King-Size Canary (1947)

A mangy cat on the verge of starvation finds a tiny canary and a bottle of 'Jumbo-Gro' fertilizer, which gives him an idea that leads to giant cats, dogs, mice and canaries chasing each other round Lilliputian towns and cities...

Director:

Tex Avery

Writer:

Heck Allen (story)

Stars:

Pinto Colvig, Frank Graham

Cast

Uncredited cast:
Pinto Colvig	...	Cat (voice) (uncredited)
Frank Graham	...	Mouse (voice) (uncredited)

Storyline

A mangy cat on the verge of starvation finds a tiny canary and a bottle of 'Jumbo-Gro' fertilizer, which gives him an idea that leads to giant cats, dogs, mice and canaries chasing each other round Lilliputian towns and cities...

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Plot Keywords:

city | waving at the camera | looking at the camera | rapid growth | cat versus bird | 

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Genres:

Animation | Short | Comedy

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Did You Know?

Trivia

In animation historian Jerry Beck's 1994 poll of animators, film historians and directors, this cartoon was rated the tenth greatest cartoon of all time.

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Quotes

[after listening to the advice of the mouse, the cat goes to the birdcage thinking it is well and healthy and grabs it, tossing it into a sack to bring to a table to eat. At the kitchen table the cat shakes the sack about waiting for the bird to fall out of it. As the bird finally does fall out of the sack onto a plate, it is this puny, insignificant, tiny dot of a bird]
Canary: Well... I've been sick.
Cat: Doh!
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Behind the Tunes: A Conversation with Tex Avery (2004)

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Soundtracks

Listen to the Mockingbird
(uncredited)
Music by Richard Milburn

User Reviews

A Must-Be-Seen-To-Be-Believed Masterpiece

Of Tex Avery's three masterpieces, "King-Size Canary" is the best of the lot. (In case you're wondering, the other two are "Who Killed Who?" and "Red Hot Riding Hood," both 1943.) This has to be seen to be believed, let alone appreciated. I once tried to describe it to a friend, one who admitted affection for Chuck Jones' Bugs/Daffy/Elmer hunting trilogy from Warner Bros., and failed miserably to do it justice. The insanity builds from a merely amusing opening to a mind-boggling yet inevitable finale, an image that will stay with you for some time after the fade-out.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 December 1947 (USA)

Also Known As:

Kanariefågeln som växte

Company Credits

Production Co:

Loew's, MGM Cartoon Studio, MGM Cartoon Studio

Technical Specs

Runtime:

8 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1