King-Size Canary

Last updated
King-Size Canary
Kingsizecanary.jpg
Original title card for the short
Directed by Tex Avery
Story by Heck Allen
Produced by Fred Quimby
Starring Frank Graham (Mouse, uncredited) [1]
Pinto Colvig (Cat, uncredited) [1]
Sara Berner (Canary, uncredited) [1]
Music by Scott Bradley
Animation by Ray Abrams
Robert Bentley
Walt Clinton
Color process Technicolor
Production
company
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date
  • December 6, 1947 (1947-12-06)
Running time
7:55
LanguageEnglish

King-Size Canary is an animated cartoon short that debuted in movie theaters in 1947. It was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and directed by Tex Avery. [2] The canary in this short was a primary inspiration for the design of Maurice, a character from The Wacky World of Tex Avery .

Contents

Plot

An alley cat searches for food in some garbage cans late at night. Unable to find anything worth his while (the bones he finds are stolen by other alley cats before he can take a bite), he spots a refrigerator inside a house and heads for it. He sneaks onto the property only to wake a sleeping bulldog. The bulldog chases the cat up to the side of the house. The cat quickly pulls out some sleeping pills, putting the dog into a deep sleep.

Once inside, the cat searches for food in the kitchen, but comes up empty. His luck finally changes when he notices a can of cat food. He quickly opens the can and out pops a mouse, who is plopped down onto a dinner plate. The cat is about to dig in with a fork, but the mouse puts a quick stop to that. He says that the cat can't eat him because he has already seen the cartoon they are in, and that he winds up saving the cat's life later. The feline understands, but wants some food as he is starving. The mouse points into the other room and tells him that there is a huge, fat, tasty canary in there. The cat charges out into the other room, stuffs the unseen canary into a sack, and heads back to the kitchen.

The bird is emptied from the sack, to be revealed as scrawny and little. The bird tells the cat, "Well, I've been sick...". Disgusted with the tiny creature at first but still desperate, the cat gets a (literal) brainstorm when he sees a bottle of Jumbo Gro plant growth formula on the shelf. Quickly, he pours some of the formula into the bird and sure enough, the canary grows rapidly in size. But before the cat can take a bite, the bird is already over ten feet tall. The canary takes advantage of his new height and beats up on the cat. The cat turns the tables on the bird and drinks the Jumbo Gro formula himself, increasing in size until he is much bigger than the bird. He tosses the formula out of the window only for it to land in the bulldog's mouth. While the now giant-sized cat chases the slightly smaller canary through the side of the house, the bulldog guzzles down the formula. After a quick run around the block, the cat and canary wind up back outside of the house, where a now gigantic bulldog appears before them. The cat runs away in fear as the bulldog tosses the bottle of Jumbo Gro down the chimney, where it rolls out of the fireplace and straight to the mouse, who is reading a book titled The Lost Squeekend (a play on the 1944 book The Lost Weekend ) in the living room. The dog leaps over the house and chases the cat into the city.

Meanwhile, the mouse takes a few sips of the formula, instantly growing to gigantic size. The dog chases the cat through the city, only for the now gargantuan mouse to show up and scare the bulldog away with a simple "Boo!". The mouse, who is as tall as a twenty-story building, reminds the cat that he told him he would save his life. The cat thanks him as the mouse hands the bottle of Jumbo Gro back to him and waddles off. The cat rubs his enormous belly, realizing he is still hungry, then sees the huge mouse waddles off and gets another idea. He suddenly drinks more of the formula and grows even bigger than the mouse. The cat, who is by now one hundred stories tall, chases the giant but smaller mouse through the city and across the country, passing the Grand Canyon, the Hoover Dam and the Rocky Mountains.

The giant mouse hides in a railroad tunnel, losing the cat for a moment. The mouse drinks the Jumbo Gro when the cat isn't paying attention and becomes even bigger than the cat. The mouse starts to beat up on the cat only for the cat to take the formula back and drink it, further increasing his size. The mouse takes it back and drinks more to further increase his size as well. They continue to increase their sizes until they suddenly both come to a stop at the same exact size when they realize that the formula's bottle is empty. They tell the audience that they will have to end the cartoon, now that the formula has run out. They wave goodbye to the audience before the camera pulls back, revealing that they have outgrown the Earth itself and are standing atop the globe.

Production

Reception

In 1994, it was voted #10 of the 50 Greatest Cartoons of all time by members of the animation field. [3]

The Simpsons episode "Itchy and Scratchy and Marge" reproduces the climax, with Itchy and Scratchy shooting each other with ever-larger handguns.

"Planet of the Capes", an episode of Darkwing Duck , has the hero and villain repeat the final sequence with an energy gun that makes them grow. At the end, the villain rebuilds his gun to work in reverse. However, Darkwing Duck shoots himself with it, leaving the villain to stand on the planet alone.

An episode of Dexter's Laboratory titled "Monstory" parodies the short, in which Dexter and Dee Dee repeatedly drink a formula that transforms them into increasingly giant monsters. Like the Avery short, the episode ends with both Dexter and Dee Dee on top of the globe.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Cat</span> Fictional American cat

Thomas Jasper "Tom" Cat Sr. is an American cartoon character and one of the two titular main protagonists in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's series of Tom and Jerry theatrical animated short films. Created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, he is a grey and white anthropomorphic domestic short haired tuxedo British cat who first appeared in the 1940 MGM animated short Puss Gets the Boot. The cat was known as "Jasper" during his debut in the short; however, beginning with his next appearance in The Midnight Snack he was known as "Tom" or "Thomas".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Droopy</span> Fictional dog

Droopy is an animated character from the golden age of American animation. He is an anthropomorphic white Basset Hound with a droopy face. He was created in 1943 by Tex Avery for theatrical cartoon shorts produced by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio. Essentially the polar opposite of Avery's other MGM character, the loud and wacky Screwy Squirrel, Droopy moves slowly and lethargically, speaks in a jowly monotone voice, and—though hardly an imposing character—is shrewd enough to outwit his enemies. When finally roused to anger, often by a bad guy laughing heartily at him, Droopy is capable of beating adversaries many times his size with a comical thrashing.

<i>Herman and Katnip</i> Famous Studios theatrical cartoon characters

Herman and Katnip is a series of theatrical cartoons featuring Herman the Mouse and Katnip the Cat, produced by Famous Studios in the 1940s and 1950s. Arnold Stang and Allen Swift were the regular voices of Herman, while Sid Raymond was the regular actor for Katnip, although one or both of the characters would occasionally be voiced by Jackson Beck and Jack Mercer, respectively.

"The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show" is the fourteenth episode of the eighth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 9, 1997. In the episode, The Itchy & Scratchy Show attempts to regain lost viewers by introducing a new character named Poochie, voiced by Homer. The episode is largely self-referential and satirizes the world of television production, fans of The Simpsons, and the series itself. It was written by David X. Cohen and directed by Steven Dean Moore. Alex Rocco is a credited guest voice as Roger Meyers Jr. for the third and final time ; Phil Hartman also guest stars as Troy McClure. Poochie became a minor recurring character and Comic Book Guy's catchphrase, "Worst episode ever", is introduced in this episode.

<i>The Tex Avery Show</i> American animated showcase series

The Tex Avery Show is an American animated showcase series of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Warner Bros. cartoon shorts prominently by animator Tex Avery. In between the shorts, Don Kennedy gives short facts about the cartoons. The showcase premiered on the Cartoon Network in 1996, and was taken off the air in 2002, while reruns continued to be shown on Cartoon Network until April 11, 2004. It was soon re-broadcast on Boomerang. Some cartoons, like 1947's Uncle Tom's Cabaña, were omitted from the package as they were deemed offensive to some audiences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio</span> Division of MGM film studio responsible for producing animated shorts

The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio was an American animation studio operated by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) during the Golden Age of American animation. Active from 1937 until 1957, the studio was responsible for producing animated shorts to accompany MGM feature films in Loew's Theaters, which included popular cartoon characters Tom, Jerry, Droopy, Butch, Spike, Tyke, and Barney Bear.

<i>Hyde and Go Tweet</i> 1960 film by Friz Freleng

Hyde and Go Tweet is a 1960 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies animated short directed by Friz Freleng. All of the voices were performed by Mel Blanc. The short was released on May 14, 1960, and stars Tweety and Sylvester.

<i>Slap Happy Lion</i> 1947 film

Slap Happy Lion is a 1947 American animated short film directed by Tex Avery and produced by Fred Quimby for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Released on September 20, 1947, the short details the tragic downfall of a lion from king of the beasts to a gibbering, pill-popping wreck. It is narrated by a mouse whose torments drove him crazy. The mouse's voice was supplied by Frank Graham. Scott Bradley provided the music.

<i>Chow Hound</i> 1951 film by Chuck Jones

Chow Hound is a 1951 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes animated short directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese. The short was released on June 16, 1951. The voices are performed by Mel Blanc, Bea Benaderet and John T. Smith.

<i>Northwest Hounded Police</i> 1946 American film

Northwest Hounded Police is a 1946 American animated short film directed by Tex Avery, produced by Fred Quimby, and featuring Droopy and Avery's wolf character. A remake of Droopy's first cartoon Dumb-Hounded, the short revolves around the wolf on the run from Droopy, who is trailing the wolf in order to capture him. The title is a play on words on the film North West Mounted Police (1940).

Fair and Worm-er is a 1946 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Chuck Jones. The short was released on September 28, 1946.

<i>Mouse Wreckers</i> 1949 film

Mouse Wreckers is a 1949 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes short directed by Chuck Jones, written by Michael Maltese and starring Hubie and Bertie in their first pairing with the redesigned Claude Cat. The cartoon was released on April 23, 1949.

<i>Little Rural Riding Hood</i> 1949 American film

Little Rural Riding Hood is a 1949 MGM animated cartoon short subject directed by Tex Avery, conceived as a follow-up to his 1943 cartoon Red Hot Riding Hood.

Ventriloquist Cat is a 1950 animated short film directed by Tex Avery and produced by Fred Quimby for MGM Cartoons. The film was released in the US with the movie The Big Hangover on May 27, 1950, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The short stars Spike and Blackie the Cat.

<i>The Early Bird Dood It!</i> 1942 film

The Early Bird Dood It! is a 1942 MGM cartoon directed by Tex Avery and produced by Fred Quimby. The composer of this cartoon was Scott Bradley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hickory, Dickory, and Doc</span> Fictional character

Hickory, Dickory, and Doc were fictional cartoon characters created by Alex Lovy for Walter Lantz Productions. Lovy would feature the trio in three cartoons until his depature in 1960. Jack Hannah would soon feature Doc in his six more cartoons soon afterwards.

Cats and Bruises is a 1965 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng and Hawley Pratt. The short was released on January 30, 1965, and stars Speedy Gonzales and Sylvester.

<i>Blue Cat Blues</i> 1956 film directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera

Blue Cat Blues is a 1956 one-reel animated Tom and Jerry cartoon and was written, directed and produced by co-creators William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. The short was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on November 16, 1956 in CinemaScope. It is the series' 103rd entry.

Tex Avery Screwball Classics is a series of single-disc Blu-ray and DVD sets by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment's Warner Archive unit collecting various theatrical cartoons from animation director Tex Avery during his tenure at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio's cartoon division between the years of 1942 and 1955. It is the first comprehensive collection of Avery's MGM shorts to be released on home media in North America since The Compleat Tex Avery series of laserdiscs in the 1990s, with many of the shorts having been previously unreleased on DVD or Blu-ray.

References

  1. 1 2 3 “Pretty Long Wait, Wasn’t It?”: TEX AVERY’S VOICE ACTORS (Volume 3)
  2. ↑ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 146–147. ISBN   0-8160-3831-7.
  3. ↑ Beck, Jerry (1994). The 50 Greatest Cartoons: As Selected by 1,000 Animation Professionals. Turner Publishing. ISBN   978-1878685490.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.