Fast and Furry-ous

The Road Runner films form one of the most famous theatrical cartoon series ever. They are also some of the most hilarious in terms of visual comedy, and never get old. Though there is just a simple formula that is exploited throughout, and it is repetitive, it never goes bland. This also means no cartoon stands out, nothing particularly memorable. But this cartoon does shine brighter, not only because of its greatness as entertainment but because it was the debut of both stars, and the makers were not short of ideas. The usual facial expressions and high-quality - though slightly outlandish due to the early date - animation is combined with fresh and new gags, which were at the time not dated and only the cream of the crop of ideas were used. Highly recommended.

Wile E. Coyote spots the Road Runner from high up. He chases after his dinner, but he is nowhere near fast enough. He sets out with various tricks. He uses a lid, a boomerang, a school crossing, a rocket, a giant rock, a painted tunnel, explosive, a flying costume, a refrigerator and skis, jet-propelled tennis shoes, and finally a short cut.

This is most notable for being the first Road Runner cartoon. It is a great start. These characters are off and running in a highly successful side franchise. In this one, the Road Runner road map gets drawn. A lot of these attempts would be reused in future shorts.

The first of the Roadrunner cartoons sets things up nicely. We get to see some of the precious moments that will appear throughout their "careers." There are refrigerators, rockets, painted tunnels, and on and on. We also get to see the coyote stunned by the speed of the roadrunner when he sees him run for the first time.

The first Road Runner and Coyote cartoon ever made (and their only one made in the 1940s). It's directed by Chuck Jones with a story by Michael Maltese. This team would be responsible for most of the great Road Runner and Coyote shorts. This first one sets the template for the rest of the series. The concept was always the same in that Wile E. Coyote tries various devices and traps to catch the Road Runner but constantly fails, typically in hilarious fashion. Here we have the basics already on display: boomerangs, dynamite, a roadblock, disguises and costumes, rockets and jets, running off a cliff, and classic ACME gadgetry. Chuck Jones would use a variation of every gag in this first short over and over throughout the series. The animation is beautiful with great colors and well-drawn backgrounds. The Road Runner and Coyote look slightly different than they would look later, but that's true of pretty much all the Looney Tunes characters in their first appearances. It's a fun, fast-paced short that begins one of the best and most consistently creative and funny series in the Looney Tunes library. It's one every fan should see at least once. A classic by every definition.

This short marks the first appearance by either Wile E. Coyote or The Road Runner on-screen. Wile E. is really the star here and a more interesting character, to be sure, but their relationship is really a symbiotic one. Without each other, neither would have had success in films. This short more or less sets the tone for the series: lots of sight gags and a probable increase in Wile E. insurance premiums, while his insurance agent lives on antacids and his agent checks on his remaining hit points with each accident. Most certainly a gem and worth watching. Recommended.