From Hand to Mouse

One of the one-shot cartoons from Warner Bros. features a gullible lion repeatedly tricked by a manipulative rodent. The racial stereotypes in "From Hand to Mouse" are unpleasant, but the rest of the cartoon is a hoot (including a scene of WWII-era rationing). I looked at the dates of Warner's cartoon releases, and it turns out that we're a few days away from this one's 75th anniversary.

I understand that this cartoon is based on one of Aesop's fables. I unfortunately have not had as much exposure to them as I would like. The ones that I know got depicted - in fractured form - on "Rocky and Bullwinkle". "The Lion and the Mouse" is not one that I've seen from there.

Anyway, it's a funny cartoon. I recommend it.

Director Chuck Jones and his best writer, Michael Maltese, produce a typically sardonic, funny and undeniably accurate cartoon version of Aesop's fable of the lion and the mouse, in which the mouse -- definitely a cousin of Hubie from the Hubie and Bertie cartoons -- cons the rather stupid lion into releasing him from danger several times, each time, shouting "Sucker!"

On the good side, we also have Jones' insistence on the consistent and believable psychology of the characters. On the downside, this one has not aged perfectly. There is a reference to wartime rationing in one of the gags, but the inventiveness of the variations on a theme will delight most cartoon fans.