Fast and Furry-ous

The Road Runner films form one of the most famous theatrical cartoon series ever. They are also some of the most hilarious in terms of visual comedy, and never get old. Though there is just a simple formula that is exploited throughout, and it is repetitive, it never goes bland. This also means no cartoon stands out, nothing particularly memorable. But this cartoon does shine brighter, not only because of its greatness as entertainment but because it was the debut of both stars, and the makers were not short of ideas. The usual facial expressions and high-quality - though slightly outlandish due to the early date - animation is combined with fresh and new gags, which were at the time not dated and only the cream of the crop of ideas were used. Highly recommended.

This is the very first Road Runner cartoon. Fresh and funny it was at the time, but after a while many of these toons began to resemble each other and it was impossible to tell them apart especially when they started recycling footage in the non Looney Tunes Rudy Larriva shorts of the 60s and 70s. It lessens the quality of the real Roadrunner cartoons of the time and it's a real shame considering how intelligent they were.

The formula (before it got tired) is the same as ever. Wile E. Coyote, is a starving desert dog, there doesn't seem to be much food around other than a cheeky Roadrunner so he uses everything at his disposal (and endless shoddy products from the Acme corporation) to catch the bird only for his plans to backfire.

Roadrunner is kind of met with a lot of criticism now with many moans of 'They are all the same'. While this is true now, the characters were only good as long as Chuck Jones and Co were in control. This being the first of many great Roadrunner shorts before it went downhill.

And I just love the sticking out tongue thing Roadrunner does.

The first Road Runner and Coyote cartoon ever made (and their only one made in the 1940s). It's directed by Chuck Jones with a story by Michael Maltese. This team would be responsible for most of the great Road Runner and Coyote shorts. This first one sets the template for the rest of the series. The concept was always the same in that Wile E. Coyote tries various devices and traps to catch the Road Runner but constantly fails, typically in hilarious fashion. Here we have the basics already on display: boomerangs, dynamite, a roadblock, disguises and costumes, rockets and jets, running off a cliff, and classic ACME gadgetry. Chuck Jones would use a variation of every gag in this first short over and over throughout the series. The animation is beautiful with great colors and well-drawn backgrounds. The Road Runner and Coyote look slightly different than they would look later, but that's true of pretty much all the Looney Tunes characters in their first appearances. It's a fun, fast-paced short that begins one of the best and most consistently creative and funny series in the Looney Tunes library. It's one every fan should see at least once. A classic by every definition.

Not knowing this until I came to this title page, I thought, "This would be a good introduction to anyone who hasn't seen "Roadrunner" cartoons." Now I see it WAS the first Road Runner cartoon.

Right off the bat, we see the road runner zipping down roads. Then they stop the action, freeze it and show the graphic "Road Runner (Accelleratii Inncredibus). Moments later, we see the coyote, who is watching our speedy hero from a pair of binoculars on cliff high above. He's licking his lips in anticipation and is described as "Coyote (Carnivorous Vulgaris).

Coyote puts on a bib, grabs and knife and fork, and speeds down the hill to catch the road runner. He immediately discovers he can't outrun the bird, so he hatches a number of inventive plans......and so goes this cartoon and many others to follow as coyote's meal plans are frustrated time and again.

Some of many coyote schemes to catch his prey are simple (falling boulders) to inventive (jet-propelled sneakers) to very elaborate. Almost all of them are funny. This animated short set the tone for all the good ones which followed. Good stuff!

This short marks the first appearance by either Wile E. Coyote or The Road Runner on-screen. Wile E. is really the star here and a more interesting character, to be sure, but their relationship is really a symbiotic one. Without each other, neither would have had success in films. This short more or less sets the tone for the series: lots of sight gags and a probable increase in Wile E. insurance premiums, while his insurance agent lives on antacids and his agent checks on his remaining hit points with each accident. Most certainly a gem and worth watching. Recommended.