The Good Egg Isn't So Good

There are some really messed up characters in Chuck Jones’ The Good Egg (1939). We have a suicidal chicken who steals a turtle egg, then convinces herself it’s a chick. We have a newborn turtle who is convinced by his “mother” that he’s a little chicken.

Being an early Jones, it tries oh-so-hard to be a Disney cartoon. It’s slower than, well, a turtle (except the one in this cartoon who can zip along). It has all those squeally-voiced actresses he brought in to play mice. Its story tries to make you feel sorry for just above everyone in the cartoon.

In this period, Jones like using shadows and light to give characters more depth.



And we get some perspective animation just for the hell of it. There’s no need in the plot for the turtle to make a complete turn like this. Jones is showing off.



Ken Harris got the animation credit on this short, with Phil Monroe and Bob McKimson uncredited. Dave Monahan wrote the story.