Film's Title (Year of Release)^{Director (see below)}

Short synopsis (or is that "short's synopsis?")

Latin Names (where applicable - spelling will be as seen on screen, but we will adjust format to adhere to correct scientific capitalization)

Acme Products
(Self-explantory, but for the sake of clarity only Acme-branded items will be listed, and the full name of the product must be on screen to ensure that we're not dealing with the substandard Ace brand that sometimes turns up. And though the Acme brand is often shown as being in all caps, we will conform to grammar and standardize its format by presenting it as a word and not an acronym.)

Cast (where applicable, see below) (click here to learn about our new ongoing project, The Mel Blanc List)

Vintage Review (where available)

Critique

Video Release of the Cartoon (Video Studio, Video's Year of Release)

An ad appearing in the Ogdensburg Journal in Ogdensburg, NY on July 22, 1950.

Fast and Furry-ous (1949)^CJ

The pair's historic first encounter. Features memorable scenes involving a "genuine" boomerang, a "Super Outfit," and jet-propelled running shoes.

Latin Names
Road Runner (Accelleratii incredibus)
Coyote (Carnivorous vulgaris)

Acme Products
Acme Super Outfit

Vintage Review
"Good. There are lots of chuckles in this short" (Boxoffice, November 5, 1949)

Critique
Like many debuts, its historical significance almost defies criticism. But unlike, say, A Wild Hare or Porky's Duck Hunt, everything about the series is solidified right here, and this cartoon could easily fit right in alongside later entries. The characters are about 99 percent there with little to no prototypical trappings, with maybe some slight refinement needed on Wile E.'s more lumbering design. The lack of dialogue is a cute alternative to the zany, talky wiseguy animals that were filling up movie screens and it helps sell the idea of the characters and the idea that we're watching some sort of nature film. It's not necessarily being done for mere novelty sake and Jones and Maltese wisely never betray the gimmick, as tempting as it might have been to do a final punchline of surprise dialogue like in Art Davis's Odor of the Day. Road Runner is an interesting protagonist here in that he counteracts the coyote's traps but we rarely see him actually act. Wile E. gets hit with a boomerang and a pan reveals it was thrown by the bird, who's just standing there as opposed to being shown physically hurling it. It makes for a somewhat enigmatic hero while also staying true to the breakneck pacing Jones uses throughout the short. Despite the short's origins as a chase spoof, it exhibits a comedic style and formula all its own (perhaps the most outwardly satirical moment in the whole film is the abrupt shortcut at the very end). Everything seems fresh and entertaining because they defy expectations, not because we're used to them from other chase cartoons. Gags such as the nearly iconic sequence of the Road Runner speeding through a painted tunnel would become hallmarks of not only the later cartoons but also even other chase series. The high-speed cloverleaf chase is nicely staged as it goes to an overhead map visual, and the scene acts as a climactic fake-out. The Goldbergesque motor-powered ski contraption is inventive and will be typical of how the series stands on its own, helped in part by Jones's quick action and comedic timing. The failure of the machine and the fall is funny enough, but to completely conk out just as the other side of the ravine is in view is the genius of the short and the eventual series. Despite his determination and cleverness, the odds are heavily stacked against Wile E., with the universe wishing him to fail. Full speed ahead.

Road Runner vs. Wile E. Coyote: The Classic Chase (WHV, 1985)
The Road Runner vs. Wile E. Coyote: If at First You Don't Succeed... (WHV Laserdisc, 1994)
Stars of Space Jam: Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote (WHV, 1996)
Stars of Space Jam boxed set (WHV, 1996)
Stars of Space Jam (WHV Japan Laserdisc, 1997)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection (Volume One) (WHV DVD, 2003)
Looney Tunes: The Premiere Collection (WHV DVD, 2003)
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume One (WHV Blu-ray, 2011)
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume One: Ultimate Collector's Edition (WHV Blu-ray, 2011)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 1-6 boxed set (WHV DVD, 2011)
Looney Tunes Showcase Volume One (WHV Blu-ray, 2012)
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume One (WHV DVD, 2012)
Looney Tunes Center Stage Volume 1 (WHV DVD, 2014)
Looney Tunes Triple Feature: Looney Tunes 3-DVD Collection (WHV DVD, 2016)
Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection Volumes 1-3 (WHV DVD, 2018)
Stars of Space Jam: Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote (WHV DVD, 2018)
Looney Tunes Center Stage (WHV DVD, 2019)
Stars of Space Jam Collection Volume 1 (WHV DVD, 2019)
Best of WB 100: Looney Tunes Complete Platinum Collection (SDS DVD, 2023)

An ad appearing in The Winona Republican-Herald in Winona, MN on December 24, 1952.

Beep, Beep (1952)^CJ

The hunt continues as Wile E. tries using rocket skates, an anvil, a spring-loaded boxing glove, and a "Free Drink" trap...which cumulates in a chase through an underground cactus mine.

Latin Names
Road Runner (Accelerati incredibilus)
Coyote (Carnivorous vulgaris)

Acme Products
Acme Aspirin
Acme Rocket Powered Roller Skates

Critique
With Fast and Furry-ous lifting the heavy weight of introducing the characters and series style, this follow-up is given the freedom to flex its comedic muscles more, offering classic scenes that often best those from the predecessor. A little more attention is given to Wile E.'s planning of his traps, which allows for some hilarious static background paintings of his blueprints (with one actually including "3. Road-runner-burger" as a final step and another ending with "4. Boom! 5. Ha-ha!!"). When the series is at its best it displays comedic genius: a booby-trapped glass of water doesn't fool the Road Runner, and the immediate punchline of him holding a sign ("Road runners can't read and don't drink") is charmingly funny enough, but when the trap comes up again later in the short (offering relief to Wile E. after suffering a horrific fall), the slow burn is hysterical. The centerpiece mine chase at first recalls the cloverleaf scene from Fast and Furry-ous, especially with the overhead map technique, but it plays with direction and cartoon physics in a way the sequence from the previous film didn't; it's a vast improvement. One begins to see traces of Wile E.'s eventual "super genius" personality creep out. While being propelled up into the sky he thinks he's planned ahead by wearing a parachute (even giving the camera a knowing glance), but it turns out it's a backpack of camping supplies. Ironically, he's even planned for this contingency, as he takes a few aspirins to prepare for the fall. More ludicrous is his final trap by creating a fake train crossing, even going so far as to don a hat and fake beard to pose as a railroad worker. Classic early short for the series.

Road Runner vs. Wile E. Coyote: The Classic Chase (WHV, 1985)
The Road Runner vs. Wile E. Coyote: If at First You Don't Succeed... (WHV Laserdisc, 1994)
Chariots of Fur and Five Other Cartoons (WHV, 1996)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Two (WHV DVD, 2004)
All Stars Volume 2 (WHV Japan DVD, 2005)
Looney Tunes Collection: Kyofu no Cooking (Beep, Beep!) (WHV Japan DVD, 2005)
Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection 7 (WHV DVD, 2009)
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume One (WHV Blu-ray, 2011)
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume One: Ultimate Collector's Edition (WHV Blu-ray, 2011)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 1-6 boxed set (WHV DVD, 2011)
Looney Tunes Showcase Volume One (WHV Blu-ray, 2012)
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume One (WHV DVD, 2012)
Best of WB 100: Looney Tunes Complete Platinum Collection (SDS DVD, 2023)

An ad appearing in The Winona Republican-Herald in Winona, MN on December 24, 1953.

Going! Going! Gosh! (1952)^CJ

Wile E. Coyote tries using quick-drying cement, a boulder, a slingshot, and even tries dressing up as a female hitchhiker to capture the Road Runner.

Latin Names
Road Runner (Acceleratti incredibilis)
Coyote (Carnivorous vulgaris)

Acme Products
One Acme Street Cleaner's Wagon

Critique
Entertaining early effort, but sorely lacking any iconic moments, with perhaps the most memorable scene being Wile E.'s cross-dressing hitchhiker attempt (punctuated by the Road Runner's response via sign: "I've already got a date."). Jones is still perfecting the comic timing of the series, so while gags consistently work one can also see how they would have been refined in later entries. A prime example is Wile E. and the slingshot scene, where right at the start the apparatus is already insecurely wobbling in the ground. It telegraphs the punchline a bit too much, while a later cartoon would have made the retracting slingshot more of a surprise. The boulder sequence offers not only some expertly directed bits of suspense but also a couple of dynamic close-ups of the Road Runner, who at this point is still being treated as more of a central focus in the shorts. (Elsewhere in the scene, though, the flag at the top of one of the mountains is a weird, unexplained detail.) The final truck collision is well staged, with the head-on shot of Wile E. being an especially nice touch. The Jones crew is starting to turn these exercises in slapstick into some finely crafted films.

The Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote's Crash Course (WHV, 1993)
The Road Runner vs. Wile E. Coyote: If at First You Don't Succeed... (WHV Laserdisc, 1994)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Two (WHV DVD, 2004)
All Stars Volume 2 (WHV Japan DVD, 2005)
Looney Tunes Collection: Wile E. Coyote vs. Road Runner (WHV Japan DVD, 2005)
Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection 7 (WHV DVD, 2009)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 1-6 boxed set (WHV DVD, 2011)
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume Two (WHV DVD, 2012)
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume Two (WHV Blu-ray, 2012)
Best of WB 100: Looney Tunes Complete Platinum Collection (SDS DVD, 2023)

An ad appearing in The Winona Daily News in Winona, MN on August 7, 1954.

Zipping Along (1953)^CJ

After the Road Runner literally runs over Wile E. Coyote a few times, the hunter tries using a grenade, a line-up of rifles, a series of mousetraps, a door rigged to explode, and he even attempts to become a human cannonball!

Latin Names
Road-Runner (Velocitus tremenjus)
Coyote (Road-runnerus digestus)

Acme Products
Acme Giant Kite Kit
Acme Bird Seed
Acme Detonator

Critique
Underrated entry that's actually pretty close to being a perfect Road Runner cartoon. The opening train race is probably the best and most memorable use of the otherwise-exhausted "freeze frame slowly cranking back into motion" intro that kicked off the series, while Wile E.'s multi-faced animation pause shows that the crew is starting to have fun with their own tropes. Some of the attempted traps would become classics of the series, from Wile E. mixing bird seed with steel shot to his cutting one end of a suspension bridge to a gracefully hilarious attempt at flying himself via a kite while cradling a giant bomb--and all with results that defy even the expectations that we're growing accustomed to by now. In addition to the exemplary set pieces, it's the little touches that make the short so enjoyable: Wile E.'s look of disgruntled resignation as the Road Runner runs back and forth over him, his frozen terror as the wrecking ball swings all the way around and back at him, his confident nod to the camera after putting the finishing touches on his climactic dynamite trap, the fly's bugged-eyed response to falling under hypnosis, and even Carl Stalling's subtle trumpet blurts with the placement of each mousetrap. The direction is getting sharper, the surprise punchlines are coming faster and furiouser, and the series is starting to fire on all cylinders.

Looney Tunes Video Show #1 (WHV, 1982)
The Road Runner vs. Wile E. Coyote: If at First You Don't Succeed... (WHV Laserdisc, 1994)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Two (WHV DVD, 2004)
All Stars Volume 2 (WHV Japan DVD, 2005)
Looney Tunes Collection: Wile E. Coyote vs. Road Runner (WHV Japan DVD, 2005)
Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection 7 (WHV DVD, 2009)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 1-6 boxed set (WHV DVD, 2011)
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume Two (WHV DVD, 2012)
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume Two (WHV Blu-ray, 2012)
Best of WB 100: Looney Tunes Complete Platinum Collection (SDS DVD, 2023)

An ad appearing in The Rusk Cherokeean in Rusk, TX on September 2, 1954.

Stop! Look! and Hasten! (1954)^CJ

When he's not chewing on a tin can or chasing the Road Runner across a series of railroad bridges, Wile E. uses a very effective Burmese tiger trap, a bridge trap, a rope snare, a retractable metal wall, and leg muscle vitamins.

Latin Names
Coyote (Eatibus anythingus)
Road-Runner (Hot-roddicus supersonicus)
Burmese Tiger (Surprisibus! Surprisibus!)

Acme Products
Acme Bird Seed
Acme Triple-Strength Fortified Leg Muscle Vitamins - Family Size

Mel Blanc: Burmese Tiger

Vintage Review
"The gags are ingenious and good for laughs" (Boxoffice, September 25, 1954)

Critique
Entertaining cartoon that may be more memorable for the surprise Burmese tiger punchline, but it nevertheless has enough to offer elsewhere to allow it to stand alongside the best of these early Road Runner shorts. The blackout sequences vary from quick and forgettable (Wile E. immediately crashing a motorcycle into a pole after taking off) to downright iconic (cutting a hole into a bridge that causes the whole structure to collapse). The central hide-and-seek through the railroad tunnels has echoes of Friz Freleng's reliable "door gag," but the sudden appearance of an actual locomotive keeps the pacing from getting too listless or derivative. At the other end of the cartoon, there's real tension and menace in the climactic final chase, with Wile E.'s vitamin-assisted flame trail almost savagely cutting through the Road Runner's lingering cloud of dust. It's a faster, more intense chase scene than anything done in the series so far, while the sequence's final punchline provides a better delayed payoff than what had been done back in Beep, Beep. Everyone involved is starting to have fun with the series, right up to the final "That's all, Folks!"

The Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote: The Scrapes of Wrath (WHV, 1992)
The Road Runner vs. Wile E. Coyote: If at First You Don't Succeed... (WHV Laserdisc, 1994)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Two (WHV DVD, 2004)
All Stars Volume 2 (WHV Japan DVD, 2005)
Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection 7 (WHV DVD, 2009)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 1-6 boxed set (WHV DVD, 2011)

An ad appearing in The Daily Illini in Champaign, IL on September 28, 1955.

Ready..Set..Zoom! (1955)^CJ

Wile E. tries trapping the Road Runner with glue on the road (two attempts in a row!), a tunnel bridge, a dynamite lasso, a giant rubber band, a female road runner costume, and a wonderful contraption incorporating an outboard motor, roller skates, a wagon, and a washtub!

Latin Names
Road-Runner (Speedipus rex)
Coyote (Famishus-famishus)

Acme Products
Acme Glue
Acme Toy Co. - One Jim-Dandy Wagon
One Acme Out-Board Motor
One Acme Female Road-Runner Costume

Mel Blanc: Baby Coyote

Critique
Good, not great film that veers toward being more quirky than hilarious. Jones is starting to add a bit of flair to the cartoons--some of it works, while some of it gets overused quickly. One example of the latter is the Road Runner's head making a complete 360-degree turn during his introduction, a gag that gets repeated later on. Some of Wile E.'s facial reactions, meanwhile, are priceless, such as his steely-eyed glare while coming up with a plan or his wince of regret while watching his kit-bashed wagon make it across a ravine after he had detached himself from it. Physics become more of a player in the gag structure, allowing for such punchlines as inertia forcing out Wile E.'s teeth inside the Road Runner's dust cloud and a 10,000-pound weight flattening the canine into a pancake for the first time ever--even a simple camera tracking shot becomes a joke in of itself as it changes direction after the coyote gets hit by a truck inside a tunnel. The final gag of Wile E.'s road runner costume attracting a gaggle of other, identical coyotes (including the obligatory baby coyote bringing up the rear) is a unique climax and thankfully only done this one time. At this point the characters are no longer generic placeholders and are developing actual personalities, so the suggestion (even if unintended) that the bird is the target of multiple inept coyotes weakens the concept a bit. We're not following around a coyote but rather the Coyote.

The Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote's Crash Course (WHV, 1993)
The Road Runner vs. Wile E. Coyote: If at First You Don't Succeed... (WHV Laserdisc, 1994)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Two (WHV DVD, 2004)
All Stars Volume 2 (WHV Japan DVD, 2005)
Looney Tunes Collection: Henso Daisakusen (Ready, Set, Zoom!) (WHV Japan DVD, 2005)
Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection 7 (WHV DVD, 2009)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 1-6 boxed set (WHV DVD, 2011)

An ad appearing in The Lincoln Star in Lincoln, NE on January 25, 1956.

Guided Muscle (1955)^CJ

After Wile E. tries to boil a can, he sets his sights elsewhere...using yet another large slingshot, screwing an arrowhead to his nose to become a large arrow, attempting to tar and feather the Road Runner, greasing up the road, swinging over a cliff, and planting dynamite in the road.

Latin Names
Coyote (Eatibus almost anythingus)
Road-Runner (Velocitus delectiblus)

Acme Products
Acme Grease

Critique
Some really nice touches punctuate what could have otherwise been simply an ordinary short, from Wile E. meticulously adding seasoning and finesse to his tin can dinner to the Road Runner gracefully gliding across the coyote's grease trap--the latter coupled with some comically frustrating animation as Wile E. attempts to run across it himself. The gags are getting tighter (compare the slingshot scene with the similar one back in Going! Going! Gosh!), the physics are getting more ridiculous, and Wile E.'s facial expressions are getting funnier. The short's most nonsensical scheme, the tar-and-feather trap, allows for not only one of the series's most absurd throwaway gags--the instructional guide How to Tar and Feather a Road Runner, a tome so popular that the cover indicates that it's in its tenth printing--but also one of the bird's wryest dialogue signs: "Road-runners already have feathers!" But the cartoon's most memorable moment might be the end gag with Wile E.'s help wanted sign, however that too may be topped by another novel transition to the "That's all, Folks!" end tag, as Wile E. literally drags the title card onto the screen.

The Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote: The Scrapes of Wrath (WHV, 1992)
The Road Runner vs. Wile E. Coyote: If at First You Don't Succeed... (WHV Laserdisc, 1994)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Two (WHV DVD, 2004)
All Stars Volume 2 (WHV Japan DVD, 2005)
Looney Tunes Collection: Kyofu no Cooking (Beep, Beep!) (WHV Japan DVD, 2005)
Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection 7 (WHV DVD, 2009)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 1-6 boxed set (WHV DVD, 2011)
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume Three (WHV Blu-ray, 2014)
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume Three (WHV DVD, 2014)
Best of WB 100: Looney Tunes Complete Platinum Collection (SDS DVD, 2023)

An ad appearing in the Statesville Record And Landmark in Statesville, NC on May 23, 1956.

Gee Whiz-z-z-z-z-z-z (1956)^CJ

The Road Runner is able to outrun Wile E.'s handlebar-controlled jet engine, confuse a rifle bullet, run through a painting of a missing bridge, avoid dynamite sticks from fishing poles and extended wires, and completely misses out on Wile E.'s ill-conceived trial of his Acme Bat-Man's Outfit.

Latin Names
Coyote (Eatius birdius)
Road Runner (Delicius-delicius)

Acme Products
1 Sheet Acme Triple-Strength Battleship Steel Armor Plate
One Acme Bat-Man's Outfit - Reg. Size
Acme Anvil Corp. - One (1) Anvil
Acme Giant Rubber Band - Size 25 x 6"
Acme Handle Bars
One Acme Jet Motor - Length 33 in.

Critique
Excellent entry from a series that has finally hit its stride, helped in part by some elegant animation by the Jones crew. Little touches--such as the Road Runner chewing along to the incidental music or watching him continue running through the background after he's passed a trap--are mere cosmetic in purpose, but they nevertheless help give the short a light, breezy tone throughout, a bit of a contrast to some of the later Jones cartoons that may bog down on a specific detail or sequence. Thankfully this strong animation is paired with memorable and well-executed gags. Two highlights are Wile E.'s trouble with an expanding dynamite-stick handle and then what starts off as a typical fake-out painting trap that even throws the audience for a loop by having the bird simply burst through the canvas and continue on. The most iconic moment, of course, is Wile E. trying out his "Bat-Man Outfit," a comic ballet that runs the gamut of emotions from bombasity to panic to smug self-assuredness. It's a stand-alone mini-masterpiece that practically overshadows the short's climactic jet-motor chase. Certainly that final chase is nothing to sneeze at, though, from the energetic use of Raymond Scott music to the callback to the short's initial gag to Wile E.'s closing bit of meta humor with his "How about ending this cartoon before I hit?" sign.

Road Runner vs. Wile E. Coyote: The Classic Chase (WHV, 1985)
The Road Runner vs. Wile E. Coyote: If at First You Don't Succeed... (WHV Laserdisc, 1994)
Stars of Space Jam: Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote (WHV, 1996)
Stars of Space Jam boxed set (WHV, 1996)
Stars of Space Jam (WHV Japan Laserdisc, 1997)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Two (WHV DVD, 2004)
All Stars Volume 2 (WHV Japan DVD, 2005)
Looney Tunes Collection: Henso Daisakusen (Ready, Set, Zoom!) (WHV Japan DVD, 2005)
Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection 7 (WHV DVD, 2009)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 1-6 boxed set (WHV DVD, 2011)
Stars of Space Jam: Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote (WHV DVD, 2018)
Stars of Space Jam Collection Volume 1 (WHV DVD, 2019)
Looney Tunes Collector's Vault Volume 1 (WHV/Warner Archive Blu-ray, 2025)

An ad appearing in The Gallup Independent in Gallup, NM on November 19, 1956.

There They Go-Go-Go! (1956)^CJ

After unsuccessfully trying to roast a pile of mud sculpted as a chicken, Wile E. sets his sights on a familiar would-be dinner. He tries to swing down onto the road with a harpoon, plants a spring-loaded pistol in the road, places a booby-trapped ladder between two cliffs, and hopes to block the road with spinning maces. Wile E.'s final attempts involve riding inside a metal rocket, and then suspending a ton of rocks overhead.

Latin Names
Coyote (Famishius fantasticus)
Road-Runner (Dig-outius tid-bittius)

Acme Products
(none!)

Critique
Wile E.'s introductory ordeal with the fake chicken is something of a mini-comic masterpiece in of itself. The gags themselves are pretty straightforward and funny (up to and including the ridiculous resolution of the coyote sculpting a trash can to throw it away in), but Jones and his crew pepper the sequence with touches that perhaps other directors wouldn't have bothered with--from Wile E. giving the chicken a little adjusting stroke with his thumb while sculpting to the great "impatient" music sting while he's waiting for the trash can to come out of the kiln. Even the aftermath of the Road Runner's standard opening "super speed-out exit" has a fun moment with Wile E. fashioning a divining rod to hunt for water for his burning tail. But all of this set-up is dangerously close to running too long, and by the time we start with the typical blackout scenes the short is already a third of the way over with. Surely, once the normal trap scenes come the gags are tightly, almost urgently paced; nothing overstays its welcome but at the same time nothing lingers long enough to have any lasting effect on the audience. Perhaps the cartoon's most iconic trap is the finale with the suspended pile of rocks and Wile E.'s self-defeating attempts to jostle them loose, leading to the equally famous "In Heaven's name--what am I DOING?" sign. If anything, this short is notable for two "firsts" in the series. It's the first cartoon in which Wile E. doesn't utilize any Acme (or other branded) product, and the final gag marks the first appearance of his trusty miniature umbrella!

The Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote's Crash Course (WHV, 1993)
The Road Runner vs. Wile E. Coyote: If at First You Don't Succeed... (WHV Laserdisc, 1994)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Two (WHV DVD, 2004)
Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection 7 (WHV DVD, 2009)
Best of Warner Bros.: 50 Cartoon Collection - Looney Tunes (WHV DVD, 2013)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 1-6 boxed set (WHV DVD, 2011)

An ad appearing in the Valley Morning Star in Harlingen, TX on February 17, 1957.

Scrambled Aches (1957)^CJ

Wile E. tries using a fake coyote foot, a dynamite sling, dehydrated boulders, a balloon-propelled anvil, and even a junior outboard steamroller.

Latin Names
Road-Runner (Tastyus supersonicus)
Coyote (Eternalii famishiis)

Acme Products
Acme Dehydrated Boulders

Critique
Above average short that's big on great poses and reactions (including what may be the coyote's first nervous twitch at the end) when the gags themselves get a little too routine. Jones's animators provide some wonderful scenes of Wile E. hatching plans, although elsewhere the amount of animation showing the two characters scratching themselves results in an uncomfortably itchy cartoon. The gags are once again tightly timed and most don't overstay their welcome, while a few border on practically iconic such as Wile E. getting caught inside a spring and the quickly rehydrating boulder. The steamroller trap provides a decent finale, helped in part by the comic visual of Wile E. slowly lagging behind the chase action and then his prolonged-but-anticipated wait after the cannon fuse burns all the way through. The Road Runner's smile of relief at the "In case of steam roller use detour" sign is a little uncharacteristic, unless we're to believe the bird seriously perceived the miniature steamroller as some sort of threat. The climactic chase sequences work better when he's more indifferent--let the coyote do all the emotional heavy lifting.

The Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote's Crash Course (WHV, 1993)
The Road Runner vs. Wile E. Coyote: If at First You Don't Succeed... (WHV Laserdisc, 1994)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Two (WHV DVD, 2004)
All Stars Volume 3 (WHV Japan DVD, 2005)
Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection 7 (WHV DVD, 2009)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 1-6 boxed set (WHV DVD, 2011)

An ad appearing in The Daily Illini in Champaign, IL on December 3, 1957.

Zoom and Bored (1957)^CJ

Wherever Wile E. goes, the Road Runner is right there to startle him with a "Beep beep!" Nevertheless, the coyote tries jackhammering a hole into the road, building a brick wall, suspending "one fifth" of bumblebees, and firing an Ahab Harpoon Gun.

Latin Names
Coyote (Famishus vulgarus)
Road-Runner (Birdibus zippibus)

Acme Products
One Fifth Acme Bumble Bees

Critique
Exceptional! Everything works. For such seemingly generic characters, more personality is starting to creep into them. Wile E. is becoming more annoyed at his defeats--see the scowl as he falls from his initial "beep beep" scare--and the Road Runner is becoming more amused at his continued situation (his casual glancing at the camera while Wile E. is trying to figure out why they're supposedly suspended in mid-air wouldn't have happened in the series's earlier documentary-style entries). The coyote's malfunctioning jackhammer doesn't merely provide a blackout-gag failure--it allows him a rare moment of justice as he uses his trembling to rip up his copy of The Art of Road Runner Trapping (complete with a well-deserved look of satisfaction), and it even leads to a further gag as his shaking continues into the next scene. The rest of the bits are downright classics, from Wile E.'s confusing ordeal of seeing himself on the other side of a brick wall to the bee attack (giving off a somewhat halfhearted yelp of "Yipe!" as he's being chased) to the immediately exploding cannonball. The Road Runner's "I just don't have the heart" sign is the perfect capper to the manic harpoon-drag climax--a final "beep beep" to startle Wile E. would have been fine enough to put things over the top, but the bird instead doing an about-face ironically provides a more satisfying ending. Jones, Maltese, and their crew are playfully thumbing their noses at our expectations, and it helps elevate the cartoons above the studio's other formulaic series such as Hippety Hopper and Jones's own Pepé le Pew.

A Salute to Chuck Jones (WHV, 1985)
The Road Runner vs. Wile E. Coyote: If at First You Don't Succeed... (WHV Laserdisc, 1994)
Stars of Space Jam: Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote (WHV, 1996)
Stars of Space Jam boxed set (WHV, 1996)
Stars of Space Jam (WHV Japan Laserdisc, 1997)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Two (WHV DVD, 2004)
All Stars Volume 3 (WHV Japan DVD, 2005)
Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection 7 (WHV DVD, 2009)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 1-6 boxed set (WHV DVD, 2011)
Stars of Space Jam: Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote (WHV DVD, 2018)
Stars of Space Jam Collection Volume 1 (WHV DVD, 2019)
Looney Tunes Collector's Vault Volume 1 (WHV/Warner Archive Blu-ray, 2025)

An ad appearing in The Mexia Daily News in Mexia, TX on November 12, 1958.

Whoa, Be-Gone! (1958)^CJ

In addition to a giant spring and a barrel full of dynamite, Wile E. also tries using the Acme Do-It Yourself Tornado Kit, which thusly backfires on him and sends him into a mine field.

Latin Names
Coyote (Famishius vulgarius ingeniusi)
Road-Runner (Birdius high-ballius)

Acme Products
Acme teal truck
Acme Brand One (1) Giant Rubber Band (for Tripping Road-Runners)
One Acme Do-It Yourself Tornado Kit
Acme Water Pistol

Critique
No new ground is being broken here, and a couple of scenes seem a tad reminiscent of what we just saw in Zoom and Bored, but Jones and his crew nevertheless deliver another fully enjoyable short. Wile E. repeatedly falling onto the same spot (and then unsuccessfully using a trampoline to cushion yet another fall) provides a quick series of funny gags without getting too belabored. Perhaps the cartoon's most classic moment involves Wile E. immediately failed attempt to "skate" down a wire upside-down in a wheeled helmet (the wire's loud "TWANG!" as it snaps is a screamingly brilliant response to all of the built-up anticipation), but something needs to be said of a seemingly more common trap of dangling a wooden barrel full of dynamite sticks that the coyote gets stuck inside of. Unlike such villains as Sylvester or Yosemite Sam--who in similar situations become victims of time and can't quite get that final nail out before they blow up--Wile E.'s failure comes from his own ineptness; he gets out of the barrel in plenty of time, but he just forgets to remove the TNT-covered lid from his head. That is not meant to denigrate Friz Freleng's direction of slapstick, of course, but it does illustrate how Jones wanted the Road Runner series to be something a little more unique--to not always go for the obvious punchline.

The Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote: The Scrapes of Wrath (WHV, 1992)
The Road Runner vs. Wile E. Coyote: If at First You Don't Succeed... (WHV Laserdisc, 1994)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Two (WHV DVD, 2004)
All Stars Volume 3 (WHV Japan DVD, 2005)
Looney Tunes Collection: Wile E. Coyote vs. Road Runner (WHV Japan DVD, 2005)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 1-6 boxed set (WHV DVD, 2011)
Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection 8 (WHV DVD, 2014)

An ad appearing in The Rusk Cherokeean in Rusk, TX on February 12, 1959.

Hook, Line and Stinker (1958)^CJ

Wile E.'s efforts include planting dynamite under a bridge, swinging from a weather balloon with a harpoon, dropping a suspended piano, and a miscalculated Rube Goldberg device involving a cannonball. The first of two Road Runner cartoons "scored" from Capitol Records' Hi-Q library of stock production music by John Seely and William Loose.

Latin Names
Roadrunner (Burnius-roadibus)
Coyote (Famishius-famishius)

Acme Products
Acme Bird Seed

Critique
Another solid entry that sometimes has a bit of a derivative taste (the railroad crossing and harpoon traps are a little familiar) but nevertheless offers some surprises. The visual look of the series is definitely evolving at this point; the general color scheme is becoming darker and dirtier, while the environment is becoming something of an animated character in of itself (such as the road lifting off the air and playfully falling back into place after the bird speeds away). The blackout gags are enjoyable such as the retracting roll of TNT sticks and the suspended piano ploy (complete with the obligatory piano-teeth aftermath), but the pièce de résistance is clearly the ultra-convoluted Rube Goldberg trap. From the absurd setup--an "All the bird seed you can eat free!!" sign and a giant target literally painted onto the road--to the increasingly ridiculous actions that spring the trap, it's an exceptionally executed sequence that is entertaining to watch even when you know exactly how it's going to end. Jones and Mike Maltese even rethink and improve on the misdirected look of concern that Maltese first used back in Friz Freleng's Tweetie Pie. Of the six Warner Bros. cartoons to utilize the John Seely canned music from Capitol, this one is probably the most successful. Definitely some kudos are due to whomever at the studio (Treg Brown?) had the luckless task of editing the plethora of random music cues into not only some sort of coherent "score" but also finding passages to fit scenes and action they were never orchestrated for--even creating an overall musical motif with the cue that would very soon be better known as the theme to Dennis the Menace. Thankfully the cartoon is memorable enough on its own without the attached novelty of the music.

A Night at the Movies 1958: Auntie Mame (WHV, 1982)
Road Runner vs. Wile E. Coyote: The Classic Chase (WHV, 1985)
Chariots of Fur and Five Other Cartoons (WHV, 1996)
Stars of Space Jam: Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote (WHV, 1996)
Stars of Space Jam boxed set (WHV, 1996)
Stars of Space Jam (WHV Japan Laserdisc, 1997)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Six (WHV DVD, 2008)
Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection 6 (WHV DVD, 2008)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 1-6 boxed set (WHV DVD, 2011)
Stars of Space Jam: Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote (WHV DVD, 2018)
Stars of Space Jam Collection Volume 1 (WHV DVD, 2019)

An ad appearing in The Daily Illini in Champaign, IL on March 24, 1960.

Hip Hip-Hurry! (1958)^CJ

To capture the Road Runner, this time Wile E. drops a grenade that seems to keep coming back to him, plants dynamite in the road with a long fuse (but even the matches are against him!), drives a power boat in a rare river-based plot, and finally downs a whole bottle of Acme Hi-Speed Tonic (with vitamins R, P, and M).

Latin Names
Road-Runner (Digoutius-unbelieveablii)
Coyote (Eatius-slobbius)

Acme Products
Acme orange truck
Acme Mouse Snare
Acme Hi-Speed Tonic

Critique
At this point the series is falling into a comfortable pattern: a few traps that border on classic (such as Wile E. getting dragged by a trapeze or his attempt to roll a huge rock off a cliff) coupled with perhaps less-than-stellar scenes and filler that at least don't overstay their welcome. Some of the gags defy even cartoon logic--a grenade pin bounces back to become an actual live grenade, a river turns into a waterfall at both ends--but they're nevertheless absurd enough to work. The Road Runner is a little more complicit in Wile E.'s downfalls this time out--luring him to his own dynamite stick, tripping him, pointing out an approaching waterfall, etc. One can't help but suspect that someone at the studio must have expressed concern that the Road Runner had not really been an active participant in his own cartoons. It's an interesting change of pace, but the bird works better being more oblivious to the ploys around him. The speed tonic sequence offers a satisfying finale, with one unsung highlight being the little mouse the coyote uses to test it on (particularly when it's returned to its hole and one hears it crashing around out of control). The animation of the tonic taking effect on Wile E. is a delight to watch, and for once the John Seely/William Loose canned music adds a bit of tension to the scene--the cartoon is setting us up for a showdown. Of course, the actual chase ends almost as soon as it begins, leading to literally a dynamite ending. Again the series plays with our expectations without betraying them.

The Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote's Crash Course (WHV, 1993)
Looney Tunes Collector's Choice Vol. 1 (WHV/Warner Archive Blu-ray, 2023)
Looney Tunes Collector's Choice Vol. 1-4 (WHV/Warner Archive Blu-ray, 2024)

An ad appearing in The Winona Daily News in Winona, MN on November 27, 1959.

Hot-Rod and Reel! (1959)^CJ

Wile E. continues to try new things, such as roller skates, a camera rigged with a gun, a trampoline, a TNT crossbow, and a jet-powered unicycle (which takes him a little while to master).

Latin Names
Coyote (Famishius-famishius)
Road-Runner (Super-sonicus-tastius)

Acme Products
One Acme Jet-Propelled Pogo Stick
One Acme Jet-Propelled Unicycle

Critique
Jones and his team continue to deliver solidly entertaining shorts, but by now one can't help but feel like we're starting to see retreads of gags done before. You have another fake railroad crossing that turns out to produce a real train like in Beep, Beep; another malfunctioning cannonball chute like in Zoom and Bored; a trampoline fail that could have been taken right out of Whoa, Be-Gone!; and even another gag involving the Road Runner tripping the coyote like we saw in the just-released Hip Hip-Hurry! Whether it's series fatigue or the crew wanting to improve on previous ideas, who knows. Despite the short's inherent familiarity, many moments shine nevertheless, from the opening scene's physics-defying cliff break-off and fall (prompting the cartoon standard of a sunken Wile E. scaring off a curious fish--but why doesn't he eat the fish??) to the ridiculous idea of setting up an explosive camera (complete with the enticing "Free snapshots. Road-runners only!" sign) that seemed like it would have worked perfectly if the coyote remembered to remove the lens cap. The animation of Wile E. trying to get the hang of his jet-propelled unicycle is so fun to watch that it makes the scene's ultimate punchline (falling to his doom just as the chase starts) seem anticlimactic in comparison.

Stars of Space Jam: Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote (WHV, 1996)
Stars of Space Jam boxed set (WHV, 1996)
Stars of Space Jam (WHV Japan Laserdisc, 1997)
Stars of Space Jam: Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote (WHV DVD, 2018)
Stars of Space Jam Collection Volume 1 (WHV DVD, 2019)
Looney Tunes Collector's Choice Vol. 1 (WHV/Warner Archive Blu-ray, 2023)
Looney Tunes Collector's Choice Vol. 1-4 (WHV/Warner Archive Blu-ray, 2024)

An ad appearing in The Chilliwack Progress in Chilliwack, BC on March 29, 1960.

Wild About Hurry (1959)^CJ

Some of Wile E.'s attempts include using another slingshot, dropping a large rock that doesn't want to fall, dropping a bowling ball through a pipe, adding iron pellets to bird seed in hopes to magnetize a grenade to the Road Runner, and trying to steer the Acme Indestructo Steel Ball. The final Road Runner cartoon written by Mike Maltese.

Latin Names
Coyote (Hardheadipus oedipus)
Road-Runner (Batoutahelius)

Acme Products
One Acme Giant Rubber Band
Acme Shopping Center
5 Miles of Railroad Track
Rocket Sled
8,000 Railroad Ties
24,000,000 Spikes
90,000,000 Feet Lumber
Acme Bird Seed
Acme Iron Pellets
Acme Indestructo Steel Ball

Critique
A spirited opening sequence in which credits appear on various trap objects (including the letters of Chuck Jones's name literally blasting off a rocket) and the Road Runner's Latin subtitle pauses the bird in mid-"beep" kicks off the pair's final cartoon of the decade and their final effort penned by co-creator Mike Maltese--and it also marks the end of a decade of consistently hilarious and at times even brilliant entries in the series. The faster-paced scenes are exciting and dramatically staged, such as Wile E. being propelled off a crashed rocket and still gaining speed on the bird or the coyote's later downhill plunge in a rocket sled, and create a great sense of comic tension. Yet it's also the "slower" moments that provide equal laughs. Two notable highlights are Wile E. unsuccessfully flipping a flat rock over a cliff and then nervously trying to force it off (he knows something's going to go wrong, but his frustration gets the better of him)--and a classic scene in which he has the Road Runner eat iron pellets to attract a grenade via a magnet and roller skate, only to have the contraption fall apart and leave the explosive behind. The whole ordeal with the Acme Indestructo Steel Ball is the kind of finale the series excels in without coming off as derivative or tedious. As the ball is continually battered and thrown around by each comic mishap--be it fall, train, or mine field--every progression is natural and plausible for the cartoons' world; there's no sudden deus ex machina to carry it along even further. And of course, Wile E.'s occasional glances out the ball to see what's coming next is a hysterically pointless touch, and by the time the banged-up ball rolls back to its original starting point and involuntarily starts the chain of events all over again there's nothing left to say--it's now the comic equivalent of perpetual motion and the short ends on a high note. Thank you, Mr. Maltese!

Looney Tunes the Collector's Edition: All-Stars (WHV/Columbia House, 1999)
Looney Tunes Collector's Vault Volume 1 (WHV/Warner Archive Blu-ray, 2025)

An ad appearing in The Kansas City Times in Kansas City, MO on January 6, 1960.

Fastest with the Mostest (1960)^CJ

Wile E. only tries three attempts in this outing. He first hopes to have a giant balloon drop a bomb from overhead, but he accidentally sucks up all of the balloon's air while inflating it. He then tries to drop down inside a bucket while the Road Runner is eating bird seed...the bird's "help" actually does very little good. Finally, Wile E. thinks that he at long last has his prey cornered, but alas a misstep leads him into a fall to the ground, then down a waterfall, and finally through a series of pipes.

Latin Names
Coyote (Carnivorous slobbius)
Road-Runner (Velocitus incalcublii)

Acme Products
Acme Kit
One Bomb
One Balloon
One Basket

Mel Blanc: Wile E. Coyote

Critique
This is unfortunately the point in the Road Runner series where the quality starts wavering from short to short, as Mike Maltese had moved back to Friz Freleng's unit before departing Warner Bros. entirely for Hanna-Barbera, leaving Chuck Jones without a dedicated storyman and causing him to start self-indulgently writing his own scripts. The cartoons are still funny, but it's clear a key ingredient was now missing. Here, for instance, the quick in-and-out of the blackout gags of old are traded in for prolonged sequences where a single point or action gets belabored almost to the point of tedium. The classic "Wile E. falls and climbs back up only to get scared off the cliff again by the Road Runner's beep" bit from Zoom and Bored gets repeated here at twice the length with maybe half the comedic effect. Or the Road Runner zooms past a whole series of signs warning about excessive speed before getting to a planned trap--much of it is just pointless. Perhaps the short's saving grace is that it's animated beautifully, with such small visual delights as a bucket spilling the coyote out of it, the Road Runner's crest falling delicately behind his head as he looks up, and Wile E.'s painstaking dismantling of a bomb--though even the animation itself is spoiled by a sickly yellow color scheme throughout courtesy of Philip DeGuard, who's still filling in for Maurice Noble as layout man. Even the cartoon's climax, involving a seemingly successful ruse (a mere detour sign, after years of complicated gadgets!) that Wile E. savors the victory of before literally falling into a series of comic pratfalls, is needlessly convoluted and doesn't do much to stand out from the two extended sequences that preceded it. It's still a funny setup that in any other situation would make a decent finale, but Jones even sours the ending by recycling the "defies the law of gravity"/"I never studied law" wordplay done (much more famously) a decade ago in Friz Freleng's High Diving Hare. It borders on uncomfortable that a virtually silent cartoon series would have an entry end with a pun, and not even an original one at that. Probably the weakest of the Jones Road Runner cartoons and easily the most unsuccessful entry of the series thus far.

Looney Tunes Video Show #5 (WHV, 1986)
Looney Tunes the Collector's Edition: Cartoon Superstars (WHV/Columbia House, 2001)

An ad appearing in The Cherokeean in Rusk, TX on January 19, 1961.

Hopalong Casualty (1960)^CJ

Wile E. sets up two different dynamite traps (one involving a fishing rod), tries luring his prey into a gift-wrapping machine, and finally makes an attempt with a bottle of "effective" earthquake pills!

Latin Names
Road-Runner (Speedipus-rex)
Coyote (Hard-headipus ravenus)

Acme Products
Acme Christmas Package Machine
Acme Earthquake Pills

Mel Blanc: Wile E. Coyote

Critique
Chuck Jones seems to have learned his lesson from Fastest with the Mostest and goes back to basics here, delivering not only a shining example of the Road Runner series but also what is easily one of the funniest and most memorable sequences in all of Warner Bros. animation. Layout artist Maurice Noble is also back, too, and his return ushers in a visual overhaul for the series with brighter color schemes for the characters, a lusher background color palette (with a particularly piercing blue sky), and more artistically abstract desert designs--a stark contrast and welcomed change of pace from the last few septic-colored cartoons handled by Philip DeGuard. The blackout scenes are quick, uncomplicated, and return to the original concept of the coyote simply being a luckless loser who's at the mercy of beeping trucks or miscalculated physics rather than malfunctioning gadgetry. It certainly says a lot when the gags are so effectively simple that the most outrageous scheme before the finale involves a Christmas package machine. But oh, what a finale! Every element in the earthquake-pill scene works: the absurdity of the product itself, Wile E.'s arrogant chuckling as the Road Runner eats the pills, that last pill sliding down the bird's throat in comedic suspense, the coyote's wide-eyed puzzlement at the lack of action and his subsequent contempt for the pills, and of course the insane mid-punchline of the bottle's key warning label. When the earthquake effects finally begin, Ken Harris offers something of a master class in character animation, shifting back and forth between nervous subtlety and extreme action--considering the scene offers laughs ranging from Wile E.'s brief facial twitches to a large tremor terrifyingly creeping up his spine. The entire sequence (and short) is capped off with only the most obvious, expected, but nevertheless ingenious punchline. The Road Runner series would rarely reach such heights again.

The Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote: The Scrapes of Wrath (WHV, 1992)
The Road Runner vs. Wile E. Coyote: If at First You Don't Succeed... (WHV Laserdisc, 1994)
Looney Tunes Collector's Choice Vol. 4 (WHV/Warner Archive Blu-ray, 2024)
Looney Tunes Collector's Choice Vol. 1-4 (WHV/Warner Archive Blu-ray, 2024)

An ad appearing in The Summer Illini in Champaign, IL on July 27, 1961.

Zip 'n Snort (1961)^CJ

Some of Wile E.'s devices include a toy airplane carrying a grenade, a magnet attached to a fishing pole, and a cannon high atop a cliff (pointing down, yet!)...not to mention his use of axle grease on his feet (guaranteed slippery!).

Latin Names
Coyote (Evereadii eatibus)
Road-Runner (Digoutius-hot-rodis)

Acme Products
Acme Iron Pellets
Acme Axle Grease

Mel Blanc: Wile E. Coyote

Critique
One of the last prime examples of the Road Runner series before Chuck Jones's eventual firing from Warner Bros. in 1962 and the subsequent closing of the original studio. Some of the mishaps are so iconic and typical of the series--Wile E. crashing face-first into a bow, a boulder see-sawing back onto him, etc.--that it's unbelievable that they hadn't been done before. One of the cartoon's more memorable traps involves the cannon perched on the cliff, complete a fun POV shot as the Road Runner stops at the bird seed, a dynamic straight-down image of Wile E. aiming the cannon at the ground, and even a silly mid-scene pantomime as Wile E. falls through the air chased by the detached muzzle. The final collapse of the cliff itself is one of a few examples throughout where the Jones crew make excellent use of the isolated desert terrain--cliffs break off in heavy chunks, a cannon launches Wile E. through the open air, etc., and everything is animated with real weight and dimension behind it. The blackout gags are also so basic and semi-logical that the axle grease finale is simply absurd in comparison--and even if one can sort of see the coyote's thinking here, that sliding down a mountain will generate speed, the premise is immediately shattered and the sequence is then dominated by the failure's aftermath. His near-miss with an oncoming locomotive offers a quick bit of comic suspense, which then makes the following end gag a satisfying closer in line with the series.

Road Runner vs. Wile E. Coyote: The Classic Chase (WHV, 1985)
Chariots of Fur and Five Other Cartoons (WHV, 1996)
Stars of Space Jam: Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote (WHV, 1996)
Stars of Space Jam boxed set (WHV, 1996)
Stars of Space Jam (WHV Japan Laserdisc, 1997)
Stars of Space Jam: Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote (WHV DVD, 2018)
Stars of Space Jam Collection Volume 1 (WHV DVD, 2019)
Looney Tunes Collector's Vault Volume 1 (WHV/Warner Archive Blu-ray, 2025)

An ad appearing in the Alton Evening Telegraph in Alton, IL on August 25, 1962.

Lickety-Splat (1961)^CJ

A slew of little flying dynamite rockets get in the way of each of Wile E.'s schemes. Co-directed by Abe Levitow.

Latin Names
Coyote (Apetitius giganticus)
Road-Runner (Fastius tasty-us)

Acme Products
Acme 1 Pair Roller Skis

Critique
The only Road Runner cartoon in the small batch of films directed or co-directed by Chuck Jones animator Abe Levitow while the senior director was off handling the "Gateways to the Mind" episode of The Bell Laboratory Science Series and then preparing The Bugs Bunny Show. (Levitow had already migrated over to UPA and was working on Mr. Magoo and The Dick Tracy Show by the time this short debuted in theaters.) Like with another Jones/Levitow collaboration, Baton Bunny, it's a little hard to tell exactly how the work was divided, as Wile E. throughout maintains the scruffy, hyper-detailed design that became something of a hallmark of Levitow's Warner Bros. efforts. And similar to the last time the substitute director helmed an entry in a long-running Jones series, Really Scent, his is a rather atypical one here, too, with a running gag dominating the second half. Granted some past Road Runner cartoons had made the occasional callback to an earlier gag, but this is the first time in the series that the focus would be on a specific (repeated) mishap, anticipating not only the triumph of To Beep or Not to Beep but also the "themed" cartoons of the Rudy Larriva era. The tiny rockets don't even appear until about the midway point in the short, but when they do they take over the proceedings, becoming something of a third character in the story (complete with a signature musical "sting" as each one approaches). The classic "Warner Bros. explosion" by studio effects animator Harry Love gets a considerable workout as the cartoon continues, and each successive blast seems to amp up the tension. By the time the final scene starts, the Road Runner is nowhere to be found and it's essentially Wile E. versus the rockets, teasing us with a violent crescendo and then going for a charming fake-out ending. Unique cartoon for the series, and one of the funnier ones of the decade.

Looney Tunes Collector's Choice Vol. 2 (WHV/Warner Archive Blu-ray, 2023)
Looney Tunes Collector's Choice Vol. 1-4 (WHV/Warner Archive Blu-ray, 2024)

An ad appearing in The Cherokeean in Rusk, TX on June 7, 1962.

Beep Prepared (1961)^CJ

For this day-long chase, Wile E. uses roller skates, sets up machine guns, attaches a rocket to his back in another attempt to fly, tries trapping the Road Runner with a hole in the road, and finally lays down miles of railroad track for a rocket sled. The pair's only film to be nominated for an Academy Award.

Latin Names
Coyote (Hungrii flea-bagius)
Road Runner (Tid-bittius velocitus)

Acme Products
Acme Iron Bird Seed - one pound
Acme Little Giant Do-It-Yourself Rocket-Sled Kit

Critique
It's something of a new (albeit brief) era for the Road Runner cartoons. Chuck Jones's longtime and celebrated layout artist Maurice Noble begins receiving a co-director credit on all shorts produced until Jones's firing, while recently arrived storyman John Dunn begins writing for the characters. The Noble influence is immediately evident, with some rather dynamic angles of the action and the background color design becoming more vibrant as the short progresses to indicate a gradually setting sun. It all results in a very handsome-looking, but unfortunately ordinary, cartoon. It's not that the gags aren't funny, well staged, and worthy of the series; they're just very routine, and whether that's a result of Jones's typical unevenness in his own writing or newcomer Dunn still finding his way, who knows. (To his credit, though, Dunn was responsible for writing two Oscar nominees this year, this short and The Pied Piper of Guadalupe.) Such examples are a seemingly simple gag of a truck running over Wile E.'s extended foot getting bogged down in the painful aftermath of the coyote dragging his flattened extremity across the ground, while a complex cause-and-effect sequence involving the hunter getting repeatedly sandwiched between two large pieces of rock goes on a lot longer than it needs to. More palatable and a little less complicated are highlights involving a rocket-pack rethinking of the Bat-Man suit from Gee Whiz-z-z-z-z and the coyote chasing a magnetized Road Runner on roller skates. The final nighttime rocket-sled blast-off offers a charming closer and, again, an opportunity for Noble to expand on the short's visuals--but again, it's not exactly hilarious (even more frustrating is the fact that the scene would later be used to end the epic compilation sequence in The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie). Obviously it's satisfying to see the Road Runner cartoons finally enjoy a rare Oscar nomination, especially in a rather middle-of-the-road year of Warner releases, but this was hardly the best the series had to offer.

Bugs & Friends (WHV Japan Laserdisc, 1998)
Splendor in the Grass (WHV DVD, 2009)
Natalie Wood Collection boxed set (WHV DVD, 2009)
TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: Romance (WHV DVD, 2010)
TCM Greatest Classic Legends Film Collection: Natalie Wood (WHV DVD, 2013)
Best of Warner Bros.: 20 Film Collection - Romance (WHV DVD, 2013)
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume Three (WHV Blu-ray, 2014)
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume Three (WHV DVD, 2014)
Splendor in the Grass (WHV/Warner Archive DVD, 2016)
Best of WB 100: Looney Tunes Complete Platinum Collection (SDS DVD, 2023)

An ad appearing in The Pittsburgh Press in Pittsburgh, PA on April 3, 1964.

Adventures of the Road-Runner (1962)^CJ

A "short" in the loosest sense of the word. This half-hour featurette, originally produced as a pilot for a Road Runner Show for ABC, features a talking "super genius" Wile E. lecturing us on the art of catching his prey. Meanwhile, Ralph Phillips and his brother are watching the coyote's exploits on television. Marks the first time the villain has been referred to as Wile E. Coyote in a Road Runner production. Includes clips from past Road Runner films. Some scenes were edited together and rescored for next year's short To Beep or Not to Beep, while the featurette's actual negative was later chopped up to create two direct-to-television shorts in 1965. Since the original negative was cut up in the process, for decades the film in its entirety would be among the rarest of Warner Bros. animation. A complete studio print would finally see a release in 2004. Co-directed by Maurice Noble and animator Tom Ray.

Latin Names
Road-Runner (Super-sonnicus idioticus)

Acme Products
One Acme Bat-Man's Outfit - Reg. Size

Mel Blanc: Wile E. Coyote, Laughing Numbers (From A to Z-z-z-z), Sailor (From A to Z-z-z-z)
Dick Beals: Ralph Phillips, Schoolchildren (From A to Z-z-z-z)
Nancy Wible: Arnold Phillips
Dick Tufeld: Bat-Man Commercial Announcer
Marian Richman: Miss Wallace, Schoolchildren (both in From A to Z-z-z-z)
Norman Nesbitt: Navy Captain, Sailor (both in From A to Z-z-z-z)
Chuck Jones: Sailor (From A to Z-z-z-z)

Critique
There's a lot to unpack here, especially considering the convoluted origin of this production. As a one-off two-reel theatrical attraction, Adventures of the Road-Runner works just fine. As an actual television pilot for The Road Runner Show, however, it's confusing and it's kinda easy to see why ABC passed on it. (For years the muddled story was that the series didn't go forward--and that The Bugs Bunny Show was cancelled--because of increased tensions between Warner Bros. and ABC, originally stemming from the network's indecision on whether to let the studio syndicate reruns of Maverick or to air them themselves in a new late night time slot. The WB/ABC tiff actually happened some time after the network passed on this pilot; in fact some time after it had already been shown in theaters. And for what it's worth, reruns of Bugs aired on ABC's new Saturday morning schedule for another five years.) Producer David DePatie pledged to the press that the series would consist entirely of new animation rather than be a showcase for classic cartoons like The Bugs Bunny Show was. The truth ended up being somewhere in the middle, with completely new Road Runner chase sequences mixed in with scenes from older films (in this case, Zip 'n Snort and Gee Whiz-z-z-z-z, along with some recycled animation from Stop! Look! and Hasten! and Hip Hip-Hurry!), while Chuck Jones's Oscar-nominated From A to Z-z-z-z was featured in its entirety. The new chase scenes are excellent and can stand alongside the best the previous shorts have offered, and it seems very likely that they were intended for a separate Road Runner film from the get-go (see To Beep or Not to Beep for a further review)--but it's when we cut back and forth to the "day in the life of Wile E. Coyote" subplot that things get a little stodgy. That the coyote is continually documenting his exploits for study is a novel premise, but unfortunately much of this is executed by him narrating over static images or repeated footage--and it starts smelling like cost-cutting padding that would hardly make for engaging television every week. The use of Ralph Phillips and his brother watching the "show" on television is a neat little gimmick to temporarily move the action away from the desert characters and lead to an unrelated cartoon (and Ralph's repeated "Beep beep! Zip-dang!" imitation of the bird is downright charming), but then Jones's original idea for the network series was to not only keep reusing these kids but also introduce a whole neighborhood of friends for them to interact with--why?? In addition to Maurice Noble, animator Tom Ray is also credited as co-directing with Jones. There's no definite way to know for sure, but it appears as if the senior director was more responsible for the core chase sequences while Ray worked on the bridging material (similar to what he would later do under Jones for the Tom and Jerry cheater shorts Matinee Mouse and Shutter Bugged Cat). Certainly the animation in these linking scenes has a clunkier, more limited look to it (the Ralph Phillips parts are almost entirely just mouth movements), so who knows who handled what. (Meanwhile, Mike Maltese's co-writing credit here is due to the use of the older material.) Mel Blanc continues to give Wile E. the uppercrust personality he had honed over in the Bugs Bunny cartoons, and it's used to humorous effect when the coyote is describing the various flavors of each Road Runner body part (including a hysterically weird pronunciation of "banama")--and elsewhere it allows for comedic juxtaposition when Wile E. drops his intellectualism to frustratingly describe a mishap as "just plain rotten luck!" All of this makes for an entertaining half-hour, just one that thankfully didn't go to series.

Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Two (WHV DVD, 2004)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 1-6 boxed set (WHV DVD, 2011)

An ad appearing in The Newberry Observer in Newberry, SC on March 6, 1964.

Zoom at the Top (1962)^CJ

After the Road Runner leads him on a bizarre upside down chase, Wile E. rigs a jittery bear trap, attempts to fly a suspended mini-rocket, and finally has problems with a glue-coated boomerang.

Latin Names
Road Runner (Disappearialis quickius)
Coyote (Overconfidentii vulgaris)

Acme Products
Acme Bird Seed
Acme Instant Icicle Maker
Acme (One) Boom-erang

Mel Blanc: Wile E. Coyote

Critique
Average cartoon that at times borders on tedious. The gags are funny, but there's too much filler cushioning them. Sequences such as the opening fall and Wile E. idling on the road thinking of a plan are so unnecessarily extended that by the time we get to a scene that does require more breathing room for dramatic impact--the coyote painstakingly trying to avoid getting caught in an unstable bear trap he's setting up--one's patience is already wearing thin and the intended comedic tension merely comes off as listless. This same elaboration also rears its ugly head during the final gag, with Wile E. sailing through the air trying in vain to get a glued-on boomerang off his hand--by the time the scene (and cartoon) ends, we're not given much of a punchline for our trouble. It's all just a bit too much for what are otherwise simple gags (not to the annoying extent of Fastest with the Mostest, thankfully). There are fun little moments throughout--Wile E. leaving a spelled-out "Ha ha!" in the air as he hides, the Road Runner excitedly bouncing on the sensitive bear trap trigger, the coyote literally melting himself completely after falling victim to the Acme Instant Icicle Maker, and him giving the audience an indifferent "Ouch" after getting injured--but they do little to elevate the short as a whole. If anything noteworthy can be said, the cartoon serves as the final time Milt Franklyn would score a Road Runner film, as he died a few months after working on this and was already gone by the time the short arrived in theaters.

Looney Tunes the Collector's Edition: A Battle of Wits (WHV/Columbia House, 2001)

An ad appearing in the Traverse City Record-Eagle in Traverse City, MI on January 2, 1964.

To Beep or Not to Beep (1963)^CJ

Utilizing scenes from last year's Adventures of the Road-Runner (with a new score by William Lava), Wile E. tries to catch his prey with a rope trap, a bulldozer, and a certain unpredictable catapult. The only theatrical Chuck Jones Road Runner short to forego the introductory Latin subtitles.

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Mel Blanc: Wile E. Coyote

Critique
Perhaps the most famous and celebrated of the duo's 1960s efforts, this cartoon proved that Chuck Jones was still able to deliver a comic tour de force despite dwindling budgets and his own humor sometimes skewing toward pretentiousness. (Ironically, Jones had already been fired from the studio and was working on Tom and Jerry for MGM at this point.) Everything here was originally shown in Adventures of the Road-Runner--apart from a slightly reanimated opening scene to remove Wile E.'s dialogue and a retouched final punchline--and it seems as if all this was written, laid out, and animated as a stand-alone short before being set aside for use in the TV pilot. Whatever the true origin and production order was, everything works here and is easily more effective in this conciser package. The rope pull and boulder/spring sequences are perfect examples of letting cartoon physics and unfortunate cause and effect determine the action and keep the viewer guessing as to where it will all end up without getting overly complicated. This marks the first Road Runner cartoon with music provided by newly arrived composer William Lava, and so help us, he does a better job at complementing the action here than Milt Franklyn did back on Adventures.... The soundtrack in general is more robust all around, with the score and sound effects setting the general mood of tension and menace, particularly in the catapult scenes--it's easily Lava's best score for a Warner Bros. cartoon. (And it's amazing to consider that this is the same man who later crafted the notorious rinky-dink canned theme of the Rudy Larriva shorts.) The catapult scenes themselves offer something of a late departure for the series, working together as their own mini-movie as Wile E. repeatedly tries to set it off without getting harmed. By the time the final attempt arrives and nothing happens, one really empathizes with the coyote's heightened anxiety. You start to fear for the worse with every movement or touch he makes, which makes his immediate dives away all the more hilarious. Something is going to happen, and when it does it provides the perfect capper. The Road Runner series could very well have ended on this high note and it's doubtful anyone would have complained, but unfortunately that just wasn't in the cards....

Road Runner vs. Wile E. Coyote: The Classic Chase (WHV, 1985)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Three (WHV DVD, 2005)
Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection 7 (WHV DVD, 2009)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 1-6 boxed set (WHV DVD, 2011)

An ad appearing in The Bridgeport Telegram in Bridgeport, CT on May 30, 1964.

War and Pieces (1964)^CJ

The final short directed by Chuck Jones for the original Warner Bros. animation studio. Wile E. Coyote tries to trick the Road Runner with invisible paint, a smashing metal wall, and a shotgun disguised as a peep show!

Latin Names
Road-Runner (Burn-em upus asphaltus)
Coyote (Caninus nervous rex)

Acme Products
Acme Invisible Paint

Critique
Chuck Jones's proverbial swan song for the original Warner Bros. studio is most definitely a step down, even by the more subdued standards of 1964. There's a general rushed feeling to the whole film, from John Dunn's half-baked gags to rougher, unrefined character models that could have used another round of cleanup before going to the animators. (The difference is like night and day between this and the polished, almost elegant designs Jones was using on Tom and Jerry over at MGM, and his first couple of efforts there were already in general release at this point.) Even Treg Brown's usually inspired sound effects are traded in for intrusive, harsh noises, often (for some reason) thunderclaps and balloon squeaks. All of this results in a very uneven cartoon: moments that do work--like Wile E.'s "invisible" footprints wandering around in a daze after being hit by truck--are negated by others that are more curious than funny--such as the coyote awkwardly shoving the bird aside to watch his own peep show trap. The Chinese Road Runner at the end isn't nearly as offensive as it could have been (we thankfully didn't hear an "Honorable beep beep!"), but the whole bit nevertheless has a weird and uncomfortable vibe to it. From 1974 to 1976 Jones would produce quick little vignettes with the characters for PBS's The Electric Company, but he would not direct another full-length Road Runner cartoon until 1979. Truly the (temporary) end of an era.

Natalie Wood Collection boxed set (WHV DVD, 2009)
TCM Greatest Classic Legends Film Collection: Natalie Wood (WHV DVD, 2013)
Inside Daisy Clover (WHV/Warner Archive DVD, 2018)
Inside Daisy Clover (WHV/Warner Archive Blu-ray, 2020) (SD)
Looney Tunes Collector's Choice Vol. 3 (WHV/Warner Archive Blu-ray, 2024)
Looney Tunes Collector's Choice Vol. 1-4 (WHV/Warner Archive Blu-ray, 2024)

An ad appearing in the Janesville Daily Gazette in Janesville, WI on November 24, 1965.

The Wild Chase (1965)

Directed by Friz Freleng, it's the historic race between the Road Runner and Speedy Gonzales...with Wile E. Coyote and Sylvester close behind! The first Road Runner cartoon of the DePatie-Freleng era, and the final theatrically released Warner Bros. short directed by Freleng.

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Acme Bird Seed
Acme Iron Pellets

Mel Blanc: Wile E. Coyote, Speedy Gonzales, Sylvester, Race Announcer, Race Starter

Critique
Genius idea with horrid execution, despite some funny throwaway gags setting up the race (side by side two-dollar/two-peso betting windows, and the race official shooting the starting gun right into spectators). Early on there are flashes of brilliance that suggest the kind of short this could have been--such as the Road Runner scaring Sylvester from behind with a beep or the cat and coyote propelling boulders that ricochet back into each other--but then the whole thing soon devolves into mere recyclings of past Road Runner animation with Speedy and Sylvester added as window dressing. We get the Zoom and Bored "Wile E. realizing he's not standing on a cliff" bit but with cheaper effects animation and a miscolored Road Runner comb, the Wild About Hurry grenade-on-a-roller-skate trap, the Wild About Hurry "Wile E. flipping a rock over a cliff" scene but now badly laid out over a new background, and the Hopalong Casualty dynamite-under-the-tunnel scheme--but now capped with a hideous static shot of a half-blown-up Sylvester that lingers on screen much longer than needed or comfortable. And of course, every scene is paired with an almost sinisterly hyper William Lava score that barely fits any on-screen action. One can't even fault Friz Freleng for this mess because there's really nothing the master director adds to the proceedings; any glimpses of new animation he provides (Sylvester pointing, the two villains chuckling together, etc.) are so trivial that really anyone could have taken responsibility for it. By the time we get to the finale with Wile E. and Sylvester riding a rocket car the whole cartoon is on autopilot. The rocket car is just one cel with exhaust flames offering the only movement, while the bird and mouse are likewise motionless except for speed blurs over their legs. There's a cute (albeit expected) ending, but after nearly six full minutes of reused and extremely limited animation any conclusion is a relief.

Bugs & Friends (WHV Japan Laserdisc, 1998)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Four (WHV DVD, 2006)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 1-6 boxed set (WHV DVD, 2011)

An ad appearing in the Statesville Record & Landmark in Statesville, NC on November 9, 1965.

Rushing Roulette (1965)

In the first of two Road Runner shorts directed by Robert McKimson, Wile E. has very little luck with a large magnifying glass, an explosive-rigged piano, another booby-trapped camera, a railroad handcar, and a helicopter.

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Acme Sproing Boots

Critique
With Friz Freleng focusing his attention on the new (and infinitely more successful) Pink Panther shorts for United Artists, DePatie-Freleng has tapped Robert McKimson to become chief director of the company's contracted cartoons for Warner Bros., with a particular order from on high to provide more Daffys, Speedys, and Road Runners to help bulk up potential television packages. This is the only Road Runner short McKimson produced before nearly another dozen were quickly outsourced to Format Films (McKimson's second effort, Sugar and Spies, would come after those were completed), and it does feel like something of a template for the cheaper cartoons that would follow. The director is a surprisingly decent fit for the characters, and he seems to have a basic handle on their dynamic (apart from maybe an odd back-and-forth on a pair of handcars). The only Road Runner cartoon written by latter-day Warner staffer Dave Detiege (who at the time was married to the niece of Walt Disney's wife!), some of the schemes get a little ridiculous like the photo booth (which at least allows for a funny shot of the Road Runner's autographed picture) or the free piano lessons (to set up a return of the dusty "Those Endearing Young Charms" gag), but other sequences like with the spring boots or the glue on the road would feel right at home in a Chuck Jones short (of course, it may help that a repeated shot of the bird speeding along is actually repurposed animation from Zip 'n Snort). William Lava's music here is a little more tolerable than it was on The Wild Chase--although this short did debut the hokey melody that would become synonymous with the Format Films cartoons--and the scene with the boulder rolling back and forth is well staged and provides a good bit of comedic tension, but none of it excuses the fact that the cartoon is mostly unnecessary. But compared to what's to come, this is as good as it's going to get, folks.

An ad appearing in The Circleville Herald in Circleville, OH on May 13, 1966.

Run, Run, Sweet Road Runner (1965)^RL

After the Road Runner momentarily stops the chase in order to play hopscotch, the bulk of this outing involves Wile E. making a lightning rod look like a female road runner. When our hero is actually attracted to it, the coyote starts doing a rain dance (complete with Indian headgear). The first of eleven ultra-budgeted Road Runner cartoons directed by Rudy Larriva.

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Acme Lightning Rod
Acme Glue

Critique
And here we go! With DePatie-Freleng facing an increased workload from both Warner Bros. and United Artists, the decision was made to outsource eleven Road Runner shorts to Format Films, a low-budget studio that had been responsible for the Oscar-nominated cartoon Icarus Montgolfier Wright back in 1962 but was primarily known for grinding out television animation on the cheap (the TV Popeyes, etc.). To direct the Road Runners Format picked Rudy Larriva, who had only previously directed the final few Mr. Magoo shorts for UPA and episodes of Format's The Alvin Show--and way before that he had worked as one of Chuck Jones's inaugural animators until the early 1940s, but whether anyone in charge was actually aware of that or that was just a coincidence is unknown. Among Larriva's skeleton crew on this initial entry are just two animators--fellow Magoo veterans Hank Smith and Tom McDonald--and layout artist Erni Nordli, who designed a handful of Jones shorts in the mid-50s including one Road Runner cartoon (Gee Whiz-z-z-z-z). Without knowing exactly how much money was put into each film, it's clear that these eleven were made as cheaply as possible and done almost entirely for television purposes (why else go with a firm known for churning out quick TV product?). The animation is bland, the characters look generic, and the film lacks any finesse--and already we get stock footage, with shots of the bird zooming over hills and speeding down a road repeated to save money. William Lava provided a full score for this first cartoon before simply doing a bunch of needle-drop-ready cues for the other ten, but honestly at this point his music is so interchangeable that it doesn't make any difference here and certainly doesn't add any value. Larriva also wrote the script for this first one, and ideas that should otherwise be quick blackout gags get bogged down into minutiae (although Wile E. setting up a sign promising "bird seed like mother used to serve" is a nice touch). A Road Runner cartoon shouldn't be slow-paced, and one would think the very nature of limited animation would work to the series's benefit--given a competent crew, of course. "Beep" prepared, for these are dark times indeed.

Bugs & Friends (WHV Japan Laserdisc, 1998)

An ad appearing in The Daily Independent in Kannapolis, NC on June 15, 1966.

Tired and Feathered (1965)^RL

Apart from attempting to roll a log off a steep hill and piloting a propeller motor on roller skates, a good chunk of this adventure focuses on Wile E. building a phony bird sanctuary, complete with a dynamite-rigged telephone. Features a slight homage to the old "Sylvester using two loose feathers to fly" gag.

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Acme Rapid Transit bus
Acme Dynamite

Critique
And with William Lava's repetitive, minimalistic canned "theme song" over the opening titles, we are now deep within the monotony of the Rudy Larriva shorts, and there is sadly no turning back. Warner Bros. animation legend Virgil Ross and post-shutdown Jones alumnus Bob Bransford have joined Larriva's barebones crew--whether or not they really added anything to the proceedings is unknown, but there are a few all-too-brief moments of cute drawings such as Wile E. scurrying away in embarrassment after being run over by a truck. Otherwise the animation continues to be mechanic and barely perfunctory. The opening sequence in particular suffers from a lack of spatial relationship: the coyote is seen atop a cliff watching the Road Runner through binoculars, and then when we cut to the bird on the road suddenly the canine is right behind him. We also get two more additions to the quickly increasing stock footage pile: a shot of Wile E. plummeting to the ground and another of him reading a book (the title will change from short to short depending on the story, of course). After the (again) elaborately detailed scene of Wile E. building the fake bird sanctuary and painting the billboard for it (at least providing a chuckle for not only advertising "no hunters, poachers, coyotes" but also boasting "free phones," as if the latter would appeal to a bird), when the whole scheme literally blows up in his face we're left with a lingering image of the aftermath--we only hear the Road Runner off screen beeping and zooming away. We're not even treated to a decent closing hero shot; a cold ending for a very lifeless cartoon.

An ad appearing in the Buffalo Courier-Express in Buffalo, NY on November 24, 1966.

Boulder Wham! (1965)^RL

The Road Runner is standing on the other side of a gap in the road, so Wile E. tries to get across by ways such as pole-vaulting. He even tries to use hypnotism on the bird! Finally the coyote lures the Road Runner over with a "Beep beep!" car horn, hoping to attack him with some newly learned judo. The only "modern" era Warner Bros. cartoon to make use of the "That's all Folks!" line.

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Acme Mail Order Catalog
Acme Deluxe Hi-Bounce Trampoline Kit

Critique
Ugh, this one, with the gap in the road. The only theatrically released cartoon written by future Oscar and Emmy nominee Len Janson (who would craft the stop motion short Stop Look and Listen before settling in at Filmation), this is where the Rudy Larriva Road Runners start taking on an episodic quality. The fast-paced, and unrelated, blackout gags of old are traded in for "themed" stories, not unlike what one would see in any formulaic television cartoon of the time. After we get past the lazy idea of the Road Runner simply going forward across a huge ravine (he has superpowers now?), the film just becomes a "character getting to other side of road/obstacle" story--of course, why the bird is just standing there instead of running off is another question. The whole hypnotism scene is just weird, from Road Runner's little annoyed scowl to the unfunny design of him going under. By the time Wile E. glances at his watch and starts getting hypnotized himself, the actual animation grinds to a halt--every cutaway back to the bird is just a static pose, while the shot of the dazed coyote doesn't even bother to move his googily eyes (the only movement is his hand dropping the watch). At this point we're practically watching a slideshow. The karate-fight finale is also awkward, with the suggestion that the Road Runner is willing to get into a scuffle being more than a little uncharacteristic and unsettling. And of course, there's one more new piece of animation to add to the recycle bin: a clip of the bird jumping for joy. Things will only get more repetitive.

Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote: Supergenius Hijinks (WHV DVD, 2011)
Looney Tunes Super Stars 3-Pack (WHV DVD, 2013)
Family Multi-Feature: Looney Tunes Super Stars (WHV DVD, 2014)

An ad appearing in The Pantagraph in Bloomington, IL on November 16, 1966.

Just Plane Beep (1965)^RL

Wile E. takes to the sky when he orders from army surplus and pieces together a World War I plane that keeps malfunctioning. He is able to repair it each time...that is, until the instructions blow away!

Acme Products
Acme War Surplus flier
Acme War Surplus box

Critique
Another "themed" cartoon, and at this point it's clear that the Larriva crew is just treating these Road Runners as a bland Saturday morning series, with all the enthusiasm therein. The short marks the first writing credit for Don Jurwich, formerly a layout artist for Hanna-Barbera and Jay Ward--and it's possible at this point that the writers on this series aren't even told which characters they're writing for. After an unnecessarily long sequence of Wile E. ordering and then building the plane, the bulk of the cartoon boils down to "take off, plane breaks, fix, repeat," but not in the funny way of, say, the similar pattern in Mutiny on the Bunny. The repetition gets tedious, and by the time the plot is thrown for a loop with the blueprints blowing away it's a lost cause. To be fair, the jittery animation of Wile E. bouncing inside the cockpit after his final, instruction-less fix is a nice touch, as is the final "gag" of him giving us a military salute before a huge bomb falls on him--both of which are better than these shorts usually offer. New stock footage debuting here: animation of the coyote mailing something and rushing off camera.

An ad appearing in the Freeport Journal-Standard in Freeport, IL on July 27, 1967.

Hairied and Hurried (1965)^RL

To get his elusive prey, Wile E. tries using a snow machine, flies a kite attached to a bomb, and takes up both skydiving and karate.

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Acme Mail Order Catalog
Acme Snow Machine
Acme Magnetic Gun
Acme Practice Bombs
Acme Kit
Acme Van Co. red van

Critique
One of the better Rudy Larriva shorts, but that's still not saying much. Nick Bennion is brought on as writer, having last been seen penning the Foghorn Leghorn swan song Banty Raids, so maybe he was around the original studio just long enough to see how a real Road Runner cartoon was crafted? The short definitely tries to get all the usual "beats" right: Wile E. starting off hungry (and even roasting a shoe over a fire), then attempting to chase and grab the Road Runner before the bird speeds off, and then the random Acme gadgets and traps. The blackout gags make it feel more like a traditional Road Runner short versus the last few we've been getting (and occasionally offer a good chuckle, like a karategi-clad Wile E. "bowing" to a cactus before attacking it), but there's still a sluggishness to the pacing--at least two scenes focus on the coyote "testing" traps with practice explosives before the actual mishap occurs (suggesting perhaps that we couldn't possibly figure out what's supposed to really happen otherwise). The cartoon is marginally more enjoyable when the sequences get to play out more naturally, such as a frustrated Wile E. ripping off a parachute and skydiving gear after jumping into a tornado--only to then absent-mindedly walk off a cliff (but even so, Larriva feels the need to prolong what would otherwise be a quick and easy punchline). Perhaps the most ridiculous scene is the funniest, with Wile E. covering a stretch of road with artificial snow and offering snow chains in order to attract with a large magnet gun. To make it clear who the chains are intended for, he erects a sign that says, "Free chains (roadrunner size)." Someone seems to understand the quirkiness of the series, but there are too many other factors in place working against it.

Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote: Supergenius Hijinks (WHV DVD, 2011)
Looney Tunes Super Stars 3-Pack (WHV DVD, 2013)
Family Multi-Feature: Looney Tunes Super Stars (WHV DVD, 2014)

An ad appearing in the Alton Evening Telegraph in Alton, IL on March 22, 1969.

Highway Runnery (1965)^RL

In addition to Wile E. chasing the Road Runner around a junked car (which springs back to life at the most unfortunate moment), the hunter also tries riding a sail-powered skateboard and a rocket-propelled scooter. The coyote also booby traps a fake egg with a bomb, but the bird simply hatches the egg to produce an explosive robot baby that goes back to its "maker"!

Acme Products
(none!)

Critique
There's a moment early in this short where an old car mysteriously runs over Wile E., and then in the next shot we see the Road Runner not only behind the wheel but then start chasing the canine with it. It's a weird, new dynamic that the Larriva cartoons introduce and continue throughout, that there's some mutual animosity between the two characters as opposed to one merely hunting the other (this would also come up during the bumpers Robert McKimson would produce for the eventual Saturday morning Road Runner Show)--like he wants the pair to be more like Tom and Jerry with their tit-for-tat battles. In the Chuck Jones cartoons, the bird is for the most part oblivious to all the traps and schemes around him--or at least, he certainly doesn't regard the coyote as any sort of threat he needs to fight back against. These more violent reactions make the character less sympathetic and definitely tarnish the spirit of the series. More in line with the Road Runner films of old is what is easily the funniest sequence, as Wile E. rubber-bands himself through a series of rocks and then into the side of a mountain--complete with him honking his nose in relief after freeing himself and then even an accordion-style retreat off camera after crashing to the ground. The revolving door of new writers continues with Al Bertino, who had previously worked in both the story and layout departments at Disney, UPA, and Walter Lantz. Regardless of who's providing the story, gags are constantly at the mercy of Larriva's barebones crew and Format Films' extremely limited budgets--so pacing is casually slow, any logic to action or order of events is inconsistent, and music and sound effects are just lazily slapped into place (in particular a repeated "boing!" noise). The "robot baby road runner alarm clock" scene sort of encapsulates all the problems with these shorts: very strange and lame gag to start with, clunky execution, tediously timed with the apparent intent of filling up the runtime, and even an indecisiveness on what it wants the sequence's punchline to be. The Chuck Jones team were able to knock the classic cartoons out of the park so easily and quickly that they stole production time and resources from one in order to fit What's Opera, Doc? into their schedule--here it seems like Larriva and company put in twice the effort for only a fraction of the payoff.

Bugs & Friends (WHV Japan Laserdisc, 1998)
Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote: Supergenius Hijinks (WHV DVD, 2011)
Looney Tunes Super Stars 3-Pack (WHV DVD, 2013)
Family Multi-Feature: Looney Tunes Super Stars (WHV DVD, 2014)

An ad appearing in The Pantagraph in Bloomington, IL on June 17, 1967.

Chaser on the Rocks (1965)^RL

With the sun beating down on him, Wile E. starts seeing mirages of the Road Runner swimming around a desert oasis. He tries to use the heat to his advantage, painting a TNT stick to look like lemonade. The coyote ends up shooting the sun down into th--err, we mean, he gets caught up in his own cannon trap at the end of a tunnel detour.

Acme Products
(none!)

Critique
It's Jerry Beck's favorite cartoon! Seriously, when a film is most known for a synopsis error in a reference book, you know you're in trouble. We're back to "themed" stories, this one provided by Tom Dagenais, who at this point was primarily known as a storyboard artist for Linus the Lionhearted. The concept of doing desert-heat-related gags for once is actually pretty novel, but everything is so lazily executed and poorly supported that it seemed pointless to even try. The animation of Wile E. seeing the Road Runner swimming and then running after him is repeated almost immediately, while a bit of the coyote painting dynamite like lemonade is a funny and sound plan until he somehow sticks a straw into the "glass." The cartoon isn't completely meritless (oh, but it's close): the blazing hot sun imagery is effective, the aftereffect of the dynamite-lemonade blowing up Wile E. is cute with the lemon garnish in his ear (that's one thing about the Larriva shorts, when they spend the extra buck they do funny results of mishaps), and the otherwise overly long bird-bath sequence offers a chuckle with the coyote falling in and doing a "one, two, three" drowning alert. But then we also get the "sadistic Road Runner" that these cartoons seem intent on developing. While Wile E. is trying to get a drink from an emergency fire hose (that just happens to exist in the middle of the desert, for some reason), the bird is seen off to the side turning the valve to increase the water pressure. As a large bulge of water builds up behind the coyote, the Road Runner looks away in suspense but then nevertheless keeps one eye open to see what happens (an image that unfortunately would become the first shot of the opening titles to The Road Runner Show). What a hero! By the time we get to the tunnel-detour finale, the overall desert-heat theme is abandoned. Typical half-baked (no pun intended) Larriva picture.

Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote: Supergenius Hijinks (WHV DVD, 2011)
Looney Tunes Super Stars 3-Pack (WHV DVD, 2013)
Family Multi-Feature: Looney Tunes Super Stars (WHV DVD, 2014)

Roadrunner A Go-Go (1965)^CJ

Another short using footage from 1962's Adventures of the Road-Runner. Wile E. uses cameras to record all of his attempts. He explains how he could have avoided past foul-ups, not that it would help with the return of a certain catapult. Chuck Jones is uncredited as director due to his contract with MGM at the time.

Acme Products
(none!)

Mel Blanc: Wile E. Coyote

Critique
In an effort to augment the number of Road Runner cartoons to sell to television, someone at Warner Bros. or DePatie-Freleng had the rather ingenious idea of taking the otherwise unpackageable 26-minute Adventures of the Road-Runner pilot and splitting it into two separate short subjects, mining it for as much unique content as possible. Unlike the earlier To Beep or Not to Beep--which was made up of scenes from Adventures... but added a new score and modified opening and closing animation--these new derivatives merely took the longer featurette's negative and cut up and rearranged the footage as-is. That they were processed in Technicolor and each given an MPAA certificate number suggest that they were intended for theatrical release, but neither short ever made it to theaters--in fact, it's even difficult to pinpoint exactly when they were made available to television. They never aired as part of the half-hour Road Runner Show on CBS, nor were they in the package of cartoons Warner Bros. concurrently offered in syndication (known internally as Series 1964)--they definitely made it to Saturday morning by the late 1970s, but before that is a bit of a mystery. Nevertheless, between these two cut-downs and the recycled animation seen in The Wild Chase, Rushing Roulette, and even A-Haunting We Will Go and Mucho Locos, it's fascinating to see how much of a presence Chuck Jones's work still had during the DePatie-Freleng era--it would be like if a Gene Deitch Tom and Jerry utilized old animation from a Tex Avery one-shot. Having said all that, A Go-Go is the more coherent of the two kit-bashed shorts, and the story is entertaining enough on its own without making one feel like something is missing. The inclusion of the complete "Out on the Desert" musical number makes for a decent opening, and the use of the featurette's "Road-Runner Blue-print Co." punchline to the catapult sequence is as effective of an ending as the similar gag was at the end of To Beep.... It's the middle, however, where things get a little random, where Wile E.'s continued problem-solving of the rope trap and his third attempt get taken out in lieu of the back-to-back-to-back repeats of scenes from Zip 'n Snort--and unfortunately, the final, extended catapult attempt is removed for time. Even as a hacked-up afterthought, this production is leaps and bounds funnier and more watchable than the actual new Road Runners being produced over at Format Films.

Zip Zip Hooray! (1965)^CJ

In the final short to use footage from Chuck Jones's featurette Adventures of the Road-Runner, two boys are watching the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote on television. When one of them wonders aloud why Wile E. wants to catch the bird, the coyote responds by showing them a chart of his prey's different "flavors." Jones is again uncredited.

Latin Names
Road-Runner (Super-sonnicus idioticus)

Acme Products
One Acme Bat-Man's Outfit - Reg. Size

Mel Blanc: Wile E. Coyote
Dick Beals: Ralph Phillips
Nancy Wible: Arnold Phillips
Dick Tufeld: Bat-Man Commercial Announcer

Critique
It's the cartoon equivalent of leftovers, after Roadrunner A Go-Go took most of the narrative elements from Adventures of the Road-Runner. What's left are some more-randomized scenes, most of which are more charming than laugh-out-loud funny. In fact, the only trap featured is the classic Bat-Man Outfit gag from Gee Whiz-z-z-z-z that was repurposed in Adventures... as a fake commercial. Much of this cut-down depicts Ralph Phillips and his brother discussing Wile E. and the Road Runner. In the original full-length pilot it was a cute, casually paced scene that offered a clever segue into non-Road Runner material, but here in this shorter package it's a little too tedious. A Go-Go at least introduced the premise that Wile E. is lecturing and instructing us on the science of catching his prey. There is no such establishment here, so when the coyote suddenly starts talking directly to Ralph (and the camera) in the last minute or so it's jarringly out of context. Although the bird's final "beep" scare provides an adequate bookend to the opening scene around the WB shield-shaped speed limit sign, there's nevertheless no actual punchline, and the short weakly ends with Wile E.'s head sticking out of a cliff. It's perhaps a good thing that Chuck Jones wasn't credited with "directing" this haphazard jumble of clips.

An ad appearing in The Maryville Daily Forum in Maryville, MO on February 17, 1967.

Shot and Bothered (1966)^RL

Wile E.'s new ideas include using suction cups to hang over a tunnel exit, setting up a tennis net across the road, and filling himself with enough helium to float in the sky...with a bomb strapped to his back.

Acme Products
Acme Catalog
Acme Suction Cups

Critique
Criticizing a Rudy Larriva cartoon for lousy, inept animation is like complaining that water is too wet, but this one perhaps takes the soggy cake. A boulder falls on Wile E. but the cels are misaligned to the point where the coyote's body is sticking out of the side, while elsewhere a distinct ink line is present where a piece of cliff will break off--it's either half-assed animation or incompetent layout design or a director who just doesn't care as long as his paycheck clears. This kind of laziness is all the more frustrating because some aspects of these shorts are getting marginally better. Two straight-on shots of the Road Runner zooming toward the camera are quite dynamic, and a post-explosion pose of Wile E. inside of a TNT box is as funny as anything Chuck Jones's animators could come up with. But even these are small victories in the face of repetitive William Lava music, a callback to a series of pipes that is more tiresome to watch than funny, and stretches of comedic logic like extra boulders that inexplicably fall on the coyote without rhyme or reason. The finale with the helium gas and the bomb is so leisurely paced that it's painful to sit through. The gag that unravels the whole plan is Wile E. floating into a bed of cacti that poke and deflate him--but why didn't he already deflate when opening his mouth in terror? Lazy logic for a lazy cartoon.

Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote: Supergenius Hijinks (WHV DVD, 2011)
Looney Tunes Super Stars 3-Pack (WHV DVD, 2013)
Family Multi-Feature: Looney Tunes Super Stars (WHV DVD, 2014)

An ad appearing in The Chilliwack Progress in Chilliwack, BC on April 24, 1968.

Out and Out Rout (1966)^RL

With the first half focusing on ploys involving birds, Wile E. tries to command a hunting falcon and ties birds to his feet a la the god Mercury. His other attempts utilize a drag car, a sail-powered skateboard, and glue on the road.

Acme Products
(none!)

Critique
The last of the semi-generic Rudy Larriva shorts, and really this one is so nondescript that it's practically interchangeable with the likes of Shot and Bothered, Tired and Feathered, and Hairied and Hurried. The latest writer to try their hand at the Road Runner is Dale Hale, formerly of the NBC medical drama Dr. Kildare and later known for working at Walter Lantz, Filmation, and DePatie-Freleng proper. Unfortunately the new storyman doesn't bring much originality to the concept, and the early use of birds in the traps made it feel like we were in for another "themed" cartoon at first (and why the coyote isn't just eating the birds he's ordering is another question). The scene of Wile E. being carried away by his falcon seems like a leftover gag from the Speedy short Road to Andalay, and we just saw a sail-and-skateboard contraption in Highway Runnery. Despite this nagging sense of deja vu, Larriva has apparently finally cooled on the excessive recycled animation, but the production is nevertheless still hideously cut-rate. Again we see distinct cel lines where cliffs and branches will break off, while the coyote falling through his dangling racecar is just a tracking shot through a static background, etc. The final glue-on-the-road scheme is one of the better sequences found in a Larriva film (despite it too having echoes of a similar scene from Rushing Roulette), but the Road Runner flattening the hunter with a steamroller is too weak of a gag to close the whole cartoon out on. At this point it's becoming clear that the Format Films crew will simply not find their footing with this series.

Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote: Supergenius Hijinks (WHV DVD, 2011)
Looney Tunes Super Stars 3-Pack (WHV DVD, 2013)
Family Multi-Feature: Looney Tunes Super Stars (WHV DVD, 2014)

An ad appearing in the Traverse City Record-Eagle in Traverse City, MI on July 26, 1966.

The Solid Tin Coyote (1966)^RL

After falling into a junkyard, Wile E. decides to build a rather horrifying giant coyote robot. Though it does frighten the Road Runner, the metal beast isn't any smarter than its canine creator.

Acme Products
(none!)

Critique
Probably the most unique and debatably the most memorable of the Rudy Larriva Road Runners, but that's still not saying anything. The gags are inept--Wile E. is stuck inside a bucket of tar and gets chased by a truck when he could just merely hop off the road, the robot refuses to obey any stop command without rhyme or reason and steps on the coyote, etc.--the characters' motives and personalities get abandoned for the sake of the story (why would Wile E. want the robot to eat the Road Runner instead of eating him himself?), and the reveal of the coyote robot gets spoiled by the cartoon's own title card. The tone of the cartoon is tricky to discern. The bird is genuinely (and uncharacteristically) scared of the robot, but with Wile E. constantly at the mercy of his creation's failures, was Larriva and company trying to go for a spooky Frankenstein type of vibe? It's never clear, and honestly if they had actually had the courage to go for broke and make an authentic horror short with these characters, then that would have truly been remarkable and might even have justified the entire batch of cartoons--but it's doubtful that much thought was ever put into the production of these films.

Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote: Supergenius Hijinks (WHV DVD, 2011)
Looney Tunes Super Stars 3-Pack (WHV DVD, 2013)
Family Multi-Feature: Looney Tunes Super Stars (WHV DVD, 2014)

An ad appearing in The Acton Free Press in Acton, ON on November 8, 1967.

Clippety Clobbered (1966)^RL

In Rudy Larriva's final Road Runner short, Wile E. sets up a chemistry lab to invent new techniques, such as invisible paint (which the Road Runner ends up using!) and a bizarre jet spray can.

Acme Products
Acme Garment Co. truck

Critique
We made it! Despite starting with a slightly different (though badly edited) arrangement of William Lava's needle-drop theme song, we're back to getting another of the "themed" Road Runner cartoons: a chemistry-based one. There are a few chuckles, such as Wile E. crouching his body away as he slowly falls toward a cactus bed and later picturing himself operating hand jets in a science book, but they're mainly peripheral gags. The invisible paint scheme isn't really any different than what was already done by Chuck Jones back in War and Pieces, and again here we get the "sadistic" Road Runner who paints a boulder invisible before dropping it onto the coyote. Perhaps the most satisfying scene is with the blue bouncy potion, which offers a good dose of comic physics without feeling too convoluted. The final hand-jet sequence, however, goes on entirely way too long with the back-and-forth chasing, and the fact that the Road Runner repeatedly looks panicked over such a ridiculous gadget shows that Larriva and his team still don't have that great of a handle on the character. The double fake-out that leads to Wile E. getting hit by a train is a cute gag, but honestly it's nothing we haven't seen before. We do at long last get a decent, final "hero shot" of the bird as he waves good-bye to us--whether Format Films knew this was to be their final short is unknown, but after fulfilling such a specific and lowballed contract to crank out nearly a dozen almost identical shorts in a span of approximately seven months, it's doubtful they would have assumed they'd be retained for any further productions. (And of course, ironically, we'd encounter Format and Larriva again with a trio of Daffy-and-Speedys next year.) Rest easy, cartoon fans, it's over.

Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote: Supergenius Hijinks (WHV DVD, 2011)
Looney Tunes Super Stars 3-Pack (WHV DVD, 2013)
Family Multi-Feature: Looney Tunes Super Stars (WHV DVD, 2014)

An ad appearing in The Maryville Daily Forum in Maryville, MO on December 3, 1966.

Sugar and Spies (1966)

Robert McKimson's second Road Runner cartoon. Wile E. stumbles upon a spy kit...which inspires him to try to use sleeping gas, mail a time bomb, build a James Bond-esque spy car, and send out a targeted rocket missile. The final theatrical Road Runner cartoon until 1994.

Acme Products
Acme...Do-It-Yourself Kit: 1 Doz. Remote Control Missile-Bombs

Critique
It's the '60s! Spy stuff! After a year of working on the downright monotonous Daffy/Speedy cartoons, Robert McKimson returns to helm his second and final Road Runner short, bookending the glut of Rudy Larriva films and likely completing DePatie-Freleng's commitment to Warner Bros. to provide more entries in the series for television. (Sure enough, Sugar and Spies and all the Larriva shorts were still in general theatrical release when they debuted on CBS's Road Runner Show.) Unlike McKimson's more spirited Rushing Roulette from a year ago, though, this is a pretty weak final effort--really, apart from some scruffier character designs and slightly better animation there's little difference between this and the bombardment of tedium we just got from Larriva (we even get immediately repeated animation of Wile E. chasing the bird in a spy car). Where McKimson does excel here, however, is with the visuals--from the creepy green-skinned spy who sets up the plot to Wile E. lurking around in a secret agent trenchcoat to the Road Runner's cute little nod as he patiently waits for the coyote to add more postage to a time bomb (we even get a fun quick look inside Wile E.'s cave with files and a computer). Walter Greene provides the music here during his very brief stint at DePatie-Freleng before heading over to Walter Lantz. He attempts to give the cartoon a jazzy "espionage" vibe similar to DePatie's Inspector shorts, but the score clashes too much with the series--and add to that some off-putting low-pitch vocal effects and you get a very weird soundtrack that takes a lot of the fun out of watching a Road Runner cartoon. The gags aren't anything revolutionary despite the premise, and honestly items like the explosive putty and the time bomb could very well have been Acme products as opposed to from a spy kit. Thankfully the short ends with a semi-epic finale with the remote-controlled missiles (complete with the obligatory "roadrunner" setting). In a way it would have been interesting to see if the series had continued if Warner Bros. extended their contract with DePatie-Freleng, or during the William Hendricks/Seven Arts era--but if McKimson's own Rabbits Stew and Rabbits Too! with Rapid Rabbit is any indication of how a later Road Runner short would turn out, maybe it was for the best. There wouldn't be another Road Runner cartoon directed by someone other than Chuck Jones for another thirty-four years.

Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote: Supergenius Hijinks (WHV DVD, 2011)
Looney Tunes Super Stars 3-Pack (WHV DVD, 2013)
Family Multi-Feature: Looney Tunes Super Stars (WHV DVD, 2014)

An ad for the entire Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales special appearing in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in Pittsburgh, PA on November 27, 1979, specifically one of the only ones to actually depict Road Runner.

Freeze Frame (1979)^CJ

The pair's only winter adventure, as Wile E. Coyote learns that a Road Runner cannot stand cold weather. However, not even an instant snow machine or ice skates are of much help.

Latin Names
Road-Runner (Semper food-ellus)
Coyote (Grotesques appetitus)

Acme Products
The Acme Whole Road-Runner Catalogue
Acme Little Giant Snow-Cloud Seeder
Acme Speed Skates
1 Pair Acme Jet-Propelled Skis - Solomon/Grundy Binding
Acme Mfg. Co.
Dog Sled
12 92 lb. Dogs
Acme Corp. Invoice
Acme Rocking Horse
Acme Road-Runner Lasso

Critique
Easily the most entertaining of the three cartoons from Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales. Chuck Jones tries to bring the series back to its former glory despite some rough animation (but still pretty good for 1979 television!) and inconsistent layout (even leading to a glaring continuity error when Wile E.'s rocking horse slides to a halt at a railroad crossing). The central conceit to get two strictly desert characters into a completely different climate is a tad hokey (switching "snow summit" and "desert crossings" direction signs), but an effort was made to not make it feel entirely contrived and the transition is actually effective. Once the winter aesthetic takes over, the background design is quite lovely and overall it is a pretty cartoon to look at (especially the snow-capped mountains in the distance). It's just Jones's writing that needed some polishing. Gags like the Everything You've Always Wanted to Know About Roadrunners (But Were Afraid to Ask) book title and the "Sled dogs LOVE coyotes - especially for supper!" footnote on the sled invoice are trying way too hard; it starts becoming a downright wordy Road Runner cartoon! Wile E. struggling with the snow machine from every angle echoes the iconic catapult sequence from To Beep or Not to Beep--a cute couple of gags but, unlike with the catapult, there's no real punchline to them. There's also an attempt to repeat the classic "Bugs Bunny's ears split to get around an obstruction" bit from Fresh Hare, only with the Road Runner's single tail feather. Not only does it make little sense from a comic standpoint (the single feather "divides" into two), but it also betrays its own logic by not letting the coyote's single tail do the same. Despite the convoluted conditions of the story, the snow setting is ten times less awkward than some of the themed gags Larriva and McKimson attempted in the 1960s, and we do at least get a charming yuletide ending out of the whole thing. After little to no Road Runner animation for well over a decade, the duo's return to shorts could have been better--but it also could have been a whole lot worse!

NOTE: This made-for-TV short did not originally feature a title sequence, but one was created in 2020. The videos listed below include the cartoon as it was originally seen, without a title.

Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales (WHV, 1990)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Five (WHV DVD, 2007)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 1-6 boxed set (WHV DVD, 2011)

A TV listings blurb appearing in The Miami News in Miami, FL on May 17, 1980, specifically highlighting this short from the Bugs Bunny's Bustin' Out All Over special.

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Bunny (1980)^CJ

The Road Runner and Wile E. make cameo appearances (as babies!) at the end of this Bugs cartoon produced for the TV special Bugs Bunny's Bustin' Out All Over. As Bugs recalls his childhood being hunted by schoolboy Elmer Fudd, Wile E. (full grown this time) makes an additional surprise cameo during Elmer's death-defying first lesson on gravity.

Acme Products
Acme Little Giant Pop Gun Repeater

Mel Blanc: Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Rabbit Students

Critique
Typical of Chuck Jones's late '60s and 1970s work, it's high on style and a little short on substance, as the gags are generally more clever than funny. There is a relatively decent mix of physical and verbal gags, and the wordplay for the most part is free from that tedious micromanaged quality that plagued much of Jones's later output--though there are a couple quick moments where he gets a little too cute for his own good (such as with popgun sound effects appearing on screen). Mel Blanc provides a respectable replacement voice for Elmer, helped by the recording being sped up a bit to make him sound younger (apart from an odd few seconds where he starts sobbing very much like a 71-year-old man). Young Bugs is surprisingly faithful to his classic adult self, and his attempt to grift the viewers for donations (admitting that he is likely bound for reform school) is pretty funny. The whole cartoon has a nice warm design to it, looking much more sophisticated than the shorts Jones and Friz Freleng produced just the year before for Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales--while the characters' younger depictions are admirable translations (though Elmer does look a bit like Charlie Brown playing dress-up). Wile E. Coyote's (somewhat illogical) cameo during the flashback is a fun surprise and anticipates the final twist end gag. Overall fairly enjoyable later Chuck Jones work.

NOTE: This made-for-TV short did not originally feature a title sequence, but one was created in 1992. The videos listed below include the cartoon as it was originally seen, without a title.

Bugs Bunny's Bustin' Out All Over (WHV, 1992)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Five (WHV DVD, 2007)
The Essential Bugs Bunny (WHV DVD, 2010)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 1-6 boxed set (WHV DVD, 2011)

A TV listings blurb appearing in the Arizona Daily Star in Tuscon, AZ on March 15, 1981, specifically highlighting this short from the Bugs Bunny's Bustin' Out All Over special.

Soup or Sonic (1980)^CJ

Wile E.'s latest trials include setting giant flypaper, dropping a safe, ordering a box of explosive tennis balls, and several attempts at riding a rocket. The chase also leads the duo through a mysterious pipe that gets smaller and smaller. This time, Wile E. Coyote DOES catch the Road Runner, but there's something screwy going on around here....

Latin Names
Road Runner (Ultra-sonicus ad infinitum)
Beep! Beep! (Beepius-beepius)
Coyote (Nemesis ridiculii)

Acme Products
Acme Frisbee Disc - Freleng Manufacturing Co., Kansas City MO.
1 Dozen Acme Little Giant-Giant Fire Crackers
Acme Brand Giant Fly Paper
One Dozen Acme Explosive Tennis Balls
Acme Tomato Juice

Mel Blanc: Wile E. Coyote

Critique
If having to sit through the likes of Bugs and Daffy's Carnival of the Animals, Bugs Bunny's Howl-oween Special, and Fright Before Christmas meant that we would also get Soup or Sonic, then it was all worth it. Is it perfect? Not at all, but it's fun and funny, two qualities that often elude the made-for-TV Looney Tunes product and a lot of Chuck Jones's later work. The director is able to rein in his usual cutesy (and tedious) intellectual witticisms, going more for sharper meta humor like Wile E.'s post-explosion "How did I ever get into this line of work?" sign and of course the climax's classic question to the audience. We get another To Beep or Not to Beep-style series of gags with the coyote's attempts to ride a rocket, but this time they're spaced out throughout the short so as not to become monotonous--they serve as a decent breather between the random blackout scenes (and it should be noted that at nearly nine minutes, this is also the longest Road Runner short to date). The rest of the schemes would be right at home in the older, classic cartoons, with the only differences being Jones maybe spending a bit too much time on finessing details or reactions--Wile E. "serving" explosive tennis balls like a pro, changing an on-screen "?" expression to a "!" as he's about to fall, etc.--but nothing ever feels out of place or like filler. The various winks to the viewer--the Road Runner beeping at us from one side of a ravine, Wile E.'s little Chaplin walk before realizing his tail is on fire, and the coyote's explosion-dreading "For sale one used tennis racket" ("cheap!") sign--are more tongue-in-cheek than cloying, and even Dean Elliott's "triumphant" music in the finale is presented sincerely despite the context. Easily the most satisfying post-Warner production from Jones since How the Grinch Stole Christmas! and arguably one of the best examples of post-1964 Looney Tunes animation.

NOTE: This made-for-TV short did not originally feature a title sequence, but one was created in 1992. The videos listed below include the cartoon as it was originally seen, without a title.

Bugs Bunny's Bustin' Out All Over (WHV, 1992)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Five (WHV DVD, 2007)
The Essential Bugs Bunny (WHV DVD, 2010)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 1-6 boxed set (WHV DVD, 2011)

An ad appearing in The Deseret News in Salt Lake City, UT on December 22, 1994.

Chariots of Fur (1994)^CJ

The chase is back on in this new theatrical Road Runner cartoon. Wile E. uses a giant mouse trap (take a wild guess what it catches), lightning bolts, and a phony road to capture his old prey. Features gags written by an uncredited Stan Freberg.

Latin Names
Road Runner (Boulevardius-burnupius)
Coyote (Dogius ignoramii)

Acme Products
Acme Giant Mouse Trap
Acme Instant Road
Acme Costume Company - Trick or Treat Cactus Costume
Acme Lightning Bolts (Fat Free)

Critique
Beautifully animated, but that can't hide the fact that this is a stunningly boring cartoon. We get a "giant mouse trap" scene that is almost identical to the "giant flypaper" gag from Soup or Sonic, while Wile E. laying out the Acme Instant Road over a cliff produces a repeat of the "In Heaven's name - what am I doing?" sign from There They Go-Go-Go!--sequences that are finely executed and full of vibrant, bouncy animation, but just nothing we haven't seen before and done better (although the coyote rolling out the phony road like a new carpet is a fun visual). Chuck Jones's later work has a real problem integrating contemporary vernacular into the writing. Here, a sign announcing "It's not cool to laugh at the Surgeon General" and a note on the Acme Lightning Bolts calling them "fat free" are as awkward as Bugs saying he doesn't "dig kingdoms" back in Bugs Bunny in King Arthur's Court. There are definitely some clever touches here and there like Wile E. having a prickly "Cactus Idea" thought balloon as opposed to a mere lightbulb, him having an unnecessary painful time putting on a cactus costume, and a lightning bolt target being labeled as a "Practice Cactus" (not sure why all the good jokes here are cactus-related), but most of it is just window dressing to new ideas that try too hard or, worse, are simply too lame to be memorable punchlines, such as the bird standing at the right edge of the screen and sticking his head out from the left only to explain it away with a "Road runners are extremely flexible" sign. And of course, when the actual slapstick doesn't provide much of a laugh, Jones resorts to his faux-intellectual shtick like spelling out goofy sound effects on screen ("Splump!"??) or having Wile E. play an immobile bow like a harp--when a Road Runner cartoon has to pause to do a musical number, you know you're in trouble. Optimistically this is nevertheless the best of the Chuck Jones Productions 1990s shorts, but compared to what else came out (see below) that's not much of an endorsement.

Chariots of Fur and Five Other Cartoons (WHV, 1996)
Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote: Supergenius Hijinks (WHV DVD, 2011)
Looney Tunes Super Stars 3-Pack (WHV DVD, 2013)
Family Multi-Feature: Looney Tunes Super Stars (WHV DVD, 2014)
Looney Tunes Parodies Collection (WHV DVD, 2020)

An ad appearing in the Santa Cruz Sentinel in Santa Cruz, CA on August 23, 1996.

Superior Duck (1996)^CJ

The Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote are just two of the numerous Looney Tunes characters who interrupt Daffy's superheroic story, with Wile E. even contemplating a duck dinner. Chuck Jones's final time directing the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote after almost a half-century with the pair.

Acme Products
Acme Little Giant Space Vehicle
Acme Disintegrating Pistol
Acme Integrating Pistol

Frank Gorshin: Daffy Duck, Foghorn Leghorn, Observer
Thurl Ravenscroft: Narrator
Eric Goldberg: Tweety, Marvin the Martian, Porky Pig, Observer
Jim Cummings: Tasmanian Devil, Superman, Observer

Critique
Dull, overly talky disaster. Attempting to present itself as a sort of cross between Stupor Duck and Duck Amuck, the short fails at replicating either the goofiness of the former or the meta cleverness of the latter. Having Daffy being unable to get through the traditional opening Superman narration might have been a funny idea on paper, but when bloated into nearly seven minutes the parody instead becomes a travesty. (Jones's own Super-Rabbit, meanwhile, was able to spoof the Superman narration in a few quick shots and then follow it up with a normal adventure!) Even Daffy's motives are unclear: at one point he complains about working in cartoons, so is he being an actor or a superhero in this? When the narrator (a thoroughly wasted Thurl Ravenscroft) threatens Daffy with "No work, no pay" in order to continue showing off his powers, you have no idea which "work" he's referring to by then. The miscasting of Frank Gorshin in these 1990s cartoons is simply baffling; here he sputters out lines in a "Daffy with a sinus infection" sorta way. Chuck Jones had recently worked with such Mel Blanc mimics as Jeff Bergman, Joe Alaskey, and Greg Burson, so it's not like he was unaware of potential "established" Daffy voices--and the employment of animator Eric Goldberg as a voice actor (using the pseudonym "Claude Raynes" to prevent jeopardizing his work at Disney) is beyond questionable. The numerous character cameos are condescendingly gratuitous--and Marvin and Porky's involvement seem to serve no purpose other than to repeat the classic disintegration-proof vest bit from Duck Dodgers... (why does Superior Duck even have a "Space Cadet"?). In Carrotblanca, for example, the various cameos are fun Easter eggs but they're also used to populate the bustling city; here, everyone essentially comes on screen and stands with Daffy just long enough as if to say, "Hey, did you know this production cel is available signed by Chuck Jones for just $1,600 at your nearest Warner Bros. Studio Store?" (Seriously, though, that was in fact the reason for all the various cameos, to sell the production cels. It's also why Daffy's costume is green and not the intended Supermanesque blue, because Warner Bros. gallery marketing suggested that the cels would sell better if he looked more like Duck Dodgers.) By the time we get to the Tasmanian Devil's appearance and hear a welcomed familiar voice in Jim Cummings, the whole story has fallen apart anyway and we're left with a quasi-hipster joke of Taz becoming a vegetarian because he hates raw duck--you know, the character whose main trait is that he eats raw animals (especially when any other line could have worked to show his revulsion: "Taz hates SPANDEX!"). The final "surprise" Superman cameo is so joyless that you almost forget that they're just copying the "I'm working this side of the street" gag from The Great Piggy Bank Robbery. (To say nothing of the fact that someone should have been fired for not thinking to approach Christopher Reeve with voicing Superman, since the short was in production before his tragic 1995 accident.) A completely pointless exercise in tedium.

Superior Duck (WHV, 1998)
Daffy Duck's Quackbusters (WHV DVD, 2009)
The Essential Daffy Duck (WHV DVD, 2011)
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume One (WHV Blu-ray, 2011) (SD)
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume One: Ultimate Collector's Edition (WHV Blu-ray, 2011) (SD)
4 Kid Favorites: Looney Tunes Collection (WHV DVD, 2015)
Looney Tunes Double Feature (WHV DVD, 2016)
Joe's Apartment (WHV/Warner Archive Blu-ray, 2024)
Daffy Duck's Quackbusters (WHV/Warner Archive Blu-ray, 2025)

A movie listing appearing in The Los Angeles Times in Los Angeles, CA on November 7, 2000, specifically mentioning the short's only theatrical appearance to qualify for an Academy Award.

Little Go Beep (2000)

Cage E. Coyote wants his young son Wile E. to carry on the family's tradition of great hunters. Focusing on a training-wheeled baby Road Runner, the infant coyote uses dynamite, a badger trap (guess what it catches), a Stretch Hamstring action figure, a jack-in-the-box-powered boxing glove, and a water-rocket-propelled tricycle (with toys manufactured by Acme Jr.). Directed by Spike Brandt. Previewed in Los Angeles in November 2000 with Best in Show to qualify for the Academy Awards before being shelved for nearly a decade.

Latin Names
Road Runner (Geococcyx califoriaus, Morselus babyfatius tastius)
Coyote (Poor schnookius)

Acme Products
Acme Robot
Acme blocks
Acme Jr. Jack in the Box
Acme Anvil
Acme Badger Trap
Acme Jr. Stretch Hamstring
Acme Jr. boxing glove jack in the box
Acme Jr. One (1) Generic Big Trike
Acme Hand-Pump
Acme Jr. Aqua Rocket

Stan Freberg: Cage E. Coyote

Critique
Extremely cute tribute to the Chuck Jones shorts (complete with such nods as the "Harris Cup" and the "Maltese Trophy" on Cage E.'s mantle). Written by Hanna-Barbera and Pinky and the Brain veteran Earl Kress, the cartoon was originally planned as part of a feature-length Baby Looney Tunes home video before the project was scrapped. Intended sequence director Spike Brandt liked the script so much that he filmed an animatic based on the storyboard and was able to use it to convince Warner Bros. executives to go ahead and fund production of a traditional short subject. (It would also be Brandt's first job helming a Looney Tunes project before becoming one of Warner Bros. Animation's go-to directors for Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry productions.) Surely there are respectful homages to classic gags from the likes of Stop! Look! and Hasten! and even Long-Haired Hare, but they are also augmented by new ideas and twists on old tropes that are perfectly in line with the series we've come to know and love. The climactic water-powered trike sequence pulls out all the stops, offering not only a fast-paced chase but also increasingly funnier callbacks to previous scenes. As if the gags weren't entertaining enough as-is, fans get a few bonus treats like seeing the duo appear as opening "head" graphics for the first time ever; an almost too-cute-for-words Baby Looney Tunes "That's all, Folks!" end tag written in crayon; and opening titles set against a photo album showing the Road Runner and Wile E. through various decades (including one image depicting them as hippies!)--so much loving detail for what was destined to be a one-off effort.

Daffy Duck's Quackbusters (WHV DVD, 2009)
Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote: Supergenius Hijinks (WHV DVD, 2011)
Looney Tunes Super Stars 3-Pack (WHV DVD, 2013)
Family Multi-Feature: Looney Tunes Super Stars (WHV DVD, 2014)
4 Kid Favorites: Looney Tunes Collection (WHV DVD, 2015)
Looney Tunes Double Feature (WHV DVD, 2016)
Looney Tunes Parodies Collection (WHV DVD, 2020)
Daffy Duck's Quackbusters (WHV/Warner Archive Blu-ray, 2025)

A movie listing appearing in The Los Angeles Times in Los Angeles, CA on September 12, 2003, noting one of the short's only known theatrical screenings.

Whizzard of Ow (2003)

Wile E. uses an old Acme magic book in his endless pursuit, which inspires him to try flying a magic broom, levitation, and booby-trapped a bomb as a crystal ball. He also transforms a cat into a griffon, which "somehow" continues to change into other objects. The first of a number of new theatrical shorts produced by Larry Doyle, this short is directed by Bret Haaland.

Latin Names
Road Runner (Geococcyx californianus)
Coyote (Canis latrans)

Acme Products
Acme Book of Magic
One (1) Acme Flying Broom
Acme One Bomb
Acme Clear Paint

Tress MacNeille: Black Cat, Acme Flying Broom Customer Service
Billy West: Porky Pig

Critique
Essentially a magic version of Sugar and Spies but with a bigger budget. The outsourced animation (by Rough Draft Korea of Ren and Stimpy fame) is decent and polished but so visually nondescript, with Wile E. coming off so blandly designed at times that it starts to resemble a Family Guy spoof segment. The opening wizard battle too looks like it had been patched in from another film, with quasi-Mad Magazine character designs and morbidly dark slapstick. The magic broom chase has some dynamic shots to it as the Road Runner leads Wile E. toward a tunnel, but so much of the scene is overwritten and dragged out that when the sequence does reach its final punchline we're expecting it to end the short outright--but no, we still have another three (long) minutes to go. Considering how pop- and contemporary-culture-savvy the Larry Doyle shorts were, it's weird that with all the spell-casting and levitating and magical creatures there wasn't an overt Harry Potter reference or joke--especially when that is clearly what inspired the cartoon in the first place. The final reveal of the Road Runner taking over the magic book is actually pretty faithful to the classic cartoons where he would assume control of a booby trap or device--and his using the book to turn a mailbox into a female bird is a fun turn in the old-school Tedd Pierce vein--but there's a lot of drudgery to get to that payoff.

Looney Tunes: Back in Action (WHV DVD, 2004)
4 Film Favorites: Family Comedies (WHV DVD, 2007)
Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote: Supergenius Hijinks (WHV DVD, 2011)
Looney Tunes Super Stars 3-Pack (WHV DVD, 2013)
Family Multi-Feature: Looney Tunes Super Stars (WHV DVD, 2014)
Looney Tunes: Back in Action (WHV Blu-ray, 2014) (SD)
Space Jam/Looney Tunes: Back in Action (WHV DVD, 2016)

Hare and Loathing in Las Vegas (2004)

The Road Runner and Wile E. make cameo appearances on a TV in this romp as Bugs wreaks havoc through Bonaparte (Yosemite) Sam's new casino. Directed by Bill Kopp and Peter Shin and produced by Larry Doyle. Remained unreleased in the United States until 2010.

Acme Products
(none!)

Joe Alaskey: Bugs Bunny
Jeff Bennett: Yosemite Sam
Tress MacNeille: Roulette Dealer, Cage Cashier
Maurice LaMarche: Gamblers
Billy West: Porky Pig

Critique
Competently executed film, but just tragically generic. There's no sense of style, either in the writing or direction. It feels like an episode from some oddball Looney Tunes television series that never existed. Casino humor stopped being original or funny about a half-century ago--there are only so many variations of the "blackjack/hit me" bit or gags about a malfunctioning slot machine; it's actually surprising there's wasn't a "cut the cards" joke. The rest of the cartoon is padded out with hacky jokes about rabbits' feet (get it? Because it's Bugs Bunny) and the all-time king of easy targets: the French (a cannonball hits the Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas and it immediately runs up the white flag to "surrender"). Joe Alaskey and Jeff Bennett do their usual excellent jobs as the leads but there's little guidance in their performances and it more often than not sounds like they're reading lines as opposed to actually acting, with Alaskey's voice even occasionally sped up with awkward results--the directors don't trust their cast to perform the characters correctly. There's no way a series of new theatrical shorts would have lasted with this level of blandness.

The Essential Bugs Bunny (WHV DVD, 2010)
Looney Tunes: Back in Action (WHV Blu-ray, 2014)
Looney Tunes Parodies Collection (WHV DVD, 2020)

An ad appearing in the Chicago Tribune in Chicago, IL on July 30, 2010.

Coyote Falls (2010)^MO

Wile E. uses an all-too-effective bungee cord to launch an attack from a bridge...with predictable results. The first CGI Looney Tunes short, and the first Warner Bros. cartoon short released in 3D in fifty-seven years.

Acme Products
Acme Bird Seed
Acme Bungee Cord

Critique
The first Warner Bros. production directed by The Great Mouse Detective writer and Life with Louie creator Matthew O'Callaghan, Coyote Falls packs a lot of action and humor into its almost depressingly short three-minute runtime. The Reel FX Studios team did an admirable job adapting the Road Runner and Wile E.'s classic designs to computer animation, with the coyote having a particularly cute "furry" look to him. (It's a far better 2D-to-3D transition than the studio did with The Simpsons Ride for the Universal Studios theme parks.) O'Callaghan does a fairly good job establishing a directing style when he's not too concerned about all the gee-whiz-in-your-face-3D effects getting in the way (which at least allows for a great head-on shot of Wile E. as he recoils backward through a series of twists and turns). It just would have been great to see what he could do with more time or more than two scenes.

NOTE: This short was originally released in both 3D and normal 2D. For the videos listed below, titles with an asterisk include the 3D version and titles without an asterisk include the 2D version.

Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (WHV DVD, 2010)
Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore combo pack (WHV Blu-ray/DVD, 2010)
*Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore 3D combo pack (WHV Blu-ray 3D, 2010)
Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote: Supergenius Hijinks (WHV DVD, 2011)
Best of Warner Bros.: 50 Cartoon Collection - Looney Tunes (WHV DVD, 2013)
Looney Tunes Super Stars 3-Pack (WHV DVD, 2013)
4 Film Favorites: Critters with Character Collection (WHV DVD, 2013)
Family Multi-Feature: Looney Tunes Super Stars (WHV DVD, 2014)
Looney Tunes: Rabbits Run (WHV DVD, 2015)
Double Feature: Cats & Dogs/Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (WHV DVD, 2016)
Looney Tunes Triple Feature: Looney Tunes 3-DVD Collection (WHV DVD, 2016)
Looney Tunes Let Loose (WHV DVD, 2018)
Looney Tunes Center Stage (WHV DVD, 2019)

An ad appearing in The Record in Woodland Park, NJ on September 24, 2010.

Fur of Flying (2010)^MO

Wile E. kit-bashes together an Inspector Gadget-like helicopter helmet, only to have the Road Runner lead him to a government missile test site. Released in 3D.

Acme Products
Acme Bonnie Bike
Acme Mega-Motor
Acme Football Helmet
Acme Ceiling Fan

Critique
Though it has a good opening build-up with the various empty Acme boxes and the sounds of Wile E. building his contraption, this cartoon is nevertheless just one long scene. This is the flaw with these abbreviated CGI shorts; they come off more like trailers to some longer cartoon we should be watching instead. With only three minutes to play with, there's no incentive for O'Callaghan to edit the sequence and break it up into quicker blackout gags. And let's not even get into the fact that for much of the cartoon, the Road Runner doesn't actually run on a road....

NOTE: This short was originally released in both 3D and normal 2D. For the videos listed below, titles with an asterisk include both versions and titles without an asterisk include only the 2D version.

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'hoole (WHV DVD, 2010)
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'hoole combo pack (WHV Blu-ray/DVD, 2010)
*Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'hoole 3D combo pack (WHV Blu-ray 3D, 2010)
Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote: Supergenius Hijinks (WHV DVD, 2011)
Best of Warner Bros.: 50 Cartoon Collection - Looney Tunes (WHV DVD, 2013)
Looney Tunes Super Stars 3-Pack (WHV DVD, 2013)
Family Multi-Feature: Looney Tunes Super Stars (WHV DVD, 2014)
*Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'hoole 3D/Hugo 3D (WHV Blu-ray/Blu-ray 3D, 2014) (contains both versions)
Looney Tunes: Rabbits Run (WHV DVD, 2015)
Looney Tunes Triple Feature: Looney Tunes 3-DVD Collection (WHV DVD, 2016)
Looney Tunes Let Loose (WHV DVD, 2018)
Looney Tunes Center Stage (WHV DVD, 2019)

An ad appearing in Newsday in New York, NY on December 17, 2010.

Rabid Rider (2010)^MO

Equipped with a brand new Segway (err, Acme Hyper-Sonic Transport), Wile E. hopes to chase down the Road Runner, even attempting to use a lasso cowboy-style. Released in 3D.

Acme Products
Acme Hyper-Sonic Transport

Critique
More traditionally structured than the other CGI shorts, O'Callaghan and Reel FX hit their stride here with a story that actually has a beginning and conclusion for once. The limited runtime still doesn't give certain gags a chance to breathe once they land, but moments like Wile E. having trouble steering his Segway or the vehicle getting stuck on a train track are subtle and provide a decent counterbalance to the rapid slapstick and energetic chase sequences. The ending with the multitude of (seemingly sinister) Segways ganging up on the coyote looks to be alluding to that in House Hunting Mice, but it's unique enough to avoid being a direct rip-off. These quick cartoons are definitely done with respect and love.

NOTE: This short was originally released in both 3D and normal 2D. For the videos listed below, titles with an asterisk include both versions and titles without an asterisk include only the 2D version.

Yogi Bear combo pack (WHV Blu-ray/DVD, 2011)
*Yogi Bear 3D combo pack (WHV Blu-ray 3D, 2011)
Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote: Supergenius Hijinks (WHV DVD, 2011)
Best of Warner Bros.: 50 Cartoon Collection - Looney Tunes (WHV DVD, 2013)
Looney Tunes Super Stars 3-Pack (WHV DVD, 2013)
Family Multi-Feature: Looney Tunes Super Stars (WHV DVD, 2014)
Looney Tunes: Rabbits Run (WHV DVD, 2015)
Looney Tunes Triple Feature: Looney Tunes 3-DVD Collection (WHV DVD, 2016)
Looney Tunes Let Loose (WHV DVD, 2018)
Looney Tunes Center Stage (WHV DVD, 2019)

Flash in the Pain (2014)^MO

Wile E. Coyote breaks the laws of time and physics with a new Acme Molecular Transporter that can take him anywhere...typically in the path of a runaway bomb or oncoming truck. Features cameos by Sylvester, Tweety, and Granny.

Acme Products
Acme Molecular Transporter
Acme bomb
Acme red semi

Mel Blanc: Tweety

Critique
"Go into the light.....with style" proclaims the box of the Acme Molecular Transporter, assuring the audience that they're in for a fun, unique short--definitely a much better sci-fi-themed cartoon than Clippety Clobbered! Setting the cartoon at night helps highlight the transportation effects, and the slapstick is good and well timed, but there is an air of predictability to the whole thing, and that's never good for a Road Runner film. The rolling bomb and boulder keep making their presence known throughout the short (almost Mynah Bird-style), which unfortunately is telegraphing their eventual role in the final punchline--unlike back in, say, Beep, Beep or Stop! Look! and Hasten! when a callback to an earlier gag is used as a surprise in order to add insult to injury. By the time we get to the post-credits scene at the railroad crossing and the fake-out crash, we know what's coming, especially since O'Callaghan had done the same joke before. The surprise appearance by the Tweety gang is an interesting novelty and lends itself well to the central premise that Wile E. can transport himself anywhere without being too convoluted. Tweety's dialogue is made up of Mel Blanc clips lifted from classic cartoons (like how Pixar cobbles together new performances from Paul Newman and Don Rickles for their sequels), which works as a one-off experiment but one dreads that it could set some ghoulish precedent for future productions. These CGI shorts continue to be frustratingly too short, and it would be great if Warner Bros. could trust O'Callaghan and company with a full-length Looney Tunes feature of this variety.