. . . is that cats are a waste of space. This oft-repeated message is borne out once again in the animated short, MOUSE WRECKERS. Claude Cat is presented at the onset here as a highly decorated "mouser," with a whole trophy case documenting his exploits against presumably mechanical mice of the sort featured in feline rodeos. But as soon as Claude's exposed to a couple Real Life Rodents, he's driven batty in about five minutes. Most of us can picture the Pope sitting around in His ornate bathrobe, stroking a fluffy white pussycat. (Or am I confusing the Pontiff with SPECTRE's Number One?) At any rate, the Papal Representatives who have censored virtually every American flick released since July, 1934 (see *THIS FILM IS NOT YET RATED, a 2006 documentary) forced Warner to delete its original MOUSE WRECKERS climax, in which Claude gets toasted in the fireplace after the cheese. The Church was no problem with roasting Saints such as Joan D'Arc, but apparently Fraidy Cats must NOT be fried. I suppose the big fear is that Cat Nips might taste too much like chicken.
13 Reviews
Many reviewers have noticed that the so-called . . .
tadpole-596-91825618 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
. . . "seers of Warner Bros." are on a par with such historical oracles as Daniel, Cassandra, Ezekiel and Nostradamus. Taking this as a settled fact, what can we read about America's Future within MOUSE WRECKERS? For starters, Hubert and Bertram can be taken as allegorical stand-ins for the U. S. Military, whose calling card since the end of WWII has been "Let us visit your house, and we'll wreck it." Afghanistan is the latest example. After turning that nation's Culture topsy turvy (not unlike Hubert and Bertram creating an "upside down" room to traumatize Claude Cat), America is happy to cut and run, no matter who gets hurt. There were less than half a dozen killed by Ms. Square-Pants in Libya and only a couple of the Iranian hostages bought the farm under the peanut guy. They soon suffered electoral defeats, however. Is it too much to hope that the thousands of U. S. citizens and their blood brothers now being wiped out by the Enemy under Taliban Joe will not signal that the latter has been trumped out of the Oval Office, just as the MOUSE WRECKERS trick Claude Cat out of his one-time safe house?
Relentlessly cruel and very funny
phantom_tollbooth1 October 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Chuck Jones's Hubie and Bertie shorts generally worked with darker material and 'Mouse Wreckers' was no exception. A relentlessly cruel cartoon, it involves the attempts of two mice to convince an unwitting cat that he is mentally ill. Hiding up a chimney, Hubie and Bertie subject the cat to various ordeals that rudely awaken him from his slumber. Starting small, these pranks build up to an inspired sequence involving an upside down room which just gets more and more confusing. The cartoon ends with the mice taking over the house as the cat cowers in a tree, driven completely insane. Jones's was a master at drawing out the comedy from these morbid scenarios and he manages to make an hilarious film which has a constant sense of unease without leaving a bad taste. The concept of actually having the mice as the bad guys and the cat as a manipulated innocent was a bold and brilliant move. It's worth noting that Jones remade 'Mouse Wreckers' as a Tom and Jerry cartoon named 'Year of the Mouse'. Although I'm not hugely fond of the majority of Chuck Jones's Tom and Jerry shorts, 'Year of the Mouse' is actually fantastic and, in many ways, improves on 'Mouse Wreckers' by making the scenarios more horrifically violent and the ending more satisfyingly just.
Sadistic, But Ingenious
ccthemovieman-11 May 2007
Looking for a new home, Hubie and Bertie spot a beautiful place and look in the window and see a bunch of awards and trophies for "Best Mouser of 1948.." Beneath the pile of trophies lies "Claude The Cat." How to get rid of this cat so "we" can safely enjoy this beautiful new house is the plan now for these two sadistic mice.
The sadistic but admittedly funny and ingenious plans these mice up with a definitely fun to watch. They make the poor cat a nervous wreck in no time. I felt sorry for the poor pussy. (By the way, where were the owners of the house during all this chaos?)
I agree with the other reviewers here: this is easily the best Bert & Hubie cartoon I have seen. This is original, good material and part of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Two.
The sadistic but admittedly funny and ingenious plans these mice up with a definitely fun to watch. They make the poor cat a nervous wreck in no time. I felt sorry for the poor pussy. (By the way, where were the owners of the house during all this chaos?)
I agree with the other reviewers here: this is easily the best Bert & Hubie cartoon I have seen. This is original, good material and part of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Two.
Hubie and Bertie at their best
TheLittleSongbird18 June 2016
The Hubie and Bertie cartoons are not many, but they are all worth a look at least once and are worthy of more attention. Personally am in total agreement that their best is 'Mouse Wreckers', with 'Cheese Chasers' a close second.
Like with what was said in my review of 'Cheese Chasers', the animation in 'Mouse Wreckers' is excellent. Attention to detail is meticulous, the colours are rich and vibrant and the characters are designed in a way that's distinctively Chuck Jones. The animation in the ceiling trick gag is marvellously inventive and is a huge part of that gag's success.
As always, Carl Stalling's music does not disappoint and demonstrates why he has always been my personal favourite of the regular Looney Tunes composers. Orchestration is clever, rich and luscious, the energy, character and appropriately dark atmosphere are evident throughout and it not only fits with what's going on but adds to it.
'Mouse Wreckers' is the most relentlessly cruel of the series, though the cartoon's dark and somewhat sadistic edge is not done too much and not done to stomach churning effect, but also the funniest, the rope and climactic gags being especially hilarious.
Hubie and Bertie are lively and appealing characters, with great comic coming and provide a bold twist to the cat and mouse partnership, while Claude is an antagonistic character that's menacing, at other times amusing and one that one feels somewhat sorry for. Flawless vocals too from Mel Blanc and Stan Freberg, Blanc particularly sounding like he was enjoying himself thoroughly.
In conclusion, wonderful and Hubie and Bertie at their best. 10/10 Bethany Cox
Like with what was said in my review of 'Cheese Chasers', the animation in 'Mouse Wreckers' is excellent. Attention to detail is meticulous, the colours are rich and vibrant and the characters are designed in a way that's distinctively Chuck Jones. The animation in the ceiling trick gag is marvellously inventive and is a huge part of that gag's success.
As always, Carl Stalling's music does not disappoint and demonstrates why he has always been my personal favourite of the regular Looney Tunes composers. Orchestration is clever, rich and luscious, the energy, character and appropriately dark atmosphere are evident throughout and it not only fits with what's going on but adds to it.
'Mouse Wreckers' is the most relentlessly cruel of the series, though the cartoon's dark and somewhat sadistic edge is not done too much and not done to stomach churning effect, but also the funniest, the rope and climactic gags being especially hilarious.
Hubie and Bertie are lively and appealing characters, with great comic coming and provide a bold twist to the cat and mouse partnership, while Claude is an antagonistic character that's menacing, at other times amusing and one that one feels somewhat sorry for. Flawless vocals too from Mel Blanc and Stan Freberg, Blanc particularly sounding like he was enjoying himself thoroughly.
In conclusion, wonderful and Hubie and Bertie at their best. 10/10 Bethany Cox
the best of Hubie and Bertie
movieman_kev30 October 2005
Mice Hubie and Bertie attempt to drive Claude, the cat of the house, and an award winning mouse catcher to boot, insane in order to make him leave the house that they want to move into. They go about this in a series of complex, yet hysterical ways. This is my favorite short with the two mice, with it's sequel, "Cheese Chasers" a very close second. This Oscar nominated animated short can be seen on Disc 2 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 2. It also features an optional commentary by Greg Ford that is a fairly good, insightful listen as well.
My Grade: A
My Grade: A
Hubie and Bert doing what they do best-causing no end of trouble
llltdesq15 May 2001
This cartoon short, an Oscar nominee, features Hubie and Bert ("Yeah, yeah, sure, sure") tormenting poor Claude for the first time. Poor Clude didn't fare terribly well in any of his cartoons, either with Hubie and Bert or in other cartoons, but this is by far the most devastatingly funny appearance by any of them. You really get to feel quite sorry for poor Claude after a while here. He just happens to be in the way here. He doesn't do anything to deserve this nightmare. He's simply there. Recommended.
wonderful cruel fun!
planktonrules14 June 2006
This is one of the all-time best Warner Brothers cartoons--even better than the best of Bugs or Daffy! It's THAT good! Hubie and Bertie the mice are looking for a nice place to live. They come upon a wonderful house they would love to live in, but there's a serious problem--the house ALSO has a cat. So, the incredibly cruel mice decide to drive the cat crazy so he will leave and they can have the house to themselves.
What results are some of the funniest evil tricks in cartoon history! At one point they put ear phones on the cat and then proceed to nail everything on the floor to the ceiling and vice-versa! The cat then awakens and tries, unsuccessfully, to walk on what he thinks is the floor! They also tie a rope to the cat's tail and run it all over the house--after which, they drop the weighted end down the chimney and watch the cat being drug all through the house! This cartoon has it all--great animation, great writing, great characters and a bit of an evil streak that makes you laugh out loud. While not quite as good, I also strongly recommend you see Cheese Chasers--with the same cast and high level of fun.
What results are some of the funniest evil tricks in cartoon history! At one point they put ear phones on the cat and then proceed to nail everything on the floor to the ceiling and vice-versa! The cat then awakens and tries, unsuccessfully, to walk on what he thinks is the floor! They also tie a rope to the cat's tail and run it all over the house--after which, they drop the weighted end down the chimney and watch the cat being drug all through the house! This cartoon has it all--great animation, great writing, great characters and a bit of an evil streak that makes you laugh out loud. While not quite as good, I also strongly recommend you see Cheese Chasers--with the same cast and high level of fun.
FUN FUN FUN
crackerzand_cheez13 August 2001
This is a tour-de-force in animation, as well as story line and character study. Hubie and Bertie make Claude cats' life miserable throughout this toon, eventually driving him crazy with the ceiling-floor switch. If you like to see the little guys prevail, this is a treat you wont soon forget. Never a dull moment in the entire film, and filled with belly-laughs from beginning to end. A million stars!
So his name is Claude...
lee_eisenberg20 August 2006
I never even knew that the cat in "Mouse Wreckers" was named Claude until I read about it on this site. But either way, Claude really suffers here, as New York-accented mice Hubie and Bertie pull a series of tricks to scare him out of the house. Probably the coolest gags are the stunt with the rope, and then the whole end sequence.
Still, I can't help but wonder why it is that cats always have to bear the brunt of abuse at the hands of cartoon characters. It seems like there should have been some cartoon in which a cat makes mincemeat of a dog or something. But still, this is a great one.
Claude really could have used some pineapple upside down cake at the end!
Still, I can't help but wonder why it is that cats always have to bear the brunt of abuse at the hands of cartoon characters. It seems like there should have been some cartoon in which a cat makes mincemeat of a dog or something. But still, this is a great one.
Claude really could have used some pineapple upside down cake at the end!
Decent Short
Michael_Elliott2 May 2009
Mouse Wreckers (1948)
** 1/2 (out of 4)
Mice Bertie and Hubie come to their new home when they notice Claude the Cat, the best mouse catcher out there, is staying there. Together the two try to make Claude think he's crazy so that he'll move out. This here is a minor cartoon that makes for one great ending but everything before it is rather dull and bland. All of the "tricks" being done to the cat are rather blandly done and for the life of me I could never believe that the cat would be dumb enough to think everything that was happening was only a dream. A dumb cat would have fallen for this but apparently this one was a great one so I don't buy it. The ending is terrific as the cat thinks he's in an upside-down room. The payoff to this sequence is enough of a reason to watch the film.
** 1/2 (out of 4)
Mice Bertie and Hubie come to their new home when they notice Claude the Cat, the best mouse catcher out there, is staying there. Together the two try to make Claude think he's crazy so that he'll move out. This here is a minor cartoon that makes for one great ending but everything before it is rather dull and bland. All of the "tricks" being done to the cat are rather blandly done and for the life of me I could never believe that the cat would be dumb enough to think everything that was happening was only a dream. A dumb cat would have fallen for this but apparently this one was a great one so I don't buy it. The ending is terrific as the cat thinks he's in an upside-down room. The payoff to this sequence is enough of a reason to watch the film.
Hey, Claude! What big eyes you've got!
slymusic8 July 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Directed by Chuck Jones, "Mouse Wreckers" just might be the best Claude Cat/Hubie/Bertie cartoon made at Warner Bros. The two wiseass mice pull all sorts of pranks on the slumbering Claude just to eject him from the house they plan to invade. Meanwhile, Claude has absolutely no idea he's being duped! He merely attributes his painful adventures to catnip and nightmares, but his large, expressive eyes give away his paranoia.
Highlights: The best and funniest scene in this picture is that of Hubie & Bertie tying a rope onto Claude's tail, causing the audience to greatly anticipate Claude going for a swift, wild drag all through the house, inside and outside (a "delicious moment" in the words of Chuck Jones); I also love Claude's laugh afterwards when he reads about nightmares. When Claude is framed into appearing as if he teased a bulldog's lower lip, the burly canine beats the hell out of him, usually four hits at a time. An exploding stick of dynamite covers Claude with pillow feathers.
Hubie and Bertie truly ARE "Mouse Wreckers" in this funny cartoon short. Have fun watching it!
Highlights: The best and funniest scene in this picture is that of Hubie & Bertie tying a rope onto Claude's tail, causing the audience to greatly anticipate Claude going for a swift, wild drag all through the house, inside and outside (a "delicious moment" in the words of Chuck Jones); I also love Claude's laugh afterwards when he reads about nightmares. When Claude is framed into appearing as if he teased a bulldog's lower lip, the burly canine beats the hell out of him, usually four hits at a time. An exploding stick of dynamite covers Claude with pillow feathers.
Hubie and Bertie truly ARE "Mouse Wreckers" in this funny cartoon short. Have fun watching it!
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