Running Atom

Atom the dog spots (with night-time vision) a scrounging cat near the start of Tex Avery’s great “King Size Canary.”



He gets ready.



There’s a unique sequence of drawings as Atom runs toward the cat. Here are the first seven of them. It’s tough to see here, but Atom leaps up and stretches out, almost lands flat on his head with his body on top, then leaps to run again.



Whoever the animator was didn’t re-use drawings, the second leap and run are similar but not the same.

Bob Bentley, Ray Abrams and Walt Clinton get the animation credits.

How long did it take this cartoon to be released? Variety reported on October 23, 1945 that Scott Bradley had been assigned to write the score for it and “Lonesome Lenny.” It was released December 6, 1947.