This is in the very top tier of Looney Tunes cartoons from director Chuck Jones. It feels more cohesive and less abstract than something like Dover Boys, but completely separate from his later, best known work.
It was produced in 1945, right as beautiful, fully drawn backgrounds for cartoons were reaching their peak. The animation of the characters is also impressive, and conveys personality much better than most one-shot characters. And as an added bonus, there's actually a great subtext in its unusual subject matter that could apply to any number of subjects, political or social.
When forced to interpret the situation of a steak gone from a plate, which owner wouldn't believe the cat was the selfish ingrate and the dog the stalwart champion? It raises some interesting questions about preconceived notions, though I don't believe it was intended to answer them or send any particular message. The last scene in particular gives the impression that there is indeed some serious motive behind the ludicrous story, related somehow to hero worship and public figures not at all turning out to be who they seemed to be. But this is just icing on the cake - even if you don't think about what it means, it's a wonderful cartoon all around.
It was produced in 1945, right as beautiful, fully drawn backgrounds for cartoons were reaching their peak. The animation of the characters is also impressive, and conveys personality much better than most one-shot characters. And as an added bonus, there's actually a great subtext in its unusual subject matter that could apply to any number of subjects, political or social.
When forced to interpret the situation of a steak gone from a plate, which owner wouldn't believe the cat was the selfish ingrate and the dog the stalwart champion? It raises some interesting questions about preconceived notions, though I don't believe it was intended to answer them or send any particular message. The last scene in particular gives the impression that there is indeed some serious motive behind the ludicrous story, related somehow to hero worship and public figures not at all turning out to be who they seemed to be. But this is just icing on the cake - even if you don't think about what it means, it's a wonderful cartoon all around.