Chuck Jones (1)Besprekingen

The grumpy, grouchy, Yule-hating Grinch plots to ruin the Whos of Whoville's Christmas. Can he steal their holiday spirit by stealing their holiday treats? Perhaps Christmas means a little bit more than just presents and candy.

Comedy

These cartoons are part of the cultural heritage of anyone my age, just as the Romans had the Iliad and the Greeks had Homer. In this edition, there is a segment from Whoopie Goldberg, who says they are funny even though they portray some outmoded and negative stereotypes. This is true, but it is also true that white men are represented by Elmer J. Fudd and Yosemite Sam, so I think pretty much everyone other than Bugs Bunny comes off as an object of ridicule..

Classic 1950s documentary from the Bell System Science series. Not the best of the series.

A delightful book, very funny, with insight into the evolution of Bugs Bunny and the animation business including Jones' own thoughts on characterization's role in the Warners stable, Jones autobiography related in the appendix, lots of drawings and photos, I can:t say too much caught part of Chuck Jones' presentation at SIU-Edwardsville many years ago. A conflicting class the instructor felt was indispensable kept me from catching the actual cartoons that he introduced. Excellent book. Photos to include two color photo inserts.

Wow. Even better than Chuck Amuck! Much more substantial. In addition to more life stories, Jones details every major character and several specific films.

Excellent.

There is no way I could not like this book. Chuck Jones...Bugs Bunny...and (as in the theme song for the first season of Gilligan's Island) the rest. Not only was he brilliantly funny as an animator, some of his life stories he relates here are hilarious. As one of the four fathers of Bugs Bunny - Bob Clampett, Robert McKimson, and Friz Freleng being the other three, I've felt he did the most to develop the character. And he created Pepe le Pew, and Coyote and the Road Runner, and so many more. He brought (animated) life to Dr. Seuss's Grinch and Horton, as well as some Kipling and a Cricket who happened to make music in Times Square. But Daffy was his favorite. (I learned on page 182 that Daffy has a middle name...no spoiling here, though!) It would have been clear even if he hadn't said so explicitly.

The book is filled with page after page of sketches in the margins of the text where he shares not only his story, but glimpses behind the scenes of animation. From storyboarding to the writers and designers and background artists, the music and overall production, there are great things to be learned here.

He ended this book with a perfect anecdote:

Perhaps the most accurate remark about me was uttered by Ray Bradbury at his fifty-fifth birthday party. In answer to the usual question: "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Ray replied: "I want to be fourteen years old like Chuck Jones."

Perhaps this will be my most apt possible epitaph.

I think I'd like to grow up to be fourteen years old like Chuck. He was a rare one.

A creature is annoyed by Christmas celebrations.

Concept: C
Story: C
Characters: B
Dialog: A
Pacing: B
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: B
Acting: B
Music: B

Enjoyment: B

GPA: 2.9/4½

Classic Warner Brothers cartoons in all their restored, uncut glory. 4 DVDs

Uncle Sam teaches Porky Pig about American history.

They don't even bother to try to be entertaining.

Concept: F
Story: F
Characters: F
Dialog: F
Pacing: C
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: C
Music: C

Enjoyment: F

GPA: 1.0/4½

Stays faithful to the story of the Grinch, and the animation and music are delightful. Much superior to the live action version. (see copy-3). Re-watched 2016-12; still love the story, but what ARE those Who-ville singers saying??

Stays faithful to the story of the Grinch, and the animation and music are delightful.
The Horton episode is not as good.
(see c.2)

A dastardly villain kidnaps the fiancée of some upstanding young men.

Very bizarre. Its sense of humor is so absurd, it's almost Ren & Stimpy-ish.

Concept: B
Story: C
Characters: B
Dialog: B
Pacing: B
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: A
Acting: B
Music: A

Enjoyment: B

GPA: 3.0/4½

Bugs Bunny vs. a department store manager.

This is a different Bugs than I'm used to (he's not too smart, and focuses more on defying physics than outwitting the bad guy), and I can't say I like it. It would have been a better cartoon if they'd used a different character (Daffy would make sense), but still wouldn't have been anything noteworthy.

Concept: C
Story: D
Characters: C
Dialog: C
Pacing: B
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: C
Music: A

Enjoyment: C plus

GPA: 2.2/4

Two mice play mind games on a cat.

The comedic timing is perfect. It has a hilariously cruel sense of mischief. Chuck Jones at his best.

Concept: B
Story: A
Characters: C
Dialog: B
Pacing: A
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: B
Acting: A
Music: A

Enjoyment: A

GPA: 3.4/4½

The Public Health Service makes an argument for the Public Health Service.

It's got everything one loves about mid-century educational films, crossed with a heavy dose of Chuck Jones. And although it's a propaganda film, I don't imagine it did much for the government. The tone straddles a line between entertainingly educational, and satire.

Concept: F
Story: D
Characters: D
Dialog: A
Pacing: B
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: A
Acting: B
Music: A

Enjoyment: A

GPA: 2.7/4½

Bugs Bunny in a wrestling match.

There are some good laughs in there, but a lot of the gags didn't do anything for me.

Concept: C
Story: D
Characters: C
Dialog: C
Pacing: B
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: B
Acting: B
Music: A

Enjoyment: C plus

GPA: 2.4/4

Suicidal mice try to get a cat to eat them.

Twisted, and very funny. It has no ending, though. And the quality of the animation is inconsistent.

Concept: A
Story: C
Characters: B
Dialog: B
Pacing: B
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: B
Music: A

Enjoyment: B

GPA: 2.9/4½

The three bears celebrate Father's Day.

Most of the gags don't make me laugh. It has its moments, though; Ma Bear is amusing, and there's some great animation here and there.

Concept: C
Story: C
Characters: C
Dialog: B
Pacing: B
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: B
Acting: B
Music: A

Enjoyment: C

GPA: 2.6/4½

Coyote tries to catch Roadrunner.

Roadrunner cartoons might be recycled, repetitive, and effectively made on an assembly line, but that doesn't matter much because in the end they work. Jones and Maltese know how to pull off gags brilliantly, and this format lets them just do that with nothing else to get in the way.

Concept: B
Story: D
Characters: C
Dialog: B
Pacing: B
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: A
Acting: B
Music: A

Enjoyment: A

GPA: 2.9/4½

A monkey melodrama.

The Looney Tunes staff tortures animals for a laugh. They don't even have them do or say anything funny; just their being on screen is supposed to be enough, I guess.

Concept: D
Story: F
Characters: F
Dialog: D
Pacing: C
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: C
Acting: D
Music: C

Enjoyment: F

GPA: 1.1/4½

Coyote tries to catch Roadrunner.

Like every Roadrunner cartoon so far, one perfectly-executed gag after another.

Concept: B
Story: D
Characters: C
Dialog: C
Pacing: A
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: B
Acting: B
Music: A

Enjoyment: A

GPA: 2.8/4½

Coyote tries to catch Road Runner.

This one's a little slow to get started (relative to Roadrunner cartoons at their best), but makes up for it in the second half.

Concept: B
Story: D
Characters: C
Dialog: n/a.
Pacing: A
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: B
Acting: B
Music: A

Enjoyment: A

GPA: 2.9/4½

Coyote tries to catch Road Runner.

It has a relatively low gag density for a Road Runner cartoon. The first third of it is all setup - good stuff, but at this point in the series we hardly need to spend time establishing Coyote's motivation.

Concept: B
Story: C
Characters: C
Dialog: C
Pacing: B
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: B
Acting: C
Music: A

Enjoyment: B

GPA: 2.6/4½

Bugs Bunny vs. a tiny bank robber disguised as a baby.

Funny, with wonderful mid-century visuals.

Concept: C
Story: C
Characters: C
Dialog: C
Pacing: B
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: A
Acting: B
Music: A

Enjoyment: B

GPA: 2.8/4½