Gee Whiz-z-z-z-z-z-z

In this, the eighth pairing of Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, the highly memorable gag of the batman type suit was first shown. And in a delightful change of the expected the crafty coyote paints a bridge, but this time it's a torn down bridge and the Road Runner goes through the painting, Wile E. is the one to go into it this time around. And as always ANY short with Wile E. in it is so VERY much worth watching, as he's one of my absolute favorite cartoon personalities of all time. This animated short can be seen on Disc 2 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 2. This cartoon also has an optional music only track.

My Grade: A-

More of Wile E. Coyote - aka Eatius Birdius - trying unsuccessfully to catch Road Runner - aka Delicius Delicius. Among his Acme devices are a Batman suit, a rocket, and a fake destroyed bridge. Sure enough, they all backfire on him. I guess that "Gee Whiz-z-z-z-z-z-z" doesn't really add anything new; although, they occasionally have Road Runner quickly turn around while Wile E. keeps zooming straight ahead...most likely off of a cliff.

So, even if there's nothing new here, it's always great to see what happens to Wile E. Among other things, it shows that you don't need words to be funny. And it shows that the classic cartoons are the gold standard (the more recent Looney Tunes cartoons just can't reach the quality set by their forbears). So check it out. You're sure to like it.

Gee Whiz-z-z-z-z-z-z (1956)

*** (out of 4)

The eighth pairing of Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner is yet another winner, although the beatings poor Wile takes keep getting worse. This time out we don't even get past the opening credits when Mr. Wile is run down by a truck but we then get other attacks including large rocks, falling from cliffs and various bombs. One of the best sequences in the film is when the coyote dressing up as "bat-man" and tries to fly after his dinner. This plan works for a while but what makes the joke so funny is that you're expecting one gag but instead we get something else. Another great gag is the painted version of a broken bridge, which of course comes back to hurt Wile.

Chuck Jones's 'Gee Whiz-z-z', the eighth Road Runner cartoon, introduced a significant new development into the series by replacing the sumptuous desert backgrounds with a more stylised, minimalist look. While this new look may not have been nearly as gorgeous to watch as the earlier shorts, it certainly didn't do anything to slow down the gag ratio. In fact, 'Gee Whiz-z-z' is so packed with great jokes that it forsakes the longer set-up sequences of the previous few Road Runner cartoons and pushes the action right into the credits in order to maximise the amount of time Jones has to make us laugh. 'Gee Whiz-z-z' features a few of the very best gags of the series (amongst a small handful of more forgettable moments). Chief among these is the legendary sequence with the green bat costume. On paper, this gag sounds like a weak offering but with hysterically funny facial expressions and one perfectly timed glimpse towards the camera, Jones turns it into gold and one of the most fondly remembered spot-gags in animation history. There's also a new take on the painted-scenery gag with a neat new twist. My favourite thing about 'Gee Whiz-z-z', however, is the ending in which Jones himself shares in the audiences sympathies for the Coyote so strongly that he cuts him a break with an early iris-out.

GEE WHIZ-Z-Z-Z! is yet another of the classic cartoons starring Road Runner and the Coyote of the 1950's. The Coyote constantly tries to capture the speedy Road Runner, who inevitably escapes leaving the predator humiliated, hurt and simply furious, though he never shows it. In GEE WHIZ-Z-Z-Z! he generally misses the Road Runner when the bird turns suddenly, while the Coyote keeps running dead ahead, usually off a cliff.

Some of the funniest moments in the series appeared in this cartoon, such as the bat-costume and the handheld dynamite launcher. The animation is smooth, detailed and makes watching new cartoons in the series, like WHIZZARD OF OW, seem all the more disappointing. Yet for all the great things about GEE WHIZ-Z-Z-Z!, it isn't any better than the usual Chuck Jones run-of-the-mill cartoon in the series. That's how good they all are. The only thing that really makes this a bit different is the layouts, by Ernie Nordli. Maurice Noble had been art director for a couple of years before this cartoon, so why Nordli was working on it, and making the backgrounds look like Peter Alvarado is beyond me. It's not a fault, it just puzzles me. All in all, you can miss this or watch this, any classic in the series will do.