Friz Freleng's 'Canary Row' is a pretty standard Sylvester and Tweety cartoon that somehow got itself nominated for an Oscar. Even more bizarrely, its producer withdrew the nomination for some unknown reason. The main reason for 'Canary Row' gaining heightened attention is probably the first appearance of Granny. To people like me who have grown up watching these cartoons for years, Granny is a well established character and her appearance here is just standard antics. To an audience who had never seen her before, however, Granny added a certain something new to the old cat and bird formula. Granny undoubtedly steals the cartoon, featuring prominently in the few jokes that work. When she's not on screen, the cartoon sags and reverts to predictable, overused gags. Which is not to say that Granny's presence makes every scene great. She plays a significant role in the extended and thoroughly pointless monkey sequence, the most half-hearted joke of the cartoon after the tired ropeswing-into-the-side-of-the-building time filler. I'm not a huge fan of Friz Freleng's Tweety and Sylvester series (I greatly prefer the characters when they appear without each other) but there are certain episodes that stand out as being vastly superior. 'Canary Row' is certainly not one of them, falling firmly into the run-of-the-mill chase category. Oscar material it ain't!
Review of Canary Row
Canary Row
(1950)
A run-of-the-mill Sylvester and Tweety cartoon slightly lifted by Granny's debut
18 August 2008