Guerra e pace

As Chuck Jones saw that Warner Bros. was closing the animation department, he probably decided that he should direct one last Road Runner-Wile E. Coyote cartoon. "War and Pieces" has Road "Burn-em Upus Asphaltus" Runner and Wile E. "Caninus Nervous Rex" Coyote doing their usual stuff until WEC throws a wrench in the works. He uses a rocket pack to try and catch RR, but it turns around and sends him burrowing all the way through earth until he comes out in China...where he meets a Chinese RR! Are these sadistic birds trying to take over the world or something? So, it was good to see Chuck direct one last cartoon before leaving the studio, if nothing else. Worth seeing.

"War and Pieces" was the last classic Road Runner short and director Chuck Jones evidently knew that the studio was about to close, as he began this film with a slow-motion/freeze frame technique similar to the earliest of the series. Jones followed this with his typical fast, fine comic timing, supported by beautifully stylized backdrops. Caninus Nervous Rex (Coyote) is blasted, dropped, dunked, pressed, shot, run down, and sent clear through to China as he tries to catch that bird.

This Wile E. Coyote/Road Runner cartoon short was the last helmed by Chuck Jones when he was at the Warner Bros. studio before its closing and also before he was fired for doing something at UPA without permission. He'd return several years later but not before then going to M-G-M for a last round of Tom and Jerry shorts. Anyway, as usual, the coyote and road runner have their scrapes courtesy of various spot gags that come into hilarious results. So that's a recommendation of War and Pieces. One more note, this marked the only time on a Jones series entry the score was composed by Bill Lava, previous composer Milt Franklyn having passed on after the last Road Runner cartoon.

In 'War and Pieces' the Road Runner is introduced as Burn-em Upus Asphaltus and the Coyote as Caninus Nevous Rex. From that moment we see the Coyote using a grenade, himself as an arrow where he loses his pants (you have to see it yourself to understand what that means), a rope and some invisible paint.

Although some of the moments made me smile, like the lost pants, most of the time the gags do not really work here. The invisible paint has some nice touches although I think that some opportunities were missed there. The cartoon is saved in the end where the Coyote has a short visit to China and he encounters a Chinese Road Runner. It is the only real laugh in this short.

The last Road Runner short directed by Chuck Jones in the classic era before he left Warner Bros. While it's not among his best, it is enjoyable and a fitting end to a great series. The animation is crisp with lovely colors and nice backgrounds. The music, provided by Bill Lava, is better than his average output but still weak compared to previous Looney Tunes composers. The gags are mostly funny. Love the bit where Wile E. Coyote loses his "pants." Other good gags include ACME invisible paint and Secrets of a Harem. The highlight of the short is the ending where Wile E. meets a different Road Runner from the other side of the world and tries his luck at catching that one.