. . . this animated short brings Yuletide Carnage to Cartoon Land. Characters are eaten alive at least five times (a distinction of which few live action holiday horror fests can boast). Like any great exercise in mistletoe woe, GIFT WRAPPED deftly mixes benign noel nuances together with macabre flavorings. As the witch swishes her sinister broom around, you'll swear this is the tykes' version of a HALLOWEEN offering. Just don't be surprised if your household experiences a sudden uptick in vomiting.
13 Reviews
In the best tradition of the BLACK CHRISTMAS slasher features . . .
pixrox131 July 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This Tweety episode has a Christmas Bonus for Super Cat Sylvester . . .
oscaralbert12 November 2015
Warning: Spoilers
. . . as he gets to consume THREE yellow canaries (at 2:15, 2:43, and 6:32). Since this is 50% more than the penguin-colored cat's usual "Merrie Melodies" daily minimum protein requirement, it's a merry Yule indeed for Mr. "Suffering Succotash." GIFT WRAPPED extends the origin story begun by Warner Bros. animators in TWEET TWEET TWEETY. The latter episode's feral feline is now domesticated in "Granny's" house. This latter old bat is totally clueless about proper cat care, giving "her" newly-named Sylvester a RUBBER mouse as his holiday gift. "Why couldn't she have given me something practical, like a REAL mouse?" Sylvester laments. Some anonymous benefactor HAS sent "Tweety" to Granny's address, but misdirects this food source Sylvester hatched himself in TWEET TWEET TWEETY to "Granny." When Sylvester tries to rectify this simple mistake, Granny-the-Witch is able to conjure up equally annoying Tweety clones for "her" starving cat to consume with swats of her Magical Broom. Though the animators sketch in an extraneous bulldog for comic relief, GIFT WRAPPED is a generally cheerful tale of festive feline feasting.
Granny saves Tweety at Christmas, and silences Sylvester and the Bulldog!
blanbrn15 December 2021
"Gift Wrapped" a 52 short from "Looney Tunes" is one memorable and well done Christmas cartoon. It's set on Christmas morning as Sylvester the cat awakes to be disappointed at his present so he wants to move in and take granny's present which is that cute pretty yellow little flying bird "Tweety". In typical fashion the chase and fun clever gags begin it's a trio triangle effect Sylvester after Tweety, then Bulldog is after Sylvester, only the subplot and wild card is sweet old smart Granny is around to keep peace and joy on Christmas. The scenes go in with Christmas of the tree and the singing only in the end Tweety is comfortable and right at home with Granny and singing carols as the Bulldog and Sylvester are wrapped with their voices put to rest! Well done Christmas cartoon that's fun and memorable!
"You didn't count on Pocahontas, did you, Geronimo?"
slymusic9 January 2006
Warning: Spoilers
"Gift Wrapped" is an excellent Tweety/Sylvester/Granny cartoon for the Christmas season. If only Sylvester had behaved himself, he would have had a joyous, peaceful Christmas. Fortunately, in the end, Granny sees to it that there will indeed be peace in her household.
Highlights: Sylvester's toy crane accidentally lifts up Granny instead of Tweety's birdcage. Granny ends the short by playing the organ and singing Christmas carols with Tweety (although Granny cannot sing very well); Sylvester and the bulldog try to sing along, too, but Granny has sealed their mouths shut with Christmas tree stamps. The bulldog hides himself inside a large gift box and mightily chomps Sylvester when he opens the lid! Sylvester poses as Geronimo (with hilarious stereotypical musical accompaniment) and Tweety poses as Hopalong Cassidy; Sylvester pulls the cork out of Tweety's pistol and gets blasted!
For a great Christmas comedy short, I highly recommend "Gift Wrapped." For all his trickery, Sylvester just can't seem to outwit Granny, and it's funny to see all of Sylvester's schemes backfire on him.
Highlights: Sylvester's toy crane accidentally lifts up Granny instead of Tweety's birdcage. Granny ends the short by playing the organ and singing Christmas carols with Tweety (although Granny cannot sing very well); Sylvester and the bulldog try to sing along, too, but Granny has sealed their mouths shut with Christmas tree stamps. The bulldog hides himself inside a large gift box and mightily chomps Sylvester when he opens the lid! Sylvester poses as Geronimo (with hilarious stereotypical musical accompaniment) and Tweety poses as Hopalong Cassidy; Sylvester pulls the cork out of Tweety's pistol and gets blasted!
For a great Christmas comedy short, I highly recommend "Gift Wrapped." For all his trickery, Sylvester just can't seem to outwit Granny, and it's funny to see all of Sylvester's schemes backfire on him.
They'll use certain settings for anything, won't they?
lee_eisenberg29 September 2007
OK, since "Gift Wrapped" is set around Christmas, we can safely assume that Granny and Tweety are being good, while Sylvester and the dog - presumably named Hector - are being naughty. The main humor here is seeing how Sylvester uses the presents to go after Tweety...and when the dog appears unexpectedly (come to think of it, I could occasionally guess when he was going to appear). Everyone likes to use Christmas as the setting for something unusual (or would all this count as usual?); "Gremlins" did a really neat job with that.
I figure that the cartoon mainly functions as a place holder in between the really great cartoons (1952 also saw "Operation: Rabbit"). So this is an OK, not great addition to the pantheon of Sylvester/Tweety cartoons. Passable.
I figure that the cartoon mainly functions as a place holder in between the really great cartoons (1952 also saw "Operation: Rabbit"). So this is an OK, not great addition to the pantheon of Sylvester/Tweety cartoons. Passable.
Artwork Really Captures Christmas
ccthemovieman-117 April 2007
This is another winner from the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Two, with fantastic artwork that captures the colorful Christmas setting magnificently.
We open with a beautiful depiction of an old house under a snowfall. It's "the night before Christmas and all through the night...."
Sylvester interrupts the calm narrative voice and spits out "oh, goody, Santy Clause has been here and I've been a good pussycat" as he admires all the gifts under the tree. He opens one of them and discovers a rubber mouse, which doesn't exactly thrill him. In seconds, he hears a bird singing "Jingle Bells." It's Tweety in his cage, gift-wrapped "to Granny." Sylvester switches tags and puts "to kitty" on the birdcage instead.
Suffice to say, without spoiling anything, Sylvester is not in Christmas spirit, only wanting to eat Tweety, and when a big bulldog jumps out of another present and eats Sylvester, Granny has to keep on top of things or there will be nothing left of either Tweety or Sylvester.
Granny sums it up best: "Land sakes alive: what a house!"
We open with a beautiful depiction of an old house under a snowfall. It's "the night before Christmas and all through the night...."
Sylvester interrupts the calm narrative voice and spits out "oh, goody, Santy Clause has been here and I've been a good pussycat" as he admires all the gifts under the tree. He opens one of them and discovers a rubber mouse, which doesn't exactly thrill him. In seconds, he hears a bird singing "Jingle Bells." It's Tweety in his cage, gift-wrapped "to Granny." Sylvester switches tags and puts "to kitty" on the birdcage instead.
Suffice to say, without spoiling anything, Sylvester is not in Christmas spirit, only wanting to eat Tweety, and when a big bulldog jumps out of another present and eats Sylvester, Granny has to keep on top of things or there will be nothing left of either Tweety or Sylvester.
Granny sums it up best: "Land sakes alive: what a house!"
My favorite Christmas cartoon!
BlackJack_B12 February 2008
Warning: Spoilers
When it comes to Christmas-themed cartoons, Friz Freleng's GIFT WRAPPED is my favorite. I can watch it innumerable times and laugh.
It is Christmas Day and Sylvester is all excited. He opens a gift for himself and finds a rubber mouse and is angry. He then hears a voice singing and he sees that Granny, his owner, is getting a Tweety Bird. Sylvester then closes up the box with the rubber mouse and then he changes the tags so that he gets the gift wrapped cage with Tweety and Granny gets the rubber mouse.
So starts another set of misadventures for Sylvester as Tweety, Granny and Hector The Bulldog stymie him from his required meat intake.
Highlights? How about the RUMP-A-RUMP-A-RUMP music as Sylvester is the victim of a stick of TNT? Of course, the great Native American scene is one of the best. I love the part where Sylvester captures Tweety with his suction cup arrow and pulls him in and the music changes as Sylvester shakes some salt or pepper on Tweety and proclaims "Hmmm....Shish Kabob" while Tweety shakes his head from the spices falling on him.
An absolute gem from Looney Tunes, one of their best ever. Granny is at her catty best. Teletoon Retro shows the uncut version when they air The Road Runner Show. Check this one out next Christmas and laugh away. Great fun.
It is Christmas Day and Sylvester is all excited. He opens a gift for himself and finds a rubber mouse and is angry. He then hears a voice singing and he sees that Granny, his owner, is getting a Tweety Bird. Sylvester then closes up the box with the rubber mouse and then he changes the tags so that he gets the gift wrapped cage with Tweety and Granny gets the rubber mouse.
So starts another set of misadventures for Sylvester as Tweety, Granny and Hector The Bulldog stymie him from his required meat intake.
Highlights? How about the RUMP-A-RUMP-A-RUMP music as Sylvester is the victim of a stick of TNT? Of course, the great Native American scene is one of the best. I love the part where Sylvester captures Tweety with his suction cup arrow and pulls him in and the music changes as Sylvester shakes some salt or pepper on Tweety and proclaims "Hmmm....Shish Kabob" while Tweety shakes his head from the spices falling on him.
An absolute gem from Looney Tunes, one of their best ever. Granny is at her catty best. Teletoon Retro shows the uncut version when they air The Road Runner Show. Check this one out next Christmas and laugh away. Great fun.
One of my personal favorites of the Sylvester and Tweety cartoons.
TheOneManBoxOffice31 December 2013
Warning: Spoilers
I'm sure I'm not the only one who believes that the Looney Tunes franchise of cartoon shorts are some of the best sources of slapstick comedy in all of cinema. Next to Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, another duo that is known for the chase scenario is Sylvester the Cat and Tweety Bird, both of which are performed brilliantly by the man of 1000 voices himself Mel Blanc.
"Gift Wrapped" is the Christmas-themed Sylvester and Tweety cartoon from 1952. It isn't often that we see a Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies cartoon that takes place around Christmas time, but in this film, it is the perfect set-up for Sylvester's on-going lust to finally catch and eat Tweety. This is similar to the concept of the 1941 Tom & Jerry short "The Night Before Christmas", in which the famous cartoon duo does their usual shtick in a Christmas setting. But that's another story.
Sylvester wakes up on Christmas morning after failing to obtain a single mouse. He finds his present, only to find out it's a rubber mouse. All hope is lost for him, except a moment later, he hears Tweety singing "Jingle Bells". Peeking inside the wrapped cage is his long-awaited snack. However, Granny catches him in the act, and thus the good ol' scheming routine begins, with Sylvester failing every single time, with his only obstacles being Granny (obviously) and eventually a bulldog Sylvester finds in a present most likely for Granny.
As I said before, the usual Sylvester and Tweety set-up and having it take place on Christmas day is a unique and welcome idea. The background artwork in the film catches the Christmas atmosphere to a tee, and the animation is top-notch as usual thanks to Friz Freling's (credited as I. Freling in this picture) direction. My only issue is that it could've gone on a little longer, as there were plenty more opportunities to be done. But it's a short film meant to fill in 7 minutes before the beginning of the main feature it's supposed to accompany (most likely a Christmas movie like "Christmas in Connecticut" or "The Shop Around the Corner").
All in all, this is one of my favorite Sylvester and Tweety shorts, because it keeps to the formula while also making it a funny short to watch when it's on television during Christmastime, especially for those whose favorite Looney Tunes are Sylvester and/or Tweety, and I'm not just whistling Dixie, brother. The short alone can also be found on Volume 2 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection and Volume 2 of the Looney Tunes Platinum Collection if you are a collector.
"Gift Wrapped" is the Christmas-themed Sylvester and Tweety cartoon from 1952. It isn't often that we see a Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies cartoon that takes place around Christmas time, but in this film, it is the perfect set-up for Sylvester's on-going lust to finally catch and eat Tweety. This is similar to the concept of the 1941 Tom & Jerry short "The Night Before Christmas", in which the famous cartoon duo does their usual shtick in a Christmas setting. But that's another story.
Sylvester wakes up on Christmas morning after failing to obtain a single mouse. He finds his present, only to find out it's a rubber mouse. All hope is lost for him, except a moment later, he hears Tweety singing "Jingle Bells". Peeking inside the wrapped cage is his long-awaited snack. However, Granny catches him in the act, and thus the good ol' scheming routine begins, with Sylvester failing every single time, with his only obstacles being Granny (obviously) and eventually a bulldog Sylvester finds in a present most likely for Granny.
As I said before, the usual Sylvester and Tweety set-up and having it take place on Christmas day is a unique and welcome idea. The background artwork in the film catches the Christmas atmosphere to a tee, and the animation is top-notch as usual thanks to Friz Freling's (credited as I. Freling in this picture) direction. My only issue is that it could've gone on a little longer, as there were plenty more opportunities to be done. But it's a short film meant to fill in 7 minutes before the beginning of the main feature it's supposed to accompany (most likely a Christmas movie like "Christmas in Connecticut" or "The Shop Around the Corner").
All in all, this is one of my favorite Sylvester and Tweety shorts, because it keeps to the formula while also making it a funny short to watch when it's on television during Christmastime, especially for those whose favorite Looney Tunes are Sylvester and/or Tweety, and I'm not just whistling Dixie, brother. The short alone can also be found on Volume 2 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection and Volume 2 of the Looney Tunes Platinum Collection if you are a collector.
Among the best of the Sylvester and Tweety cartoons
TheLittleSongbird12 August 2014
Not their absolute best, Birds Anonymous is a contender for that, but it is one of their best and entertaining. As with almost all Sylvester/Tweety cartoons it is routine, but here it didn't matter because the gags certainly were not and, thanks to how impeccably depicted the holiday season is here(illustrated brilliantly by the very start of the cartoon with the house and the snow), there is a real sense of warm-hearted festive cheer. The animation is crisp and fluid with some of the most vibrant colours of any of the Sylvester/Tweety cartoons. The music is non-stop characterful and very lushly orchestrated, the most clever use being when Sylvester disguises himself as Geronimo. The use of arranged Christmas songs added to the festive mood. The dialogue is very razor sharp and witty, a lot of great lines here from Sylvester and Granny, Sylvester's interjection at the opening narration was priceless. The gags are standard chase and cat wants bird, dog wants cat but again like the story the clever timing and how they don't feel tired or recycled ensures that that doesn't matter in the slightest. The one with Sylvester and Tweety in their Geronimo and Hopalong Cassidy disguises was the most memorable, though Granny being hoisted up by Sylvester's crane accidentally was a funny sight as well. The characters and the chemistry between them also made Gift Wrapped enjoyable, especially Sylvester who does a great job providing the laughs by what he says, what he does but also his facial expressions play a large part. Tweety's not too cutesy but he does have a cute look and has shades of his anarchic personality that was given by him by Bob Clampett, this said Sylvester has always been the funnier and more interesting character. Granny at this time of Looney Tunes sure has a lot of spunk and she is just as funny as Sylvester, while the bulldog plays against Sylvester very well. Mel Blanc voices brilliantly in a way that very few other people could, though Daws Butler is a good narrator and you can't go wrong with Bea Benaderet as Granny(though I am more familiar with June Foray's voice-work for the character). To conclude, truly great stuff and among the best of the Sylvester/Tweety series. 10/10 Bethany Cox
Bah Humbug
movieman_kev30 October 2005
This animated short can be seen on Disc 3 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 2, it feature Sylvester cat who I like, Tweety bird who I'm not a fan of, and Granny whom I dislike worse then Tweety bird. Needless to say I really didn't care for this cartoon at all. It's nice that it's unedited for once. But couldn't they unedit the audio for "Bugs Bunny Rides Again" which was actually a good cartoon as well, or at least instead of?. Anyway in this short, it's Christmas time in the household and Granny, Tweety, Sylvester, and the Bulldog (for no reason whatsoever) are up to the usual stuff. Blah.
My Grade: D
My Grade: D
Every Scene A Laugh
Guitar-814 October 2003
Warning: Spoilers
***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** Everytime I watch this Warner Brothers short, I laugh @ every scene! There was a scene that was edited when Sylvester sneaks up the Christmas tree (disguised as Geronimo). Out comes Tweety in his cage (as Hopalong Cassidy) with a toy pop gun. Sylvester pulls the pop gun & gets exploded!
This Warner Brothers Sylvester & Tweety short is worth getting a Christmas laugh!
This Warner Brothers Sylvester & Tweety short is worth getting a Christmas laugh!
"Kiss the little birdie."
utgard1425 December 2014
It's Christmas at Granny's house and everything is kind of crazy. Sylvester is trying to eat Tweety, Hector the bulldog is trying to eat Sylvester, and Granny is trying to keep the peace. One of the best Sylvester & Tweety shorts, brought to us by Friz Freleng. The animation is beautiful with really lush colors. The music is lively and fun. The always great voicework from Mel Blanc and Bea Benaderet is a treat. Wonderful characters alternate between being adorable and being hilarious. It's such a good cartoon. Plus it's Christmas-themed so it has that added bonus and even ends with everybody singing a Christmas carol (badly).
A run-of-the-mill cartoon elevated by an impeccably realised Christmas atmosphere
phantom_tollbooth1 October 2008
Friz Freleng's 'Gift Wrapped' is a decent entry in the lacklustre Tweety and Sylvester series. A Christmas cartoon set entirely in a house on Christmas morning, 'Gift Wrapped' adheres to some pretty standard and not terribly funny jokes involving dynamite and surprisingly effective toy guns. Such gags can be made fresh again with the right execution but in the Sylvester and Tweety cartoons Freleng always seemed content to just play them the way they'd already been played a million times before. The addition of Granny and a Bulldog to proceedings adds a little colour and Tweety is not excessively annoying this time round either but the main thing that saves 'Gift Wrapped' from being as weak as the worst Tweety and Sylvester shorts is the impeccably realised festive atmosphere which gives the cartoon a pleasingly cosy feel. I used to love seeing 'Gift Wrapped' at Christmas when I was young and that happy memory has not totally deserted me as I watch it again. But sentiment is not enough to make a great cartoon and 'Gift Wrapped' remains merely OK, a mildly enjoyable trip down memory lane which opens with its best moment ("You just ain't whistling Dixie") and then fails to live up to it.
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