! Instead of the jungle setting of the previous cartoons, this cartoon takes place in a circus where Inki is the "African wildman". A dog notices the bone in his hair and tries to get it, with another dog and the Minah Bird also joining in the action. While I'm not the biggest fan of the Inki cartoons, I think this is the best so far – there is some more of the typical Looney Tunes action (including a dynamite gag), and Jones' expressive style has improved a lot in the three and a half years since the last one came out. The Minah Bird is once again responsible for some of the best moments, and the pantomime approach is always appealing, with a great soundtrack accompanying the action. An entertaining seven minutes, but not quite the best WB or Chuck Jones had to offer at this point.
8.5

Easter Yeggs
Directed by Robert McKimson
The Easter Rabbit doesn't want to deliver eggs this year, so he manages to coax Bugs into doing it. It proves really difficult for Bugs to keep smiling while delivering them, as he meets a very mean kid and then Elmer Fudd who wants some rabbit stew. Another very entertaining Bugs cartoon with amusing gags and characters (not least Bugs himself, of course) and a really satisfying conclusion!
9.5

Crowing Pains
Directed by Robert McKimson
The 501st cartoon out of 1001 in the two main series, so we're past the halfway point now! The farm animals are beating each other up again, this time with Sylvester joining Foghorn Leghorn and the Barnyard Dawg. Henery Hawk is after a chicken once again and hasn't learned to recognize one – this time Foghorn convinces him that Sylvester is the chicken. The addition of Sylvester is a great one – this time the cat appears with his usual voice and has great chemistry with all the characters. They all fare well, though the dog has a fairly small role – maybe the crew hadn't fully realized his popularity yet (and Henery is still the intended star character according to the titles). Funny gags (especially the last one is memorable), expressive characters and wild animation – another standout cartoon for Foghorn!
10

A Pest in the House
Directed by Charles M. Jones
Due to a bad labor shortage, manager Elmer Fudd makes the huge mistake of hiring Daffy to work in his hotel. A tired man comes to the hotel for peace and quiet – and if he's disturbed, he'll punch Elmer. Daffy keeps doing noisy things over and over, to the dismay of the manager. A rare cartoon where Elmer is the sympathetic guy, never doing anything wrong (except hiring the wrong employees, it seems), while Daffy proves to be a nightmare! Out of all the shorts where a character is trying to sleep, this is among the funniest mostly due to the chaos caused by Daffy and the desperate attempts by Elmer to fix things.
9

The Foxy Duckling
Directed by Arthur Davis
A. Fox is desperately trying to sleep when he reads in a book that a duck down pillow is the solution to his problem! He then goes to get himself a duck, but the little yellow duckling keeps foiling his attempts. A funny chase cartoon with nice characters, especially the clever little duck. Again, I'm reminded a little of the early Tweety with how the duck ruins all the fox's plans, with violent consequences (and that they're both cute little birds definitely emphasizes the similarity). An entertaining one-shot that just gets better as it goes on!
9.5

House Hunting Mice
Directed by Charles M. Jones
Hubie and Bertie enter the "House of Tomorrow" and try all the modern appliances. Things end up going wrong when a cleaning robot dumps Bertie in the trash. Jones recycled the setting of one of his earliest cartoons here: "Dog Gone Modern" from 1939. However, this is one of the remakes where I feel the new version easily beats the original. Besides the gags being funnier and there being more of a plot here, the replacement of the Curious Puppies with Hubie and Bertie works wonders – the two mice are much more likable with refined personalities than the fairly generic dog characters. Hubie and Bertie's characters also get finalized here – the former is now gray and the latter brown, and Hubie is finally referred to by name. Another good cartoon, showing Jones' improvement as a director in comparison to the original. As yet another cost-cutting measure, some of the cartoons are now produced in Cinecolor, this being the first such one since "Beauty and the Beast" back in 1934.
9

Little Orphan Airedale
Directed by Charles M. Jones
Rags McMutt escapes from the dog pound. Hiding in a car, he meets his old friend Charlie who tells him the story of how he found a master – Porky Pig! Charlie Dog makes the first of his several appearances, often with Porky. Surprisingly, this is the second cartoon in a row where the plot is clearly recycled from an earlier entry: Clampett's 1941 cartoon "Porky's Pooch" had the same concept and structure, with the character of Charlie also strongly resembling Rover from that film. But what the cartoon loses in originality, it makes up for in entertainment. There are many funny gags, and I think the dog character is more appealing in this one than the original, and the ending is also more amusing.
9

Doggone Cats
Directed by Arthur Davis
Wellington the dog is told by his owner to deliver a package to Uncle Louie. But two cats (one of whom is Sylvester) sense an opportunity to toy with the dog, and repeatedly snatch away the important package. At this point, Sylvester has constantly switched between speaking and being mute, this time the latter is true. An entertaining cartoon with fun gags all around, a rare chase cartoon where there aren't really good or bad guys – Wellington comes off as unlikable at the start, but the cats soon become the tormentors. The ending is also a good one with some wild animated takes.
9

Slick Hare
Directed by I. Freleng
Elmer is maître d' at the Mocrumbo where Hollywood stars are dining. Humphrey Bogart orders some fried rabbit, and Elmer has 20 minutes to find a rabbit or else... Bugs happens to be right there, eating carrots, and a chase ensues. Besides the fun Hollywood parodies (especially Bogart has some great lines) and related gags, we get some amusing antics with Bugs and Elmer, both of whom excel in their roles. The highlight is Bugs' wonderfully animated, unique samba performance. Another flawless short with the rabbit!
10

Mexican Joyride
Directed by Arthur Davis
Daffy goes to Mexico on vacation. After trying the local food with comedic consequences, he goes to see a bullfight. But after heckling the bull, he's forced to take the place of the bullfighter himself! Daffy is very amusing here, and the bullfight is fun to watch – it's a very farcical one even in comparison to the usual bullfight cartoon, with Daffy doing various random things to outwit the bull. The gags are fun, and I like the lively and expressive animation – the Davis unit has a slightly different but very appealing art style. Definitely his strongest cartoon so far!
10

Catch as Cats Can
Directed by Arthur Davis
A singing canary (a caricature of Frank Sinatra) is the idol of all the girl birds, and his parrot colleague (a Bing Crosby caricature) is annoyed at the newcomer taking away his audience. The parrot decides to convince a cat (Sylvester) to try to eat the canary for the important vitamins, but things don't go well for the cat... I think the singing birds are the main attraction here – I especially like the animation of the Sinatra canary singing while flying! Sylvester's portrayal is a bit weird (then again, it seems the WB crew was generally unsure what to do with him at this point), as he has a different, dopey voice instead of the usual one – I wonder if the decision to use Sylvester as the cat character was a late one, as there's also a scene where his design is very different from the usual one... The ending is a brilliant one, truly surprising and the most memorable part of the cartoon. A good effort, but I feel it would have been even funnier and more enjoyable with the normal Sylvester voice and portrayal.
9

A Horse Fly Fleas
Directed by Robert McKimson
A. Flea from "An Itch in Time" makes a surprise return! This time, he befriends Duplicate the horsefly. They're both homeless and set out to live on a dog. But they unknowingly trespass on Indian flea territory and get chased by the tribe. Surprisingly, the dog ends up being the funniest character here with his reactions to all the things going on. The earworm "Food Around the Corner" is back with slightly rewritten lyrics ("Home Around the Corner"). There's definitely plenty of action here, but among all the strong entries of the time, it's left in the shade. The horsefly character is underutilized, and the Indians are the same stereotypes we've seen in countless cartoons already. A mildly amusing entry, but by no means a match for the flea's previous appearance!
8

All in all, a standout year, with Warner Bros. Cartoons finally receiving the Academy Award they had been close to so many times! While "Tweetie Pie" was certainly the most important cartoon of the year, being the first to pair Sylvester and Tweety, there were many strong entries. Some new characters were also introduced – the likes of the Goofy Gophers and Charlie Dog may not have become bona fide stars, but notable recurring characters anyway. And now we're about to reach the cartoons that have received the most attention on TV...