Zipping Along

I like these opening graphics which give us various "scientific names" of the two main characters. This time, the roadrunner - who is shown outracing a fast train - is labeled "velocitus tremenjus." Wile E. Coyote, watching from above, is now labeled "Road Runnerus Digestus."

Wile E.'s slapstick attempts at getting the bird include a hand grenade, mousetraps, a giant kite with a big bomb, falling telephone poles, bird seed with steel shot and a giant magnet, hypnotism, a giant boulder, shotguns and more! It's unbelievable how many attempts the coyote makes in each cartoon with the predictable results.

This wasn't one of the funnier episodes, I didn't think, although it was entertaining as always.

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 (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.

The story is somewhat unexceptional, and the pacing is a little uneven here, but there is much to enjoy. The Roadrunner is a good character, but I have always found Coyote the better of the two, he makes all these traps but he never gets that bird.

The animation is very nicely done with good backgrounds and character features, the music is also good, not generic or annoying and the gags all work from the giant kite with the bomb, the magnet, various mousetraps and falling telephone poles. Predictable maybe, funny absolutely!

Overall, for the Roadrunner and Coyote's fourth pairing, it works very well. It isn't a classic, but I enjoyed it, and I do think it is worth watching. 8/10 Bethany Cox

'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.