The Unexpected Pest

I'm 99% sure that Robert McKimson intended "The Unexpected Pest" as purely wacky entertainment, and it certainly entertains. However, I noticed that the plot - Sylvester forces a mouse to be his slave, but then the mouse uses the predicament against Sylvester - is not unlike situations that we see in geopolitics. One example is US-Saudi relations: Saudi Arabia's government can't survive without US support (lest the people rise up against the government), and the US economy can't survive without Saudi Arabia's oil (if Saudi Arabia's government cut off oil shipments, what do you think would happen to our country?). Beyond that, the US government considers Sudan's government a terrorist government, but can't criticize them over atrocities in Darfur because Osama bin Laden once lived in Sudan, and so dictator Omar al-Bashir can give us information about him. At every turn, one country uses a tense situation to blackmail another country, and what the hell kind of neurosis would prompt anyone to relate this to a silly cartoon?!!!!!!!!! OK, I'll stop. The point is, this is a pretty funny cartoon. Far from the greatest cartoon, but I like how the mouse turns the situation on Sylvester. Is he just a doomed cat or something? Worth seeing.

Poor Sylvester: his owners sure are cold people. Listen to this: Sylvester is shown sleeping on the couch. The father comes home, spots the wife and says to her, "Marsha, why do we have to put up with that dirty old cat,. scratchin' up the furniture and makin' a mess out of the house?" She answers, "Well, John, we got him to get rid of those mice, remember?"

"Yeah, but there hasn't been a mouse around the house in months."

"Yes, that's right. Well, I'll the society tomorrow and get rid of him."

Wow, talk about a pet feeling loved in his house! Sylvester freaks out. "Sufferin' succotash," he says, "I have to get a mouse to keep my happy home."

The problem is that there are no mice in house, but our hero spots one outside among the garbage cans. "A lifesaver!" he exclaims.

The rest of the cartoon builds on this premise, and then adds a twist near the end when the mouse gets tired of playing "slave" to Sylvester and wises up. It turns out he's a pretty funny mouse.

Overall, this is a pretty decent effort with some cleverness, although there are a couple of gags used in previous cartoons, like the mouse dropping dishes from a high ledge and having the cat trying to catch them. However, that might not have been Looney Tunes but a Tom & Jerry. Whatever, this is entertaining overall as most Sylvester stories tend to be. I still prefer to see him paired with Tweety, though.

It just doesn't make sense for couple to want to get rid of Sylvester. If there are no mice, that's a good reason to keep the cat. And if Sylvester finds a mouse for a stooge, the couple should get an exterminator if one is around that much. I don't want to play movie police. This cartoon has its share of laughs. Sylvester's unimpressed reaction when he sees the owner early in the short is priceless. And you can't help but laugh when Sylvester gets walloped. Still the final gag has been done better elsewhere (See Bugs Bunny). It. You know what luck Sylvester has with mouses. You know what he's getting into. Not the best cartoon. Still it's Sylvester, a comic icon.

Robert McKimson's 'The Unexpected Pest' is a neatly plotted little cartoon with some unusual twists and genuine laughs. When Sylvester's owners realise that they don't need him now that he's got rid of all the mice, the cat has to seek out a mouse to save himself from becoming homeless. Threatening him with being eaten unless he follows his instructions, Sylvester uses the mouse hundreds of times in order to convince his owners that they have an infestation. I won't spoil the fun by elaborating further but the final few plot twists make for some very funny moments indeed. 'The Unexpected Pest' moves at a fairly leisurely pace and isn't much to look at but the script is great and McKimson wisely throws the spotlight firmly on the story. It's best the first time you see it but, with the delicious knowledge of what's to come also enhancing the fun, 'The Unexpected Pest' stands up to repeated viewings too. It's a solid cartoon and it's always a pleasure to see Sylvester without either of the twin drag factors, Tweety or Speedy Gonzalez.

Sylvester's masters are going to get rid of him because there are no mice around and his main job was as the mouse catcher. So Sylvester finds a scared little mouse to be his slave, catching him over and over in front of the masters so they will think he is valuable to the household. But the mouse gets wise to Sylvester's game and turns the tables on him. This is a funny short, thanks in large part to the little mouse. He's a hoot! The animation is bright and colorful with well-drawn characters and backgrounds. The music is lively and fun. Wonderful voice work from the incomparable Mel Blanc. An enjoyable cartoon with great characters and a cute story.