Top Ten Merrie Melodies of All Time

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Top Ten Merrie Melodies of All Time

Warner Bros. started their Merrie Melodies series in 1929 and at first these were mostly music-heavy cartoons with little plot or characterization. Eventually, that changed and the movies started to include iconic characters that we all know and love. This is my list of ten best Merrie Melodies shorts where I tried to include movies from all eras.

10. Birds Anonymous

Sylvester joins the titular group that tries to stay away from birds as they deem it to be an unhealthy addiction. Obviously referencing therapy sessions for alcoholics, Birds Anonymous is something completely different in the Merrie Melodies oeuvre. It’s very much a drama-oriented short, but it worked due to a stupendous script. Tweety’s lines were hilarious here. It also holds the distinction of being a rare Warner Bros entry to win an Oscar and deservedly so.

9. Lost and Foundling

Sniffles the mouse finds an egg which develops into a hawk eventually. He tries to eat him, but can’t and eventually upon finding out that some hawk species with a red spot do not eat rodents, he paints himself a red spot as an excuse not to eat the mouse. Yes, this story sounds and is amazing, highly endearing and beautiful in every sense. Who would have ever thought that a Sniffles movie would end up on this list, but when you’ve got this level of heart, soul, charm and humor, you have to include it here.

8. Tweetie Pie

Tweety is freezing outside and the cat’s mistress takes the bird in the house. Sylvester then manages to capture the bird and fails repeatedly. This Tweety and Sylvester movie is so well crafted on every level with the bird’s many lines being hilarious. Most of the scenarios are highly entertaining and perfectly executed. It’s thus a very satisfactory Oscar winner and one of the rarer Warner Bros. shorts to actually win the big award.

7. Transylvania 6-5000

Bugs demonstrates how to handle a pesky vampire with six simple magic incantations. This is one of the most atmospheric shorts in the Warner Bros. canon. It evokes the horror atmosphere of its setting remarkably well. The gags are for the most part superbly constructed and quite a lot of fun. Bugs unknowingly using magic was hilarious while the movie’s animation, score and voice acting are all top-notch. It’s a rare 60s short that was superb.

6. Honeymoon Hotel

Honeymoon Hotel is a rare early 30s Merrie Melodies short that deserves a place on this list. It features a killer premise where two bugs stay at a love hotel but are continually interrupted by others. The humor is phenomenal, the animation is pretty solid, the characters are memorable and there are a lot of truly inventive scenes and gags to be had here with the ending being particularly great.

5. Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2th Century

This cosmic adventure easily ranks among the series’ most imaginative products ever created. It’s an epic film that is gorgeously animated and wonderfully designed. It’s also a great showcase for Daffy whose superhero persona and lisping here are hilarious. The goofiness here is truly memorable as are the clever beginning and ending. It’s such a timeless classic and by far the best showcase of the Duck Dodgers persona.

4. Hyde and Go Tweet

For the fourth spot I had to go with this childhood favorite of mine. In this short, Tweety gets inside a bottle of Dr. Jekyll’s potion, which makes him stronger and larger. Then, Sylvester chases the bird when he reverts to the small form and escapes when he transforms into his evil form. The chase was great, the character design of Tweety in the second form was unforgettable and the premise was phenomenal. This is one of the most memorable and fun shorts in the entire series.

3. What’s Opera, Doc?

While I wouldn’t personally call it the best Warner Bros. cartoon of all time, I still find What’s Opera, Doc? to be incredible and deserving of all the praise that it continues to receive. While far from his funniest outing, this is Bugs Bunny at his most artistic. The animation is simply gorgeous, the movie makes great use of its score and the usage of both Bugs and Elmer here was fantastic. It’s the duo’s best movie that features a truly iconic, unforgettable ending.

2. One Froggy Evening

A 50s construction worker finds a metal box that hosts a singing amphibian inside. He tries to cash in on the frog, but unfortunately the frog just stops singing whenever humans are around. This movie featured the debut of Michigan J. Frog and he was phenomenal. It is a very funny cartoon in the instantly memorable imagery of this frog belting out songs, but it’s also quite moving in that poor man’s tragic journey while benefitting from one incredible circle of life ending. It’s epic, emotional and funny at the same time and one of the undeniable masterpieces of the series.

1. Duck Amuck

Daffy Duck is being controlled by an animator who eventually turns out to have been Bugs Bunny all along in that glorious twist ending that just might be the finest ending ever in a Merrie Melodies cartoon. Yes, Duck Amuck has to take the number one spot on this list as an undisputed masterpiece of not just 50s but of all Warner Bros. animation. Rarely has art and entertainment coalesced so perfectly in this artistically animated, hilarious short that features Daffy at his angriest. It’s an absolute classic.

Honorable Mentions:

The Foghorn Leghorn – This was the first truly great Foghorn Leghorn movie that had amazing dialogue and a wonderful use of the hilarious Henery Hawk character.

I Haven’t Got a Hot – This early Porky Pig vehicle has an interesting premise, solid execution and particularly memorable personalities throughout.

A Wild Hare – This is the movie that started it all as it introduced Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd to the world. Both were iconic from the get-go.

The Last Hungry Cat – This flick is a more dramatic take on the Sylvester and Tweety mythos with wonderful German expressionist touched that really worked.

A Sheep in the Deep – This is a Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog cartoon and it is definitely one of their best due to that excellent and unforgettable ending.