The Cuckoo Clock

A cat is driven crazy by a bizarre cuckoo bird from the clock. Try and try again, the bird gets the best of the cat--who only wants to eat him and have some peace and quiet. The plot, despite the description on IMDb, is MUCH simpler...and a bit different. I would have actually liked it a lot more had it been more like the weird description.

Tex Avery's cartoons for MGM are absolute gems--and are among the best shorts ever made. The problem is that he didn't make more!! They had a level of zany surrealism that put them in a class by themselves. However, I must also admit that although "The Cuckoo Clock" is quite good, it's amazingly tame compared to many of Avery's other cartoons with the studio. Good...not great.

Certainly what is most interesting in this short cartoon is its rare immersion in a dark and Gothic universe more associate with the psychological dramas of the previous decade (a mansion, a tortured main character) as with Poe's short story in which is informally based. At same time it could be inspired by a prior free short cartoon version of Poe's tale produced twenty years before - "The Cuckoo Murder Case" by Ub Iwerks. Avery tone of course is more subordinate to the generic conventions of the cartoon universe of its time, as show the fast reorganization from its uncommon prologue to more usual clichés of the cat-search-a bird in a Sylvester-Tweety style. Curiously, only 3 years after, a more radical and credited version of Poe's tale - "The Tell-Tale Heart", by Ted Parmlee for UPA Studios would be made. Anyway, it is noticeable the interesting solution Avery uses to adapt the clichés of cartoon universe to show the split personality of his psychotic feline in the beginning.

This short is typical Avery, with lots of sight gags and a hilarious premise. But Avery plays around with a series of gags that take expressions of speech and depict them literally in visual gags, an idea he would use to base an entire short on later with Symphony in Slang. Cute cartoon, not terribly innovative, but enjoyably watchable nonetheless. Worth watching and recommended.

Love animation, it was a big part of my life as a child, particularly Disney, Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry, and still love it whether it's film, television or cartoons.

Also have much admiration for Tex Avery, an animation genius whose best cartoons are animated masterpieces and some of the best he ever did. 'The Cuckoo Clock' is not one of his best, it's not one of his most innovative and for Avery it's somewhat tame, lacking the unique wild wackiness and surrealism of his best work. 'The Cuckoo Clock' is still a very good cartoon though. Even when he wasn't at his best, he still delivered, have yet to see a "bad" effort from him.

The cuckoo is fun, deliciously bizarre and cute but the funnier and more interesting character is the cat. The chemistry between them is very enjoyable and the narrator is amusing. Daws Butler's voice work is marvellous as can be expected.

Avery, even on comparatively relatively subdued form, does more than solidly with the directing, with a good deal of colourful animation, humour and atmosphere.

Even if not exactly creative or hilarious, 'The Cuckoo Clock' is nonetheless charming, atmosphere and with some humorous moments. The whole cartoon is very well paced.

It is no surprise either that the animation is superb, being rich in colour and detail. The character designs are unique, Avery always did have creative character designs, and suitably fluid. The music, courtesy of Scott Bradley, is lushly and cleverly orchestrated, with lively and energetic rhythms and fits very well indeed.

On the whole, not one of Avery's best but still very good. 8/10 Bethany Cox

The first half of this is delightful as the cat acts out the cliches that he spews. He is filled with dread from a cuckoo clock with an insane bird. If he left well enough along, of course, he would be fine. But we know that ain't gonna happen. Soon a barrage of violent attacks only lead to pain for the cat and victory for the bird. In the usual Tex Avery way, the onslaught is cleverly displayed.