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1949 Animated Short Oscar Analysis

1949 was an excellent year for animated shorts. The Tom and Jerry series and the Warner Bros. cartoons both excelled during this period. The Academy did snub some of the best entries from both of these series, but at least they nominated a couple of standout shorts and the right movie ended up winning the award. The slate also included a Donald Duck short and a unique Columbia entry, leading to a pleasantly diverse slate.

My Ranking of the Nominees:

5. Hatch Up Your Troubles

Tom and Jerry had so many great movies during this year, but once again the Academy nominated one of the worse ones as they had the tendency to do that with this particular series. Hatch Up Your Troubles is solid in the baby woodpecker character and the interactions between him and Jerry were a lot of fun for sure. The problem here is that the rest of the cartoon is too uninspired with forgettable scenarios and weak humor. It’s solid, but far from the series’ best efforts.

4. Magic Fluke

Magic Fluke is this very good short from Columbia that is the most mature and different movie on this list. It follows a crow and a fox who are no longer friends, but when the crow has to perform an orchestra, he cannot do it without his old pal. The characterization could and should have been much stronger in this instance, but the animation is just gorgeous while the Hungarian Rhapsody was beautifully incorporated into the action on screen. The narration is also very interesting. This movie getting the fourth place goes to show how strong this slate is.

3. Toy Tinkers

The two chipmunks try to steal nuts from Donald’s home during Christmas. They end up using toys as weapons against him and an all-out war ensues. This is by far one of the best cartoons starring these characters as all three were stupendously realized. The animation is gorgeous and the humor is cute, but it is the action that is by far the highlight of this short. Getting to watch the duck battle these chipmunks using toy weapons was hilarious in this very inventive cartoon.

2. Canary Row

The high buildings were wonderfully utilized for some fun action in Canary Row, one of the best Merrie Melodies released in this year. This is a Sylvester and Tweety short that is famous for introducing Granny to the series for the first time ever. The result is such a fun short that sees the cat desperately try to evade this dangerous old woman to hilarious results. Tweety’s signature baby talk was also very funny while the animation was quite polished. It was a deserved Oscar nominee.

1. For Scent-imental Reasons

This Pepe Le Pew short ended up winning the Oscar in a great turn of events. The cartoon is very funny with many memorable and hilarious moments with Pepe who is phenomenal here. The use of Penelope Pussycat is also superb and the two are great together. The highlight is the humor here as Pepe is hilarious throughout while the ending is fantastic. It is one of the best Pepe cartoons as everything clicked into its place here and it was a strong choice for the award itself in the year when finally Tom and Jerry’s winning streak was broken.

Films That Should Have Been Nominated:

Heavenly Puss – Tom goes to heaven, but because he was bad to Jerry his whole life, he must now get Jerry’s signature or he will go to hell. Eventually, he wakes up and it turns out it was all just a dream in this wildly inventive, original Tom and Jerry short that was seriously snubbed by the Academy. It’s one of the most authentic and impressive entries in this series.

Fast and Furry-ous – This short was the first ever starring the iconic Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. And from the very start, they were great. Both were superbly realized and the short is wonderfully animated. The highlights here are the school bus gag and the painting gag, both very funny and so well executed.

Bad Ol’ Putty Tat – The train finale is so funny, the female disguise is hilarious and the trampoline sequence is superbly executed. These three sequences were the best in this very entertaining Sylvester and Tweety short that is uneven, but for the most part it delivered in great action and humor.

The Cat and the Mermouse – This Tom and Jerry short benefits from a unique setting. The underwater scenes are so intriguing with some of the action being very inventive. The sea animals are well utilized and the humor is great. But it succeeds mostly on the strength of the relationship between the two and giving us the rare glimpse of their good behavior. 

Frigid Hare – While spending his vacation on the South Pole, Bugs Bunny encounters a penguin in peril. He is being hunted by an Eskimo so the bunny decides to help him in the end. An offbeat short that is one of the most different and original in the Bugs Bunny filmography, it benefits from a great setting and a timeless, adorable penguin creation.