Tweety's Circus (1955)

. . . one of the many circus lions involved here (Tweety claims that this traveling show features 50 big cats toward the close of TWEETY'S CIRCUS, but its prone to exaggeration) claws Sylvester, causing a delayed reaction in which one "slice" of Warner Bros.' top cat after another slides off as Sylvester struts away from his long distance slicer, pretending nonchalantly to be unhurt, until finally only his hind legs and tail are left to meander. This incident, which occurs about three and a quarter minutes into TWEETY'S CIRCUS, probably will put many if not most viewers in mind of Dead Cat Walking. However, what this incident reminded me of was an elementary school trip to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago when I was quite young and impressionable. Though a few of the things there, such as the coal mine, were slightly interesting, the one thing that stuck in my mind was the lady who was on display in containers in several if not all of the stairwells. After she'd passed away, she'd been sliced horizontally--just like Sylvester in TWEETY'S CIRCUS, only less on a diagonal slant--but many more times than the lion ripped the feline (since it only had four or five claws on its action paw). The museum staff had carefully labeled each piece of its show woman, and I learned many anatomical terms that were new to me.

Sylvester visits a circus and tries to show a lion who the real "king of the cats" is. And, of course, make a meal out of Tweety. Sylvester is very funny in this one. I especially love his little "meow" song and the fire-eater scene. The animation is excellent with well-drawn characters and backgrounds and good action; love the colors. The circus backdrop provides for a nice change of pace and a chance for Sylvester to interact with someone besides Tweety or Granny. Some fun gags and lines in this one. Everything with the lion is hilarious. Really a fun cartoon that every fan of Sylvester and Tweety should see at least once.

People who find Tweety disgusting for being too cute obviously don't realize that he's actually a total sadist. I mean, look at some of the things that he does to Sylvester. But beyond Tweety's personality, this cartoon focuses on Sylvester a little more and takes a look at his ego. Following a rather boisterous entry, he casually angers a lion (apparently believing himself to be invincible).One might interpret this as a parable of our hubris bringing us down. Napoleon tried to invade Russia, and it led to the collapse of his empire. Hitler tried to take over the world, and it led to his downfall. Currently, it seems that Bush's aim of complete domination is dooming the United States (Hurricane Katrina was but one example). Therefore, it's no surprise what eventually befalls Sylvester.Of course, I might be reading too far into "Tweety's Circus". The cartoon was probably intended as zany entertainment, and it certainly entertains. Worth seeing.

Sylvester notices a circus in town and goes to pay a visit. As he walks around the animals he mocks the lion before noticing a Tweety bird in a cage. He goes after the bird but the lion and elephant are all too happy to help Tweety out.I'm not a big fan of Tweety himself, although I do like his shorts where he is quite active as opposed to just sort of hanging around while Sylvester does all the work. However here he is supported by a lion and an elephant - both of whom give Sylvester a tough time. The action is all pretty funny and I laughed out loud most of the way through it.Tweety is pretty active but it is the lion that is the best partner for Sylvester. Although, needless to say, it is Sylvester who does all the hard work and he is very, very funny throughout.Overall this is one of the best Tweety cartoons I've seen in a long time. Laugh out loud funny with good imaginative routines and good reactions from Sylvester whenever he realises what's really going on.