Beep, beep

Chuck Jones's 'Beep Beep' (so called despite the fact that the Road Runner clearly says "Meep Meep") is the second of the exceptionally popular Road Runner series and is a vast improvement on its predecessor, the historically important but lacklustre 'Fast and Furry-ous'. While it features several predictable quickfire gags, 'Beep Beep' also expands on that initial cartoon with more ambitious, longer sequences. Chief among these is a fantastic, extended chase through an old mine in which we see the Coyote and the Road Runner represented by two small lights. There's also a very funny longer gag involving some rocket-powered roller-skates. 'Beep Beep' also sees a great improvement in the representation of Wile E. Coyote. Not only does he look more handsome than his scraggly prototype in 'Fast and Furry-ous' but he also draws the audience into the cartoon more with a greater amount of looks to the camera to indicate the brilliance of his idea or his fear of imminent pain. Although it's a little slow to get going (too many lingering shots of blueprints hinder the pace in some of the early gags), once 'Beep Beep' arrives at the mine shaft sequence it's clear that Jones was beginning to get a real handle on these characters and the greater possibilities of what he could do with them. There are better Road Runner cartoons than 'Beep Beep' but there's a real feeling of triumph about this cartoon, as if it were the confirmation that there was a series to be milked out of this scenario.

This is more of the same thing that made this cartoon popular.....but who's complaining? It's always fun to see the poor coyote try various contraptions to get the Road Runner, and then get pulverized by every one of those inventions.

The underground cave chase was different from the normal fare and was clever. It gave us an aerial view of the chase in a maze-like structure. I didn't say it was hilarious; just different from the normal above-ground antics.

This one, along with some other Road Runner shorts, are featured on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 2 and the transfers of them are spectacular. The colors are magnificent.

One of the first truly great Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote shorts by the legendary Chuck Jones. There's no plot really, just Wile E. Coyote chasing the Road Runner and failing over & over. Beautiful animation with well-drawn backgrounds. Love the colors. Energetic music from Carl Stalling. Many funny gags, including "free drink of water," ACME aspirin, and rocket-powered roller skates. The highlight of the short is the sequence that takes place in an underground mine. As with all of the Road Runner cartoons, there is an element of predictability to it but it works so well. Chuck Jones was a master at the sight gag and it shows in this series more than any other. It's not the best of the Road Runner and Coyote series but it is a great one.

This second pairing of Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner is a great as the first. Predictable maybe, but I don't care and still laugh so much whenever I see it. The Wile E./Road runner shorts always had the most special place in my heart. So knowing that the second disc of the Golden Collection would not only feature 11 of this, BUT they would be in chronological order (2 through 12, the first episode was on Volume 1), made me get misty eyed. I LOVE this stuff. This animated short can be seen on Disc 2 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 2. It also features an optional commentary by Micheal Barrier.

My Grade: A+

While I agree there are a few predictable gags, there are also some very well-executed ones that are ambitious and are a good length. The animation is very good, making it I feel one of the better-looking Roadrunner vs. Coyote cartoons, and the music is not repetitive or annoying thank goodness. The Roadrunner is likable enough, but I have often preferred Coyote, because he is craftier and we actually sympathise with him to some extent. Beep, Beep also goes along at a fast pace, and doesn't feel laborious or rushed in any way. In fact, apart from a few predictabilities, it is near-perfect, and I liked the underground scene as well. 9/10 Bethany Cox