Haunted Mouse (1965) really is a misnamed cartoon. “Haunted” means there’s a ghost or goblin or something of a similar nature scaring everyone.
Chuck Jones and co-writer Jim Pabian set us up for a fearful cartoon at the beginning. A sinister shadow appears on the horizon. What kind of apparition could be it be?
It’s a mouse. A magician mouse. Sorry, Chuck, but a magician doesn’t haunt anything. There were animators known to haunt a few bars, though. The mouse trots along to a jaunty, jazzy tune by Gene Poddany.
The Jerry lookalike gives us one of those smug side-looks. Hey, Chuck, this isn’t a Wile E. Coyote cartoon!
Ken Harris, Ben Washam, Tom Ray and Don Towsley are the animators, with Maurice Noble getting a co-director credit.
We’ll have a haunted Tom and Jerry cartoon tomorrow.
The Snyder-Deitch and Jones T&Js were certainly hit and miss...interesting sall the same...by the way, as veteran LINUS THE LION-HEARTED producer Ed Graham as died, are you planning to do an article? Cartoon Brew and Animation Scoop did one..thansk as always! Steve C
ReplyDeleteThe Chuck Jones smug side look is used a little too often in his later work.
ReplyDelete