The Brave Little Bat (1941)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Chuck Jones

Writer:

Rich Hogan (writer)

Release Date:

27 September 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Animation | Short | Comedy

Plot:

When his car breaks down out in the country, Sniffles the mouse takes shelter in an old mill, where...

Plot Keywords:

Sniffles | Bat | Car Trouble | Merrie Melodies | Windmill

Cast

Sara Berner	...	Batty (voice) (uncredited)
Gay Seabrook	...	Sniffles (voice) (uncredited)

Runtime:

8 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Leon Schlesinger Studios

Ban him to the funny papers, please

Sniffles is a character that's way too cute to be under contract at Warner. He seems to be the inspiration for that annoying Fievel, except that the 'American Tail' star is probably the ugliest cartoon mouse ever designed. It takes forever for this one to get started, like they were trying to out-Disney Walt. Sniffles' adorable little toy car breaks down and implodes on itself, yet our star (whom I suspect of being the illegitimate father of Stuart Little) takes one sappy looks at the car and smiles. When it starts to rain he (at least I think Sniffles is meant to be male) uses an autumn leave for cover and takes shelter in the old abandoned windmill. I must add here that everything is gorgeously drawn and animated, in keeping with the competitive tone. In the same vein, the pace is slow and the jokes non existent.

This makes sense: he lights a candle, only to go to sleep. At last it looks like something is going to happen when the gray shadow of an evil looking bat creeps up on the Sniff. Instead something truly horrible happens: the bat morphs into a Sniffles lookalike. The only thing setting it apart from the mouse are teensy weensy little wings that occasionally appear from beneath it's armpits. Worse still, Batty's only character trait (I cannot bring my self to call it a running gag) is that he's an insufferable chatterbox. This thing keeps on yapping all the time, wondering where Sniffy got his name (well it does sound rather suspicious doesn't it).

Oh yes, there is also a big cat on the scene, who is drawn and animated more or less like a real animal, but this predator moves way to slow to be any real threat. Even though Batty already saved Sniffles' life once, the second time around that loathsome little flying rodent suddenly turns chicken. He takes shelter in a little straw house hanging upside down from the ceiling (another fine idea wasted). But if you remember the title of this cartoon you can guess who saves the day. Although Batty never reappeared on film, Sniffles immediately took over his irritating speech pattern (must have been rabies or something) for the rest of his easily forgotten career.

3 out of 10