And here's another year of WB cartoons – one of the studio's most acclaimed seasons! The release schedule, however, keeps shrinking, as this is the last year to have more than 30 cartoons in the two main series.

Pizzicato Pussycat
Directed by I. Freleng
A bespectacled mouse is a very talented pianist, having stolen the Jones family's toy piano and sheet music. When the family cat catches the mouse, they make a deal – the mouse will be spared as long as he'll play the piano for the cat. After the family sees the cat "playing", he becomes a sensation. But how long will the ruse last? An underrated one-shot. Freleng has always been great at musical cartoons, and this one is a standout with the jazzy soundtrack and fun plot. The characters are likable, especially the cute mouse, and even the ending is a surprisingly satisfying one. Deserving of a lot more attention!
10

Feather Dusted
Directed by Robert McKimson
While Prissy is at a hen party, Foghorn decides to show her son Egghead Jr. some entertaining games, but the boy prefers reading books. Egghead Jr. again wins all the games with his unusual solutions. "Little Boy Boo" was a great cartoon, and this one is very similar in plot – and like the first one, it's a very well made short! Egghead Jr.'s logic is amusing, making for some clever gags, and Foghorn gets several good lines in. The formula of these cartoons is working extremely well so far!
10

Pests for Guests
Directed by I. Freleng
The Goofy Gophers find a great place for storing their nuts: a chest. Elmer Fudd takes it home, with the gophers inside. Once he notices the little rodents, he tries to get rid of them. An interesting pairing of characters. The gophers are again the stars – they manage to make any cartoon they're in fun. Otherwise this is a fairly ordinary cartoon for the time, but definitely an enjoyable one with some good gags.
8.5

Beanstalk Bunny
Directed by Charles M. Jones
In this parody of Jack and the Beanstalk, Daffy trades a cow for three beans. After he throws them away, a beanstalk grows. Daffy climbs up to find gold, with Bugs deciding to join him, but the two get captured by the giant (Elmer Fudd). Another funny fairytale with all three characters portrayed well, including a lot of entertaining fourth wall breaking. Also a very nice-looking cartoon with amusing expressions for the characters.
9

All Fowled Up
Directed by Robert McKimson
Foghorn Leghorn decides to exercise in order to build his muscles for fighting the Barnyard Dawg. The duo's eternal rivalry gets interrupted by Henery Hawk, again looking for a chicken. As far as Foghorn cartoons go, I think this is among the less remarkable of the series – it's definitely an enjoyable six minutes, but it doesn't really have as many standout moments as some of the earlier cartoons in the series (Foghorn's line about keeping his feathers numbered and Henery's chicken obsession are the main things that stuck in my mind). Maybe the formula had started to wear out, as it would take several years for Henery to show up again.
8

Stork Naked
Directed by I. Freleng
The stork, again drunk from celebrating with all the happy parents, tries to deliver an egg to Daffy and Daphne Duck. But Daffy doesn't want a baby, so he's prepared to defend his house from the stork. Of all the drunken stork cartoons so far, this is my favorite. Daffy is good in his role, the stork is even more amusing (Mel Blanc's drunken voice might be one of the funniest he did), and Daphne, while in a fairly small role, is definitely the most likable of Daffy's various wives and girlfriends. The usual WB cartoon slapstick done really well, with an appropriate ending.
10

Lighthouse Mouse
Directed by Robert McKimson
A sleepless mouse unplugs the lights in a lighthouse, and its owner makes Sylvester catch the mouse to prevent that from happening again. While the light is out, an Australian ship crashes into the island and Hippety Hopper's crate falls out of it. The "giant mouse" keeps causing trouble for the cat. McKimson again experiments with the old Hippety Hopper formula, introducing a new setting and characters despite the whole giant mouse schtick still being there. It's a great effort, with the new characters being funny ones, especially the owner's annoying parrot Polly who keeps repeating whatever the others say, though the owner himself is memorable too with his distinctly Scottish accent. This all, along with the entertaining gags (involving Sylvester both trying to stop the mouse and plug the lights in again), makes it one of the more memorable cartoons featuring the kangaroo.
9.5

Sahara Hare
Directed by I. Freleng
Bugs digs his way to what he thinks is Miami Beach for his vacation, but he ends up in the Sahara Desert instead. There he gets chased by Riff Raff Sam who is angry at him for trespassing in his desert. A great Bugs and Sam entry with some nice gags and an entertaining cast of characters (including Sam's camel who doesn't obey his commands – this gag and Sam's reactions would be reused later with other creatures). The biggest surprise is probably the ending, another fun one!
9.5

Sandy Claws
Directed by I. Freleng
Granny goes to the beach, taking Tweety along with her. Sylvester is nearby, trying to catch some fish until he notices the bird. After a tide, Tweety's cage is surrounded by water, and the cat tries to catch him to no avail. This short got the studio an Oscar nomination (for 1954), but it lost to UPA's "When Magoo Flew". It's definitely a good cartoon, though I feel Sylvester and Tweety have had even better ones. The beach theme adds some novelty, with many water-related gags. Granny and Sylvester both get some fun lines and are the strongest characters here, with Tweety having some cute moments too.
9

The Hole Idea
Directed by Robert McKimson
Professor Calvin Q. Calculus creates his greatest invention yet: the portable hole. There are many great uses for it, but a thief soon steals it, using it for more nefarious purposes... As the studio's brief closure had caused a shortage of animators, McKimson not only directed but animated the short all by himself (a one-off in the studio's history)! And the result is impressive – an unusual but entertaining story, with stylized animation that hadn't been seen many times in the WB cartoons. The ending in particular is a clever and surprising one!
9.5

Ready.. Set.. Zoom!
Directed by Charles M. Jones
The Road Runner (Speedipus Rex) gets chased by Wile E. Coyote (Famishus-Famishus). For his attempts, the coyote uses ACME glue, a 10,000 pound weight and a female road runner costume among other things. Another strong entry in the series with expressive animation and the funny consequences of the coyote's attempts. My favorite gag is the one with the road runner costume – Jones and his crew saved the best for the last.
9

Hare Brush
Directed by I. Freleng
Elmer J. Fudd, millionaire and president of a huge corporation, has started thinking he's a rabbit. He's taken to a mental hospital, but he lures Bugs to take his place by offering him carrots. With bunny Elmer now running free, Bugs is given a capsule meant for Elmer to realize who he is. Consequently, Bugs now thinks he's Elmer and goes hunting rabbits! A hilarious reversal of the usual Bugs cartoon with excellent gags. Freleng had toyed with this idea earlier in "The Hare-Brained Hypnotist", but this short takes it to a new level and is even funnier. The characters are all great, the dialogue is brilliant – a clever idea done right, one of Bugs' absolute best!
10

Past Perfumance
Directed by Charles M. Jones
A French movie studio has found all the animals required for the new film, except for a skunk that has had its stench removed. The casting director decides to paint a female cat to look like one. But soon after that, Pepé Le Pew shows up to ask for autographs and everyone runs away from the real skunk. When he sees the fake skunk, it's love at first sight, to the cat's dismay. The movie theme makes this stand out from the other entries in the series and makes for some fun scenes. I actually found the other characters' reactions to the skunk funnier than the usual skunk and cat chase. But those scenes are also entertaining enough, especially with the clever ending.
9

Tweety's Circus
Directed by I. Freleng
Sylvester sees a circus and goes to see all the acts. He notices Tweety and starts chasing him. But the cat ends up having run-ins with various animals, especially a lion he had heckled earlier. This is another really strong Tweety cartoon. The gags are great, I especially like the ones involving the lion. Sylvester's performance of the song "Me-Ow" is a memorable one, even though (or maybe because) the cat isn't the best singer, and he is funny, with his own thoughtless actions proving to be his undoing. In a couple of parts, Tweety even displays a little of the sadistic streak he was known for earlier. Definitely one of the cat and bird's best.
10

Rabbit Rampage
Directed by Charles M. Jones
An animator keeps making unwanted changes to Bugs' latest cartoon, annoying the rabbit with the modifications he makes both to him and his surroundings. A remake of "Duck Amuck" with Bugs taking Daffy's role. The original was one of the series' all-time classics (many consider it the very best WB cartoon), so living up to it is a tough task. How well does "Rabbit Rampage" fare? It's definitely not quite as good as its predecessor, but the gags are novel enough (though there are of course some similarities, like the twist ending). The various alterations made to Bugs' design are the highlight of the cartoon. It's a very enjoyable short in its own right, but in the end, I feel Daffy is a significant part of what makes "Duck Amuck" so great. While Bugs is just as amazing a character as Daffy is, the plot of the cartoon, with the wild reactions it requires from the animatee, plays much more to Daffy's strengths than Bugs'.
9

Lumber Jerks
Directed by I. Freleng
The Goofy Gophers find a tree to store their nuts in, but it gets chopped. The two gophers track down their tree and end up in a sawmill. They try their best to retrieve their lost tree, or what remains of it. I have always liked the gopher duo, and this is another great appearance for them. Their politeness and unique dialogue remains just as amusing as in their earlier shorts, and there are various funny gags that the gophers' personalities contribute a lot to. The two might be portrayed a bit more realistically here, as we see one of the gophers (unusually) getting angry at the other at one point instead of endless politeness. But even with this brief moment, they remain very adorable and entertaining!
9.5

This Is a Life?
Directed by I. Freleng
Elmer is hosting the TV show "This Is a Life?" where a guest of honor is picked from the audience and their life story is told. Daffy thinks he's the one, but it's actually Bugs. His first encounters with Elmer and Yosemite Sam are recounted, while a jealous Daffy heckles Bugs, to the annoyance of Granny who wants to watch the show. The second Bugs short to reuse old footage after "His Hare Raising Tale" – however, this is much more appealing than that one was. The recycled footage only constitutes about a third of the short, it's better picked, and most importantly, the new footage is more enjoyable. We get entertaining scenes of all the characters, including some that rarely appear together (Sam and Elmer, or Granny with any of the cast here). This is the way to do a cheater cartoon and still make it a worthy watch! Also the first short to feature June Foray as the voice of Granny, a role she would perform for almost six decades!
9

Double or Mutton
Directed by Charles M. Jones
Ralph Wolf is again trying to steal some sheep, but Sam Sheepdog foils his attempts. The wolf uses a Little Bo Peep costume, a helicopter and ACME hair grower among other things. There are a few changes made to the series: the wolf and sheepdog now have their final names, and they share a punch clock and act friendly towards each other when they're not working. The idea of the sheepdog and wolf both doing the whole thing as their job was always funny, and this modification only serves to improve it. Another strong entry with good gags.
9

Jumpin' Jupiter
Directed by Charles M. Jones
Porky and Sylvester are on a camping trip, and the cat is scared of his surroundings. At night, a spaceship from Jupiter lands to obtain examples of animal life on Earth, namely from the piece of ground Porky and Sylvester are on. A sleeping Porky is blissfully unaware of it all, while Sylvester is horrified by the alien encounter. The third and last of Jones' Porky and Sylvester cartoons – this one has less of a horror theme than the first two did. Instead it's more comedic, with a funny alien character I actually found kind of cute! I've always loved this one, many fun moments thanks to Porky's ignorance of his surroundings and Sylvester's humorous characterization and expressions. A worthy last entry in a small but memorable group of cartoons.
10

A Kiddies Kitty
Directed by I. Freleng
Suzanne is a little girl who wants to have a pet cat, but her mother won't let her get one, as she keeps breaking all her toys. But soon Sylvester shows up, running away from a dog, and the girl takes him in, trying to keep her mother from knowing. Suzanne's ways of playing prove to be a nightmare for the cat. While not one of my favorites with Sylvester (who is mute here for a change), it does have some entertaining gags with good comic timing. Suzanne is an amusing character in how she's completely unaware of the pain and grief she's causing to the cat. Surprisingly, while she never had another animated appearance, she would appear in a few dozen Looney Tunes comics – maybe the series' relative lack of female characters played a part in this.
8.5

Hyde and Hare
Directed by I. Freleng
Bugs is fed carrots in the park every day by a man, and the rabbit asks him to take him in as a pet. The man does, but he is really Dr. Jekyll. He keeps drinking a concoction that repeatedly turns him into the murderous Mr. Hyde, and Bugs tries to get away from the maniac, never realizing that it's the same person. Freleng takes on the Jekyll and Hyde theme again, and I think this one is even better than "Dr. Jerkyl's Hide" was. We actually get to see the doctor himself, and he's a funny character, especially with the contrast between the meek Jekyll and the deranged Hyde. We get some wild expressions from both Hyde and the extremely likable Bugs along the way. Freleng would tackle the story once more, even more memorably, but this is also a great take on it!
9.5

Dime to Retire
Directed by Robert McKimson
Porky can't seem to find a vacant room in any hotel for the night, until he comes across one that only costs ten cents a day. Porky is astonished how cheap it is, but the reason soon becomes clear. Hotel manager Daffy releases a mouse into the room, forcing Porky to pay the "pussycat fee", starting a chain reaction where he has to pay more and more for each additional service. This story was actually adapted from one of the Looney Tunes Capitol records, "Daffy Duck's Duck Inn", except with Porky replacing Elmer. I find the cartoon version much funnier with the refined timing of the scenes and added gags (like the dog being a boxer, in a very literal sense), and in all its simplicity, it's a clever one! Daffy is perfect for the role, combining his earlier mischievousness with his later greedy version, and Porky is a natural fit for the straight man role.
10

Speedy Gonzales
Directed by I. Freleng
A group of Mexican mice tries to get cheese from a factory, but Sylvester is guarding it and manages to foil all their attempts. After yet another failure, the mice decide to get help from Speedy Gonzales, the fastest mouse in Mexico. He proves to be too fast for the cat to outwit, and the mice get all the cheese they want. Speedy Gonzales, brought back two years after his debut in "Cat-Tails for Two", was heavily redesigned for this short (including the addition of a sombrero), with this version being the one to appear in all his future cartoons. It's an entertaining cartoon, a bit dark at the beginning (many mice are implied to have died in their attempts to sneak past "el gringo pussycat"), but the rest of it is fun with Speedy being an appealing character with his cute Spanglish and incredible speed. No wonder this led to so many more cartoons with Sylvester and the mouse! The film also became the studio's third Oscar winner for best short cartoon, and the second for both Sylvester and his creator Friz Freleng.
9.5

Knight-mare Hare
Directed by Chuck Jones
While reading a book about knights, Bugs gets knocked out by an apple falling on his head. He dreams he's in the medieval times, meeting a knight, a dragon and Merlin the sorcerer. Another strong Bugs cartoon. The standout for me here is the dialogue – plenty of random puns, references to celebrities, and just plain good lines! The expressions and reactions of the characters are brilliant too, the dragon's being my favorite.
9.5

Two Scent's Worth
Directed by Charles M. Jones
In the small village of Nasty Pass, a man paints Fifi the cat to look like a skunk to help him rob the bank. But soon, the cat is spotted by Pepé Le Pew who falls for her, leading to a wild chase in the Alps. Despite Penelope having received her name in "The Cats Bah", it doesn't seem to have been established until later, as she has a different name here. As far as Pepé cartoons go, this is pretty much more of the same – the bank robber story is a good way to introduce the cartoon, but it ends pretty quickly, as the robber voluntarily gets himself locked up immediately after meeting the real skunk (I think it would have been interesting to see that go on a little longer). The rest of it is certainly entertaining, but not my favorite in the series. The ending is rather cute, though!
8

Red Riding Hoodwinked
Directed by I. Freleng
Little Red Riding Hood is going to visit Granny and bring her a gift – Tweety. As a result, both Sylvester and the Big Bad Wolf (who has problems remembering Red's name) go after the duo. The wolf throws Granny out and she vows to get revenge, and chaos ensues as Red and Tweety visit her house. An unusual Sylvester and Tweety cartoon with its supporting characters. But as usual for WB fairytale parodies, it's a brilliant one with great gags (especially the running gag with the wolf forgetting what Red is called). The characters are all appealing in their own ways, and their antics are fun to watch. One of Sylvester and Tweety's best, and possibly their most imaginative entry yet.
10

Roman Legion-Hare
Directed by Friz Freleng
In ancient Rome, Emperor Nero tells his captain of the guards Sam to find a victim to throw to the lions... or else he'll be the victim! Sam soon comes across Bugs Bunny and tries to catch him, but he gets attacked by the lions repeatedly. One of the first Bugs cartoons I remember seeing, and it's definitely held up well! Funny gags involving the lions, strong characterizations for both Bugs and Sam (especially the former is very appealing with good dialogue), and entertaining cartoon violence. Classic Bugs!
10

Heir-Conditioned
Directed by Friz Freleng
When a bunch of alley cats hear that Sylvester has inherited his owner's whole estate, they try to get their friend to give them some money. But his financial advisor Elmer Fudd tells him to support the economy by investing. The second of the three Alfred P. Sloan Foundation cartoons. While this short shares the business theme and moral of "By Word of Mouse", I think this one is much more successful at incorporating the theme while keeping the cartoon funny. There are more gags in this one, and it's less preachy, feeling more like the typical Looney Tunes cartoon. Sylvester and the rest of the cats are portrayed amusingly. Elmer is unusually smart and business-minded in this one, though to be honest, he was already portrayed as a millionaire business owner earlier this year! And despite the lesson learned, the ending is also a humorous one. For an informative/propaganda piece, I think this is a very good cartoon.
9

Guided Muscle
Directed by Charles M. Jones
Wile E. Coyote (Eatibus almost anythingus) tries to catch the Road Runner (Velocitus Delectiblus). He tries using himself as an arrow, grease, and tarring and feathering among other things. A clever entry in the Road Runner series, this has one of the best endings in these cartoons and a great Road Runner sign gag. While this series often used similar gags in multiple shorts, almost all the gags in this short are ones we haven't seen before, making it a standout entry!
10

Pappy's Puppy
Directed by Friz Freleng
Butch J. Bulldog becomes a father and teaches his son how to be a bulldog, including attacking cats. The puppy soon sees Sylvester and keeps biting him. The cat's attempts to get rid of the puppy repeatedly get ruined by the father. Another cartoon with a mute Sylvester, this one is quite fun. The puppy treads the line between cute and annoying with his constant high-pitched barking, Butch is entertaining despite being quite the typical cartoon bulldog, and poor Sylvester always seems to get the worst of it all. The ending is probably my favorite part of this, including a guest appearance...
8

One Froggy Evening
Directed by Charles M. Jones
A man demolishing a building finds a box containing a frog inside its foundation. To his great surprise, the frog starts singing and dancing. The man immediately senses an opportunity to get rich, but the frog never sings when others are there to see it. One of the greatest masterpieces of Chuck Jones and Warner Bros. Cartoons. The story is rather simple but brilliant. The animation is very expressive, making the characters feel like more than just drawings, as well as providing humor. And then there's the soundtrack – all the songs the frog sings, some of them even referencing the events in the cartoon, and all wonderfully sung by Bill Roberts. The frog, not named in this film, would receive the name Enrico in the early 60s, later being more famously renamed Michigan J. Frog. This is one of the cartoons that have later become very popular. While Michigan never made another appearance in the classic WB cartoons, he would be revived for later productions. Further showing the cartoon's influence, when Warner Bros. started their own TV channel The WB in 1995, the frog was picked as its mascot. Most significantly, this eventually also became one of four WB shorts chosen for preservation in the National Film Registry – very deservedly, as it's an absolute classic.
10

An additional short was produced for the United States Air Force. This cartoon was essentially an unofficial revival of a familiar character from a decade ago...

A Hitch in Time
Directed by Charles M. Jones
Airman John McRogers is planning to leave the air force. Grogan, Technical Gremlin First Class is planning to leave too, and manifests two screens showing how civilian life compares to that in the air forces. Civilians might earn better, but things aren't quite that simple... The characters are clearly repurposed versions of Private Snafu and Technical Fairy First Class, though John is a lot more competent than his predecessor was. It's not as humorous as the Snafu shorts were, instead taking a more informative approach in an attempt to get people to join or re-enlist in the air force. By the standards of an advertising film, it's decently entertaining, but all in all, it's little more than a curiosity.
7.5

This year was a good one – while some of the shorts were somewhat derivative (referring to some of the Foghorn and Pepé entries here), there were also several masterpieces in the bunch, with "One Froggy Evening" particularly standing out. The Oscar-winning "Speedy Gonzales" made the titular character a star – possibly the last one from the series to truly make it big (not that WB would stop trying to make more happen).