Birdy and the Beast

Tweety's second cartoon (and the first to actually name him) is a funny effort from Bob Clampett. In this one an unnamed black cat tries repeatedly to catch Tweety so he can eat him, but the little wisecracking canary manages to outsmart him. It's basically setting the template for what would come with the Sylvester & Tweety series. It's not quite on the level of those shorts, though, since the cat here doesn't bring as much to the table as Sylvester and they were still figuring out Tweety's persona. He is really cute here ("Yoooo hoooo! Did you wose somethin' puddy tat?") and has a bit of a mean streak often missing in later shorts. But he's just not quite "there" yet, ya know? I gotta say, though, there is something especially nice about Mel Blanc's Tweety voice here. It's a got a slight crack to it that gives Tweety's dialogue an undertone of feigned innocence. The animation is excellent with lush colors and well-drawn characters and backgrounds. Carl Stalling's music is exceptional as always. It's a funny cartoon that played to many of Clampett's strengths.

I remember when I first saw this cartoon at about 5 or 6 years of age, and at first, I was a little creeped out by the early Tweety's crude appearance, but I was soon laughing my head off. Being directed by Bob Clampett rather than the future director of the Tweety cartoons, Friz Freeling, you can expect this cartoon to be a bit sillier. Not to mention that this is Tweety's second cartoon appearance so he's (yes, he is a boy) still in his developmental stages. Note that he's pink rather than yellow, he's a bit meaner than in his later cartoons, and he hasn't even been paired up with his arch rival, Sylvester, yet. Nonetheless, this is a very enjoyable cartoon, with a very memorable line, "Aw, the poor puddy tat! He fall down and go... BOOM!"

While not among my favourite cartoons of all time, Birdy and the Beast is still really interesting for seeing Bob Clampett's very different characterisation of Tweety and how Tweety evolved over the years. Despite being a very early cartoon for Tweety(only his second) and that he was still developing as a character, Birdy and the Beast is great and one of Tweety's better cartoons.

The animation in Birdy and the Beast, as always with Clampett, is very good. Carefully drawn, with meticulous and here at times imaginative backgrounds and lively colours, Birdy and the Beast is a pleasure to watch visually. Who can't help but love the music score too? In unmistakable Carl Stalling fashion, the orchestration is very richly textured and melodiously mellow without ever being too syrupy, rhythmically it's sprightly and energetic and as always with Stalling the music not only sounds beautiful and matches the visuals and action brilliantly, but it also adds so much too, to the extent that even a nod of the head or a face fall has its own music cue.

Birdy and the Beast, on top of being very well-made, is also incredibly entertaining. The timing is just right with nothing rushed or drawn out, the gags are uproariously funny and quite inventive for a cartoon starring Tweety and with the cartoon containing some of Tweety's funniest and most quotable lines the dialogue has plenty of wit. The story is unsurprising and formulaic, but nonetheless bounces along nicely and with its constant fun and charm makes that a non-issue. Tweety's very "naked" early character design takes getting used to, but rather than being an under-used or pretty useless plot device like he'd become increasingly in his later cartoons he adds a lot to the story. He's actually funny here too, and while sweet in design he is refreshingly anarchic(a side that I wish was maintained in the later Sylvester and Tweety cartoons). Putty Tat is equally hilarious and a cunning adversary, the conflict between him and Tweety being dynamite in its strongest parts. While Sylvester is a much more familiar counter-part, and funnier and more interesting, you don't miss him. Mel Blanc can do no wrong.

On the overall whole, a personal favourite Birdy and the Beast is not, but it is great regardless and one of Tweety's better cartoons and appearances. 9/10 Bethany Cox