Another Cat, Another Goldfish
What better way to spend seven minutes of your day than to take a dip in Chuck Jones’ cartoon universe? Here’s a classic everyone remembers — 1943’s “Fin n’ Catty” — just terrific stuff!
This one is a great example of the complicated interpersonal relationships you find within the food chain as displayed in old Warner Brothers cartoons. On one hand we have the goldfish hero, a guy who knows no boundaries. He spends all day outside his fishbowl, scampering around the house, running on his tail fins, flaunting the laws of biology and physics, wearing a derby no less (even when he is underwater, the derby remains resolutely stuck on his head — doesn’t float away!) His pursuer is, conversely, enslaved by convention (”Cats don’t like water”) to a truly disturbing degree; if this obsessive compulsive feline gets so much as one teeny weeny bead of moisture on the tiniest tip of his pointy claw, he goes flippin’ nuts with the paper towels. Can not, can not, must not, must not get wet… EVER. Even a little.
As often noted, other directors made Looney Tunes, Chuck Jones made Neurotic Toons (I know — technically this is a Merry Melody, but you get the point.) Don’t know who all the animators were on this one (Ben Washam was the only one I seem to be able to track down for sure) but the guy who handled the scene where the cat belatedly realizes he is submerged by watching one lonely bubble drift heavenwards was some kind of genius. A classic!
ReFrederator has one more Underwater Week item on the agenda, so drop in tomorrow for a little cartoon refreshment.
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On May 11th, 2006 at 12:00 am
I almost want to do a compare/contrast between today’s WB and yesterday’s Felix cartoon to point out how many things Jones got right and the Van Beuren guys didn’t, things like character, timing, and use of sound.
It seems a little for WB to be using stylized backgrounds. I wonder if this is the first, or one of the first, cartoons to have them.
On May 12th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Well, I certainly thinks it’s fair to comment how far the guys at Warners had advanced the art in those areas (characterization, timing, sound design etc.) Keep in mind there’s about a seven year gap between the two films — huge, really, when you consider this was the era when the animation universe of knowledge and skill was expanding with unbelievable speed. I tend to think the pleasures to be found in “Neptune’s Nonsense” are a little more generic — you know, the “if you like thirties’ cartoons, this is a good one” type recommendation.
I think several WB directors started to experiment in stylzed backgrounds around this time. Jones had already made “The Dover Boys at Pimento University” in ‘42, Tashlin made “Scrap Happy Daffy ” and Norman McCabe made “Confusions of a Nutzy Spy”, both in 1943. I bet other Looney Toon geeks can probably site other early 40’s examples using simplified backgrounds.
On May 14th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Clampett’s “Baby Bottleneck” has the most simplified minimalistic backgrounds that I can remember in any Warner toon. I seems like Bob was being a little TOOOOOO stingy with the colored paint. The only strong background colors occur when Daffy gets whacked on the head near the end of the cartoon. I usually prefer the more eleborate backgrounds similar to this week’s Felix toon. Although you can find some well done simple designs that aren’t terribly minimalistic in “Waikiki Wabbit”, and “Inky and the Minah Bird”. The jungle settings and effects are pretty cool in those two toons. Marvin the Martian’s red carpet environment is also simple and effective without being overly minimalistic. Of course with all the computer rendering tools available now, backgrounds should have strength like Fleischer’s modelled environments. Anything less seems like a waste of tools, when working time is now less of a problem.