Too much of everything

hyped garbage

Excellent but underrated film

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Not one of Chuck Jones' classics, with the cartoon ending on rather an odd note and it's not as razor-sharp or witty as some of his other work. But Go Fly a Kit still an interesting and completely endearing cartoon, and well worth watching, not just for curiosity. The animation is superbly drawn and vividly coloured, Go Fly a Kit also does wonders telling the story through the visuals. The music from Milt Franklyn doesn't disappoint either, being a pleasing mixture of sensitive and energetic, full of character and orchestrated beautifully. While you miss the hilariously witty dialogue that you are used to, there is still some nice subtle humour. The gags are more restrained than usual but timed well and amusing, but much of the best of the humour comes from the facial expressions, Marc Anthony's expression of shock and realisation that he was biting on his own leg is priceless stuff. Go Fly a Kit is more a cartoon this said that takes on a heart-warming, tugging-on-the-heartstrings touch. It does so in a very sweet and moving way, and the cartoon has a lot of heart and warmth and doesn't dissolve into schmaltz too much. The story is told mostly in flashback but is always easy to understand, and while it's not a cartoon that has rapid-fire pacing Go Fly a Kit is never dull. The characters are very likable and carry the cartoon very well, Marc Anthony the bulldog being the most memorable. The voice work is fine, though not the best work of either Mel Blanc or Daws Butler. All in all, very sweet and well-done. 8/10 Bethany Cox

When I took a class about Alfred Hitchcock's movies, we talked about how a really good device in movies is when you can tell a story without words. While Chuck Jones's "Go Fly a Kit" has some narration, it consists mostly of imagery, and not surprisingly comes out very well because of that.The cartoon tells the story of a cat adopted by a mother eagle. She teaches him to fly, and after initially plummeting off the cliff, he realizes that he can twirl his tail around to achieve aviation. Well, like all children eventually must do, he has to leave home so as to make his own way in life. That's when he lands on a telephone wire and sees a bulldog chasing a female cat. So, our feline hero springs into action in a manner that I never would have imagined.I have to say that I really consider this one of the cartoons that only Chuck Jones could pull off. Aside from the facial expressions - ranging from bittersweet to zany - some of the POV shots are nearly mystifying. It just goes to show that there will probably never be another director like Chuck Jones (at least not our lifetime). I recommend this one.

Along side Max Fleischer, former Disney animator David Hand and Japan's Hayao Miyazaki, Chuck Jones is one of favorite animators, and this short is one of my favorite shorts from the late '50s. I thought it was a sweet story about a flying kitten who was raised by an old woman eagle with a maternal instinct, and when he leaves the nest and sets forth into the world, he falls in love with a cute little girl kitten after saving her from a very mean bulldog.I just love the backgrounds with their vivid colors. My favorite scenes are when our hero (The Flying Kitten) wants to join a chorus of blackbirds (tweet,tweet,tweet,meow). But when they see him they are so frighten that they bump right into each other even when they fly away. And also when our canine nemesis try to pounce on our hero; but our hero is too quick for him, during the struggle he use his propeller-like tail to get away and the dog found himself biting his own LEG!All in all, I love every bit of it. It has got tenderness, the love he shares with his adopted-mother and his sweetie and sorrow, when he says goodbye when he leaves: first home and when he flies south every Fall (being part-bird). But every spring, he comes back and his girl would wait at the airport for him, just like the myth of Persephone and the origin of the seasons.

Odd little cartoon, even for Chuck Jones, about a cat, raised by eagles, who flies by whirling his tail around. Sort of like a reversed Pepe Le Pew, full of cute little bits and a large bulldog to torment. A treat for cat lovers.