The Ant and the Aardvark

Back when in the States, I was like about 7 or 8, I always woke early, just to watch this, together with a whole bunch of other cartoons like HootKloot, The Road Runner Show, The Pink Panther. But this was perhaps one of the most memorable and funny animated works out there, and I still find it very funny today, I'll never forget the episodes, like the one where two aardvarks were fighting over the can of chocolate ant pudding? or the one where the aardvark is trying to reach the island where all the ants are at, and my personal favorite, the one where the ant, the aardvark and a dog end up in an animal hospital, which would later be the basis of a similar Looney Toon cartoon with Sylvester, Tweety and the bulldog. This is one of the most unforgettable cartoons out there in which anyone would love to revisit, I would. An excellent series.

From 1969 to 1971, DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, the same studio responsible for the often wonderful Pink Panther and The Inspector cartoons, produced 17 cartoons featuring The Ant and the Aardvark. They always focused on a frustrated aardvark (for those who don't know, aardvarks are a species closely related to anteaters) in his hopeless pursuit of one clever, smart-mouthed ant. The characters were designed in same witty style as the Pink Panther and Inspector characters, and John Byner, who was at the time a very popular TV comedian, did both their voices perfectly. The title sequence was charming, with the letters coming to life and chasing each other, and most of all, the delightfully upbeat music, composed and conducted by Doug Goodwin, was so good that every member of the studio band was listed in the credits.

Unfortunately, the Ant and Aardvark cartoons were just never that funny. Despite having the same writers as the Pink Panther and Inspector, the jokes and slapstick almost always fell flat. Part of the problem was that the basic concept was derived from the Tweety and Sylvester cartoons which producer and studio head Friz Freleng had directed during the 40s and 50s. The Ant and the Aardvark series was never able to transcend its derivative nature, to the point where the final cartoon, "From Bed to Worse," was a scene-by-scene ripoff of one of the Tweety and Sylvester cartoons.

This is a real shame, because there was potential here for something much more enduring. The Ant and the Aardvark is one of the few cartoon series that I actually would like to see remade by modern animation talents, in the hopes of unearthing that potential.

The Ant and the Aardvark is the series that I have been watching and enjoying the most in the new Pink Panther show and I'll never forget the cartoon. It's a lot of memories watching these when I was a primary-school kid. For me, the graphics in the whole series is too simple and not too colorful, but I always enjoy the gags and the awesome quotes that came from both 2 characters. Charlie the Ant and the Blue Aardvark are very likable, especially when John Byner voiced as both of them. Charlie mostly wins in most episodes. Friz Freleng is famous for re-issuing the scenes that came from either Looney Tunes or Merrie Melodies. And the episode "from bed to worse" is an example to it. Conclusion : it's a kinda simple story (everyone knows it), but the show is absolutely funny. I strongly recommend this for everyone. 9/10 - Great

As grateful fan of growing up and watching Warner Bros., cartoons over the years, with the crazy slap-stick humor of Foghorn Leghorn, Wile E. Coyote ("Super Genius"), Bugs Bunny and so on, I also made watching the Pink Panther series as a religious event. So thank goodness, I was able to enjoy United Artist's additional cartoon segments that would accompany the Pink Panter, "The Ant And The Aardvark."

"The Ant And The Aardvark" episodes were just hilarious, one right after the other. It was a great 'cat-n-mouse' cartoon between an ant who was constantly being pestered by a determined and sometimes too-clever-for-his-own-good ardvark. Even just listening to the cartoon was funny, the ant had a casual, relaxed voice, while the aardvark had an accent almost to the tune of "Rocky" (Sylvestor Stallone). I loved the sound effects whenever someone would fall, get crushed or run into something.. I can still hear it all now. Man how I miss watching those cartoons.

It's a shame it isn't on regular broadcast channels anymore, or as an opening for a movie, like cartoons once were in the theaters and drive-ins back then. If ever available to rent or buy, do it, you won't regret watching these characters.

I loved this cartoon very much as well as its big brother, The Pink Panther. Why they don't make cartoons like this anymore, I'll never understand.

Jackie Mason NEVER, EVER did any voices on this cartoon. The Jackie Mason-type voice was the incredible impressionist/comedian/actor John Byner doing a dead-on impression of Jackie Mason. Byner did both the Ant & the Aardvark, which isn't unusual as most cartoons have voice actors doing multiple voices. Look at The Simpsons --- Hank Azaria & Harry Shearer probably did about 30 voices between them on a regular basis.