Zipping Along

More of Wile E. Coyote - aka Road-Runnerus Digestus - trying to get Road Runner - aka Velocitus Tremendus - and always ending up getting himself. Probably the best gag here is the hypnotism trick; it's almost hypnotic to watch (of course, in this sense it won't lead you to do what Wile E. ends up doing!).

So, maybe "Zipping Along" doesn't really add anything new to the cinematic landscape, but it's always great to see what happens to WEC. It just goes to show that the more you try to harm others, the more you get harmed.

And what was with that train at the beginning?

'Zipping Along' introduces the Road Runner as Velocitus Tremendus and the Coyote as Road-Runnerus Digestus before the chase starts. In this cartoon the Coyote uses, or tries using, mousetraps, cannons, a lot of guns and even hypnosis that he tests on a bug. Of course things do not work as planned and every single time the joke is on him.

Like with all other Road Runner vs. Coyote cartoons you will not be bored. I smiled almost the entire time. The simple but quite funny animation works for most moments and this is one of those cartoons where the music helps with the gags. There are better ones from the series but it is most definitely entertaining and enjoyable enough.

The forth pairing of Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner is still good and features many gags that work, including grenades, mousetraps, a giant kite, a bigger magnet, and even hypnosis. Of course none of these work, but they make for a hilarious cartoon. Man I love that coyote's work ethic. This animated short can be seen on Disc 2 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 2. It also has a little 11 minute featurette "Behind the Tunes - Crash! Bang! Boom!: The Wild Sounds of Treg Brown" that I'll get more into in the listing for that on this site.

My Grade:A+

Chuck Jones's 'Zipping Along', the fourth cartoon in the Road Runner series, is notable for how it increases the relationship between the Coyote and the audience. The gags are hit and miss, ranging from hilarious (the mouse trap gag is still among my favourites) to dull (the bomb and the kite) or genuinely weak (the double "meep meep" from the Road Runner and the dust he leaves behind). However, the reaction shots of the Coyote are all priceless and there are many more of them than in the opening trio of cartoons. His endearingly defeated glances to the audience are capable of turning a weak gag into a hilarious one. For example, the nonsensical joke with the giant magnet and the TNT is improved 100% by the extremely brief look of horror the Coyote shoots our way a millisecond before the explosion. It's the tiniest piece of animation but it's monumentally effective. There are numerous little moments like that all the way through 'Zipping Along', considerably heightening its enjoyment factor. It's also notable for the fact that it is the first Road Runner cartoon not to close with the Coyote being hit by a vehicle which the Road Runner is on board. He is hit by a vehicle at the finale and we do hear a "meep meep" afterwards but it doesn't come from the Road Runner!

Zipping Along (1953)

*** (out of 4)

The fourth Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner series has four way roads, guns, bombs, bird seed, cutting the strings on a bridge and more TNT as the dumb one keeps trying to catch his dinner. Even early on in the series we're starting to get quite a few repeat jokes and this would certainly continue throughout the series but you can help but be entertained by Wile's effort to get something to eat. The joy of watching him try and try harder only to fail is the real key to this series since the Road Runner offers very little outside his classic "Beep Beep". The highlight of the film has to be the free bird seed offer.