Gift Wrapped

. . . being swallowed by a slightly larger finned friend, which in turn is gobbled up by a yet more formidable sea creature, and so forth. GIFT WRAPPED trots out this tried and true formula, switching the interminable sequence of fish to multiple montages of a feathered being getting et up by a feline who is then consumed by a bulldog. This whole sequence of events may give young tater tots misconceptions about the basics of food consumption. On the other hand, GIFT WRAPPED is more likely than not to push an impressionable urchin into the Vegetarian Camp just in time to refuse their helpings of Christmas goose and mincemeat pie.

This animated short can be seen on Disc 3 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 2, it feature Sylvester cat who I like, Tweety bird who I'm not a fan of, and Granny whom I dislike worse then Tweety bird. Needless to say I really didn't care for this cartoon at all. It's nice that it's unedited for once. But couldn't they unedit the audio for "Bugs Bunny Rides Again" which was actually a good cartoon as well, or at least instead of?. Anyway in this short, it's Christmas time in the household and Granny, Tweety, Sylvester, and the Bulldog (for no reason whatsoever) are up to the usual stuff. Blah.

My Grade: D

"Gift Wrapped" a 52 short from "Looney Tunes" is one memorable and well done Christmas cartoon. It's set on Christmas morning as Sylvester the cat awakes to be disappointed at his present so he wants to move in and take granny's present which is that cute pretty yellow little flying bird "Tweety". In typical fashion the chase and fun clever gags begin it's a trio triangle effect Sylvester after Tweety, then Bulldog is after Sylvester, only the subplot and wild card is sweet old smart Granny is around to keep peace and joy on Christmas. The scenes go in with Christmas of the tree and the singing only in the end Tweety is comfortable and right at home with Granny and singing carols as the Bulldog and Sylvester are wrapped with their voices put to rest! Well done Christmas cartoon that's fun and memorable!

Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house. Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. Sylvester gets up on Christmas Day and is eager to unwrap his gifts. He is disappointed with his rubber mouse gift. There is Tweety Bird in a wrapped cage with a label for Granny. Sylvester switches the label and attempts to eat Tweety.

This is a solid Tweety and Sylvester and Granny short. On top of that, this is a solid Christmas short. On top on top of that, I absolutely love Granny smacking their butts like a ketchup bottle. That is always hilarious to me. This is a good short in many ways.

Friz Freleng's 'Gift Wrapped' is a decent entry in the lacklustre Tweety and Sylvester series. A Christmas cartoon set entirely in a house on Christmas morning, 'Gift Wrapped' adheres to some pretty standard and not terribly funny jokes involving dynamite and surprisingly effective toy guns. Such gags can be made fresh again with the right execution but in the Sylvester and Tweety cartoons Freleng always seemed content to just play them the way they'd already been played a million times before. The addition of Granny and a Bulldog to proceedings adds a little colour and Tweety is not excessively annoying this time round either but the main thing that saves 'Gift Wrapped' from being as weak as the worst Tweety and Sylvester shorts is the impeccably realised festive atmosphere which gives the cartoon a pleasingly cosy feel. I used to love seeing 'Gift Wrapped' at Christmas when I was young and that happy memory has not totally deserted me as I watch it again. But sentiment is not enough to make a great cartoon and 'Gift Wrapped' remains merely OK, a mildly enjoyable trip down memory lane which opens with its best moment ("You just ain't whistling Dixie") and then fails to live up to it.