I find it interesting that Jones would parody Tom Thumb again twenty-three years later with “I Was a Teenage Thumb”. It’s interesting because that was one of his last cartoons for Warner Bros. in the Golden Age and this cartoon is in his early period.
I noticed a lot of photos and trailers of the new Looney Tunes movie, The Day the Earth Blew Up. The dad in the trailer that was raising Porky and Daffy is the same dad from this short!
This short definitely stands out when compared to Chuck’s other early shorts in that instead of being cloying cuteness for the sake of it, it tells a story with drama and stakes. The father son dynamic between Tom and his father is strong and really shows when Tom is in trouble and you can feel his dad’s distress. Again, you’ll have to disregard Chuck’s later cartoons, as great as they are and look at this cartoon for what it’s worth. 7/10
@@jcl5611 I actually have a soft spot for "I was a Teenage Thumb" because it played a lot on Nickelodeon when I was young. Basically an early cartoon memory. This short is really good though.
It's not weird. It's just realizing that your ancestors were people, too. My father's mother was a teenager (15) when this came out, while my mother's mother was only three years old.
Oddly enough, this is one of the rare Looney Tunes shorts that I never actually saw on TV. No real reason as to why, just never saw it on TV although I had heard about it and knew that it was the most Disney-like as it was centered on telling a story rather than gags. I wound up seeing it through the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 5 DVD set when it first came out. My thoughts? I'm not really a fan of Chuck Jones' early work due to him trying too hard to imitate Disney and the slow pacing , but this one is an exception. It's really sweet without any of the cloying cuteness of Sniffles or the Curious Puppies. You can clearly see the love Tom's father has for his son and an actual story is told without too much focus on meaningless things. Even the little song segment of Tom washing the dishes is perfectly charming, and leads to him almost drowning. Also, the ending to this one with the bird sleeping in Tom's father's beard is a genuinely cute moment. Very lovely short.
I have vague memories of seeing this one back when TNT and TBS aired pre-1948 WB shorts (as well as MGM shorts and Hanna Barbera shows). I remember the bird rescuing Tom from drowning (though I thought it was Tom rescuing the bird and the dad was mad at him for either killing a bird or bringing a pet home) and just how the dad was drawn and how manly he looked compared to his kid (who looks like Buddy, now that I'm seeing it through adult eyes). This is probably the best "Disney Lite" era Chuck Jones cartoon that's not The Draft Horse or The Dover Boys. Also, I don't think people realize that some of what "Feed the Kitty" would be known for comes from here.
You didn't mention it, so there's a chance it might have slipped by you: When father and son are having their morning beverage, the father [who's obviously a man] says "Man, that's good!", and Tom replies with an appropriate "BOY, that's good!". I always thought that was a nice subtle little touch... and quite easy to miss.
For all of the short’s obvious Disney influence and schmaltziness, some scenes in it have stuck with me for a while, especially the bit where the dad cries out for Tom in the snow. Seeing Chuck Jones in his early directorial career can be hit or miss, but this one was a close hit and a run.
Please make another Chuck Jones Looney Tunes animated short review for one of my most favorite Chuck Jones Cartoon Shorts that originally came out in 1961 and was shown on tv back in the 1990s on the Cartoon Network program called The Acme Hour and that cartoon is titled Nelly’s Folly which is about a singing giraffe named Nelly which can be found on the Looney Tunes Musical Masterpieces dvd and the Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume Three dvd
Anthony goes by chronological order when reviewing the cartoons. He finished 1954 and is going to start 1955. You'll have to wait a while before he gets to the 1960s Looney Tunes cartoons.
I find it interesting that Jones would parody Tom Thumb again twenty-three years later with “I Was a Teenage Thumb”. It’s interesting because that was one of his last cartoons for Warner Bros. in the Golden Age and this cartoon is in his early period.
Good gads!
I noticed a lot of photos and trailers of the new Looney Tunes movie, The Day the Earth Blew Up. The dad in the trailer that was raising Porky and Daffy is the same dad from this short!
This short definitely stands out when compared to Chuck’s other early shorts in that instead of being cloying cuteness for the sake of it, it tells a story with drama and stakes. The father son dynamic between Tom and his father is strong and really shows when Tom is in trouble and you can feel his dad’s distress. Again, you’ll have to disregard Chuck’s later cartoons, as great as they are and look at this cartoon for what it’s worth. 7/10
Hell, I agree with The Hick Critic in that is one is much better than Jones’s later Tom Thumb based short
@@jcl5611 I actually have a soft spot for "I was a Teenage Thumb" because it played a lot on Nickelodeon when I was young. Basically an early cartoon memory. This short is really good though.
Am I the only one here who doesn't hate I Was a Teenage Thumb? @jcl5611
My grandpa would have been 10 when this came out. That's kinda weird to think about.
It's not weird. It's just realizing that your ancestors were people, too. My father's mother was a teenager (15) when this came out, while my mother's mother was only three years old.
Oddly enough, this is one of the rare Looney Tunes shorts that I never actually saw on TV. No real reason as to why, just never saw it on TV although I had heard about it and knew that it was the most Disney-like as it was centered on telling a story rather than gags. I wound up seeing it through the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 5 DVD set when it first came out. My thoughts? I'm not really a fan of Chuck Jones' early work due to him trying too hard to imitate Disney and the slow pacing , but this one is an exception. It's really sweet without any of the cloying cuteness of Sniffles or the Curious Puppies. You can clearly see the love Tom's father has for his son and an actual story is told without too much focus on meaningless things. Even the little song segment of Tom washing the dishes is perfectly charming, and leads to him almost drowning. Also, the ending to this one with the bird sleeping in Tom's father's beard is a genuinely cute moment. Very lovely short.
I have vague memories of seeing this one back when TNT and TBS aired pre-1948 WB shorts (as well as MGM shorts and Hanna Barbera shows). I remember the bird rescuing Tom from drowning (though I thought it was Tom rescuing the bird and the dad was mad at him for either killing a bird or bringing a pet home) and just how the dad was drawn and how manly he looked compared to his kid (who looks like Buddy, now that I'm seeing it through adult eyes). This is probably the best "Disney Lite" era Chuck Jones cartoon that's not The Draft Horse or The Dover Boys. Also, I don't think people realize that some of what "Feed the Kitty" would be known for comes from here.
@@canaisyoung3601 Such as the ending with the bird curled up in dad's beard, like how Pussyfoot is sleeping on Marc Anthony in the end.
You didn't mention it, so there's a chance it might have slipped by you: When father and son are having their morning beverage, the father [who's obviously a man] says "Man, that's good!", and Tom replies with an appropriate "BOY, that's good!". I always thought that was a nice subtle little touch... and quite easy to miss.
For all of the short’s obvious Disney influence and schmaltziness, some scenes in it have stuck with me for a while, especially the bit where the dad cries out for Tom in the snow. Seeing Chuck Jones in his early directorial career can be hit or miss, but this one was a close hit and a run.
From Chuck's "Disney" period.
Yeah, and this actually looks like something Disney would do.
I’ve never seen Chuck with Walt Disney and Non-Disney of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 1937 and Gulliver’s Travels 1939
This cartoon was released on the same day, Nancy Sinatra was born, 6/8/40.
What a great non-"looney" short.
Please make another Chuck Jones Looney Tunes animated short review for one of my most favorite Chuck Jones Cartoon Shorts that originally came out in 1961 and was shown on tv back in the 1990s on the Cartoon Network program called The Acme Hour and that cartoon is titled Nelly’s Folly which is about a singing giraffe named Nelly which can be found on the Looney Tunes Musical Masterpieces dvd and the Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume Three dvd
These shorts are being done in order by year/release date. So please be patient. Nellie's Folly will eventually get covered.
Anthony goes by chronological order when reviewing the cartoons. He finished 1954 and is going to start 1955. You'll have to wait a while before he gets to the 1960s Looney Tunes cartoons.