Hope you all enjoy this Year in Review video! (someone already disliked the video so maybe I annoyed a Pepe Le Pew fan 😂) Also let me know what you guys think of the new thumbnail style. If people like it I want to update the previous Year in Review ones as I was never really too happy with those
It's been a while since I've tried to do one of these, but I decided to write one considering that this was one of the best years in my opinion: ROBERT MCKIMSON: Favorite - Devil May Hare: The stunning debut of the Tasmanian Devil (Taz) who leaves a great first impression with his destructive way of dealing with everything Bugs throws at him, it can also be a bit shocking for some but for me the parts where Taz suddenly speaks a full sentence instead of his characteristic grunts are hilarious, it's a shame he didn't do this as often in later shorts but they're still good anyway. Runner-up - The Oily American: Technically it's tied with the previous one, but I didn't want to put the two together. I won't go into too much detail about this one, but in the specific review of this short I explained why I like it so much and its brilliantly unique atmosphere. Honorable mentions - Bell Hoppy and Wild Wife. The first gets this mention not only for bringing a different dynamic and some unique gags to the Hippety Hopper short series, but also for being the most inventive adaptation of the fable "Belling the Cat" that I've seen so far, and the second for being a hilarious portrait of the busy life of a 1950s housewife and the challenges she faces on a daily basis, which thankfully wasn't one of those shorts that aged poorly over the years. Least Favorite - I'm glade to say that I don't have one for McKimson this year, most of his shorts here are exceptional. FRIZ FRELENG: Favorite - Bugs And Thugs: After a few previous attempts, Freleng finally found someone to face the gangster Rocky and his new henchman Mugsy on equal footing while also adding two more notable adversaries to Bugs' list of recurring foes. There are so many great moments in this one, from the ironic moment of Bugs walking across a busy street full of speeding cars thankful that he's safer in the city than in the forest, to the absurd phone booth scene, and of course the whole oven scene, one of Mel Blanc's best performances as Bugs. Runner-up - Satan's Waitin': Just as the last half of the later "To Beep Or Not To Beep" demonstrates how determined the Coyote is to catch the Road Runner by desperately trying the same trick over and over again until he succeeds even though he knows he's doomed to fail, this short also explores Sylvester's determination to chase Tweety in a much darker way. It's one of those character exploration pieces that writer Warren Foster liked to do from time to time, diving deep into how Sylvester's pretense towards his remaining lives after being encouraged by the Devil Dog ends up being his undoing in the end. An ideal option to watch in Halloween and a perfect example of the correct use of dark comedy. Honorable Mention - Dr. Jerkyl's Hide: Reused animation aside, I consider this one to be very underrated compared to "Tree For Two", and besides having an unexpected twist in the last part, it also fixes some of the small noticeable flaws of its predecessor. Least Favorite - As much as a part of me wants to say "By Word Of Mouse", I can't do that not because of its historical or nostalgic value, but because it tried to handle its humorous and educational aspects better than the shorts that followed this (although they are still all pretty uneven in that regard). I will preserve this section for the 1955 list because sincerely in the next year Freleng made at least four notable mistakes with some of my least favorite shorts of his entire filmography. CHUCK JONES: Favorite - Stop! Look! And Hasten!: After three great Road Runner and Coyote shorts, Jones reaches a new level with this one. Not only does it have one of the strongest sets of gags in the series, like the Burmese tiger trap, the train track chase sequence, and of course that amazing brick joke with the giant metal sign, but also the dust created by the Road Runner that forms the "That's All, Folks!" at the end just goes to show how special this short is. Runner-up - From A To Z-Z-Z-Z: The introduction of daydreamer Ralph Phillips, who is another character who makes a great first impression with his fertile imagination, a setting for some very inspired ideas like the chalkboard scene, and also very effective stylized animation. Honorable mentions - No Barking, representing a great farewell to a particularly underrated duo among a long list of characters, Claude Cat and Frisky Puppy, in the last of their clashes that is beautifully animated by Ken Harris from start to finish and Bewitched Bunny, the debut of Witch Hazel who over the years would become one of the most iconic antagonists to ever appear alongside Bugs and who would manage to consolidate this status in her next appearance. Least favorite - Surprisingly, Chuck Jones ended up directing two of the only failures of this year, but not everyone is perfect after all. I was a bit torn between "My Little Duckaroo" and "The Cats Bah" as my least favorite, but believe it or not I would put the former in that position. Honestly, as disturbing as the premise of "The Cats Bah" would be for a Pepe Le Pew cartoon if you think about it, in my opinion "My Little Duckaroo" surpassed it because was more disappointing. Not to judge any of the characters, but let's face it, you would expect something better from Daffy, it has its moments but the somewhat monotonous tone, the lack of very inspired gags and dialogues or other visual highlights, besides the interior of Canasta's hideout and the colossal beating that Daffy takes at the end, made this the weakest of the year for me.
This is one of my favorite years in the Looney Tunes filmography. Even though not all of them are classics most of the shorts, especially those directed by McKimson, are impeccable and while his career as a director would decline a bit from this point on, at least it is a bit comforting to know that his original team of animators managed to finish some of his best cartoons in time. Also on a side note, this was definitely Sylvester's year as well since it is probably the only time that his quota of shorts released annually is the same as Bugs and even more than Daffy.
Hope you all enjoy this Year in Review video! (someone already disliked the video so maybe I annoyed a Pepe Le Pew fan 😂)
Also let me know what you guys think of the new thumbnail style. If people like it I want to update the previous Year in Review ones as I was never really too happy with those
The new thumbnail style looks good, in fact it even gives more prominence to the characters and scenes that are exactly contained in the revised year.
It's been a while since I've tried to do one of these, but I decided to write one considering that this was one of the best years in my opinion:
ROBERT MCKIMSON:
Favorite - Devil May Hare: The stunning debut of the Tasmanian Devil (Taz) who leaves a great first impression with his destructive way of dealing with everything Bugs throws at him, it can also be a bit shocking for some but for me the parts where Taz suddenly speaks a full sentence instead of his characteristic grunts are hilarious, it's a shame he didn't do this as often in later shorts but they're still good anyway.
Runner-up - The Oily American: Technically it's tied with the previous one, but I didn't want to put the two together. I won't go into too much detail about this one, but in the specific review of this short I explained why I like it so much and its brilliantly unique atmosphere.
Honorable mentions - Bell Hoppy and Wild Wife. The first gets this mention not only for bringing a different dynamic and some unique gags to the Hippety Hopper short series, but also for being the most inventive adaptation of the fable "Belling the Cat" that I've seen so far, and the second for being a hilarious portrait of the busy life of a 1950s housewife and the challenges she faces on a daily basis, which thankfully wasn't one of those shorts that aged poorly over the years.
Least Favorite - I'm glade to say that I don't have one for McKimson this year, most of his shorts here are exceptional.
FRIZ FRELENG:
Favorite - Bugs And Thugs: After a few previous attempts, Freleng finally found someone to face the gangster Rocky and his new henchman Mugsy on equal footing while also adding two more notable adversaries to Bugs' list of recurring foes. There are so many great moments in this one, from the ironic moment of Bugs walking across a busy street full of speeding cars thankful that he's safer in the city than in the forest, to the absurd phone booth scene, and of course the whole oven scene, one of Mel Blanc's best performances as Bugs.
Runner-up - Satan's Waitin': Just as the last half of the later "To Beep Or Not To Beep" demonstrates how determined the Coyote is to catch the Road Runner by desperately trying the same trick over and over again until he succeeds even though he knows he's doomed to fail, this short also explores Sylvester's determination to chase Tweety in a much darker way. It's one of those character exploration pieces that writer Warren Foster liked to do from time to time, diving deep into how Sylvester's pretense towards his remaining lives after being encouraged by the Devil Dog ends up being his undoing in the end. An ideal option to watch in Halloween and a perfect example of the correct use of dark comedy.
Honorable Mention - Dr. Jerkyl's Hide: Reused animation aside, I consider this one to be very underrated compared to "Tree For Two", and besides having an unexpected twist in the last part, it also fixes some of the small noticeable flaws of its predecessor.
Least Favorite - As much as a part of me wants to say "By Word Of Mouse", I can't do that not because of its historical or nostalgic value, but because it tried to handle its humorous and educational aspects better than the shorts that followed this (although they are still all pretty uneven in that regard). I will preserve this section for the 1955 list because sincerely in the next year Freleng made at least four notable mistakes with some of my least favorite shorts of his entire filmography.
CHUCK JONES:
Favorite - Stop! Look! And Hasten!: After three great Road Runner and Coyote shorts, Jones reaches a new level with this one. Not only does it have one of the strongest sets of gags in the series, like the Burmese tiger trap, the train track chase sequence, and of course that amazing brick joke with the giant metal sign, but also the dust created by the Road Runner that forms the "That's All, Folks!" at the end just goes to show how special this short is.
Runner-up - From A To Z-Z-Z-Z: The introduction of daydreamer Ralph Phillips, who is another character who makes a great first impression with his fertile imagination, a setting for some very inspired ideas like the chalkboard scene, and also very effective stylized animation.
Honorable mentions - No Barking, representing a great farewell to a particularly underrated duo among a long list of characters, Claude Cat and Frisky Puppy, in the last of their clashes that is beautifully animated by Ken Harris from start to finish and Bewitched Bunny, the debut of Witch Hazel who over the years would become one of the most iconic antagonists to ever appear alongside Bugs and who would manage to consolidate this status in her next appearance.
Least favorite - Surprisingly, Chuck Jones ended up directing two of the only failures of this year, but not everyone is perfect after all. I was a bit torn between "My Little Duckaroo" and "The Cats Bah" as my least favorite, but believe it or not I would put the former in that position. Honestly, as disturbing as the premise of "The Cats Bah" would be for a Pepe Le Pew cartoon if you think about it, in my opinion "My Little Duckaroo" surpassed it because was more disappointing. Not to judge any of the characters, but let's face it, you would expect something better from Daffy, it has its moments but the somewhat monotonous tone, the lack of very inspired gags and dialogues or other visual highlights, besides the interior of Canasta's hideout and the colossal beating that Daffy takes at the end, made this the weakest of the year for me.
This is one of my favorite years in the Looney Tunes filmography. Even though not all of them are classics most of the shorts, especially those directed by McKimson, are impeccable and while his career as a director would decline a bit from this point on, at least it is a bit comforting to know that his original team of animators managed to finish some of his best cartoons in time. Also on a side note, this was definitely Sylvester's year as well since it is probably the only time that his quota of shorts released annually is the same as Bugs and even more than Daffy.
Agree 1954 was Peak McKimson
Wait til 1955 when Friz will be mean to Sylvester in 3 cartoons
Yep, troubled waters are heading for Sylvester next year. Both figuratively and literally.
@@ShanghaiSheepdog2.0 Does that include where he gets a new feud with a mouse?
1954 was the last great year for Warner Brothers, for me at least, and the quality/consistency will slowly decline 1955 & onwards.
Have you done a review on My Favorite Duck starring Daffy and Porky?
No offense Anthony, But I gotta pick Quack Shot over Design for Leaving.
Say all you want about Pepe Le Pew, at least he’s not Glenn Quagmire or Herbert from Family Guy
No, but that's probably where Seth MacFarlane got the idea for the character.
1954 was probably that one time i found Robert Mckimson better than Friz Freleng.
Chuck Jones is still on the top of my list, because he is the goat.
1954 was a far better year for McKimson, compared to 1952 & 1953.
1955 is coming next!
1955 will be the year that rock & roll has exploded into mainstream, and the WB cartoons will follow in the next year.
Plus the Milt Franklyn version of the themes would debut along with June Foray joining the cast.
Can’t wait for 1955! Especially with the classic One Froggy Evening short with Michigan J. Frog!