Rocket-Bye Baby (1956)

Rocket-Bye Baby Review

Rocket-Bye Baby is a 1956 animated short film from the Merry Melodies series. It is a very interesting, original short.

Now here we have something completely different from the rest of the Merry Melodies of this period. It is about two babies being switched when Mars and Earth get to their closest point, so the man from Earth gets a Martian baby. The baby is very curious and strange, so he has to keep him a secret. This is obviously a cartoon that is very much of its time due to the Martian hysteria of the period, but it’s still entertaining to this day.

While the ending was typical in its twist, most of the cartoon was very enjoyable up until that point. The animation here is something quite different for Warner Bros. as it channels more the style of the UPA cartoons, and it works, especially in the character design. The cartoon isn’t the funniest, but that gag with the old lady screaming was very amusing. The story is well handled and the opening vignette was quite charming.

Rocket-Bye Baby is a very interesting short that does have a weaker ending, but it benefits from a unique story, interesting animation and some nice gags.

My Rating – 4.1