Canned Feud

Friz Freleng's 'Canned Feud' is a wonderful solo Sylvester cartoon. I always preferred Sylvester either on his own or paired with anyone but Tweety and this is one of his finest solo performances. Warren Foster's script has the inspirational twist of making a cat and mouse cartoon where the mouse is the bad guy. Sylvester does nothing to deserve the emotional and physical pummeling he gets in 'Canned Feud' and that somehow makes the experience all the more delicious. We share in Sylvester's desperation as he finds himself locked in the house for a fortnight with only canned food to eat, only to discover that a smug mouse has taken the only can opener. Like many of Freleng's best cartoons, 'Canned Feud' is extremely high-energy. Rather than start out slightly worried and build into a frenzy as the cartoon progresses, Sylvester starts at frenzy and builds to complete mental collapse. It's a classic performance by the cat, a masterclass in the art of animated physical comedy. A few fairly standard jokes are given new life by virtue of Sylvester's crazed desperation and there are tons of brilliantly original gags too. The axehead joke is one of my all-time favourites, so beautifully simple and perfectly timed. 'Canned Feud' is a Freleng masterpiece: a hysterical, frantic, claustrophobic study of obsessive desperation and unnecessary cruelty that just pulsates with energy. Up there with Freleng classics such as 'Yankee Doodle Daffy' and 'Kit for Cat'.

I can't believe Sylvester's owners are cruel enough to go on holiday without him, never mind leaving him locked in the house for 2 weeks without any milk. Luckily our fave cat finds a massive stash of tinned tuna. But wait...no can opener. The mouse has stolen it.

But instead of being nice to Sly the mouse taunts him endlessly with an ever-just-out-of-reach can opener. Why? Why not be nice? The more he starves Sly the more likely he is to just eat the mouse. Sylvester's plans and attempts at getting the can opener echo many Tom and Jerry cartoons. But when he finally gets his hands on the prized object the mother of all twists is revealed.

Poor kitty.

Sylvester's owners have gone on vacation and left him alone in a locked house. That's pretty messed up! Sylvester does find a stash of canned tuna in a cupboard but the problem is he can't find a can opener. Turns out a little mouse that's a real jerk has the can opener and taunts Sylvester throughout the cartoon, refusing to let him have it and making him do desperate things to try and open the cans. As others have mentioned, this is one short where you really feel sorry for Sylvester. He's the victim here, both of his owners' neglect and this bastard mouse that torments him for nothing. It's a pretty good cartoon with great animation and music. Some of the gags are very funny although, as I said, you really feel bad for poor Sylvester.

Canned Feud is an excellent cartoon- very funny, very clever and very inventive. While it could've been perhaps a tad longer, I enjoyed every minute. We know right from the start the mouse is not someone to be reckoned with. Is he likable? No, but that was the intention I think. Besides, it is very fast paced and along with Falling Hare has one of the most effective character mental break downs in cartoon history. The animation is excellent, the music is energetic and the whole cartoon is one funny and clever sight gag after sight gag after sight gag. Sylvester is wonderful to watch, and you do feel seriously sorry for him which was nice considering most of the time he is quite crafty and takes the laughs of each cartoon he features in. Overall, great. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Watching Friz Freling's Canned Feud, I found myself feeling very sorry for Sylvester for not getting the can opener, to open tuna, from a mean little mouse since no reason is established for his animosity. Still, its pretty funny seeing the cat trying to do nasty things back to the rodent and failing each time. And the twist at the end shows how exhausted Sylvester can get with each obstacle. So, with that in mind, I'll just say that despite the cat being more sympathetic this time around, that doesn't lessen the laughs I got from all his troubles with the mouse, the can opener, and the way things turned out in the end. Frustration can be so hilarious when one calamity builds upon another. So, on that note, I highly recommend Canned Feud.