Fair and Worm-er (1946)
Fair and Worm-er Review
Fair and Worm-er is a 1946 animated short film from the Merry Melodies series. It is a truly original beast.
Yes, this is one of the films that truly felt different from all the rest we’ve gotten from Warner Bros. up until this point in their history. It reminded me pleasantly of the future Road Runner vs. Coyote series in its action and concept. So basically, a crow wants to eat a worm, but the cat wants to eat the crow, the dog wants to chase the cat and the dogcatcher chases the dog. That’s the premise here and the film showcases how everyone has their own chaser.
It can get frenetic and too crazy with not enough character development for all of the players obviously, but the crow is great and I loved his sense of logic and of course the worm is hilarious in that twist ending. The animation is solid and the score is fine, but the action is superbly executed and the movie manages to feel fresh and new throughout its runtime.
Fair and Worm-er is overcrowded with characters, but most of them work and the entire premise and execution are so original leading to quite an authentic Merry Melody.
