Far from Perfect, Far from Terrible

An action-packed slog

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

. . . KISS ME KATE (sometimes referred to by its working title, THE TAMING OF THE SHREW), the Looney Tunes animators are able to cast the title part far better than Bill ever managed, given their superior Power of the Colored Pen. A shrew is a mouse-like rodent, only scruffier. The shrew featured in Warner's KISS ME CAT enslaves bulldog Marc Antony's pet kitten, Pussyfoot, forcing the wee feline into a Life of Crime, stealing food from the increasingly exasperated man and woman of the house, Tom and Vi. The last straw comes when the shrew kidnaps Pussyfoot, holding her for a cheese wheel ransom while threatening to dismember the innocent young cat. Like Shakespeare's original hero Petruchio, Marc Antony decides to put his foot down, and stifle the shrew once and for all. Borrowing a page from Macbeth's Macduff, Marc uses trickery to conjure a threat which looks more formidable than Cleopatra's War Barge. This sends the shrew fleeing, along with eight insatiably hungry little shrews. As someone once said, "All's well that ends well."

Fun short featuring Marc Antony and Pussyfoot, directed by Chuck Jones. It's their first after the classic Feed the Kitty. This time the master of the house lays down the law that, kitten or not, Pussyfoot needs to start catching mice or he'll have to find a cat who will. Marc Antony has no intention of losing his beloved friend so the bulldog tries to teach the kitty how to catch mice, with humorous results. The adorable quotient is always high for any cartoon featuring Pussyfoot. This one has lots of scenes that will elicit more "awwws" than laughs, although it certainly has lots of funny scenes too. I enjoy the cute factor but I know there are always those who disagree and are put off by these types of cartoons. If that doesn't bother you, this will likely be a short you'll enjoy. The animation is colorful and crisp. The music is whimsical and cheerful. Fun voice work from Mel Blanc as Tom, the frustrated master of the house. The characters are likable and well-drawn. I especially enjoyed the mouse in this. He was the MVP of the cartoon and his ransom note (signed the Kit-napper) is hilarious.

In this sequel of sorts to "Feed the Kitty", Marc Anthony has to train Pussyfoot how to catch mice, lest the owners throw them both out. Is that kitten so naive as to not even know to chase animals?! I liked the original better, as it seems like "Kiss Me Cat" sort of repeats everything. The surprise in the original was that a cute kitten melted the heart of a big, mean bulldog. The main addition here is that the mistress from the previous one now has a husband named Tom; as with the mistress, the audience never sees the guy's face.So, Chuck Jones turns Marc Anthony and Pussyfoot into recurring characters. This one isn't bad, just a little bit of a rehash.

I saw this cartoon about on ABC once, and I laughed my head off. I'm not the type who scorns and says cartoons are kid stuff, but I have never laughed so hard at a 7-minute cartoon in my life!