Please don't spend money on this.

The movie runs out of plot and jokes well before the end of a two-hour running time, long for a light comedy.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

. . . is the advertising slogan for Acme Artificial Rocks, as revealed by this classic offering from Warner Bros.' always prophetic Animated Shorts Seers division (aka, The Looney Tuners). SHEEP AHOY stars George Wolf as the would-be infiltrator of America's hen house (or, in this case, George is presented as a wolf in sheep's clothing, as he schemes to decimate the USA's too docile flock of citizen sheep). Fred and Ralph Sheepdog are put forth during SHEEP AHOY as the critters who have sworn their Constitutional Oath to protect the sheep against all enemies, foreign or domestic. However, these putative public defenders sport thick mops of hair over their eyes, as Warner warns We Americans of (The Then) Far Future that it's going to be a rocky ride through the early portion of our 21st Century. Our foreign enemies will test us with one explosion after another, many timed to coincide with Presidential Shift Changes. Not all Presidents will prove to be equal to this task. Warner alerts us that the news media will be prone to lose sight of the sheep, as there is just one lone sheep sighting during the course of SHEEP AHOY. Instead, the media focus will be upon painting a "fair and balanced" portrait of the dirty tricksters, as if it's more important to appreciate a devious stable genius than to defeat one.

This is the second short of what would come to be known as the Sam Sheepdog and Ralph Wolf series (although the characters are named differently here). Created by the great Chuck Jones, the premise of them all is that the sheepdog watches over the sheep while the wolf tries to steal them, usually resulting in the wolf getting beaten up. The primary joke is that the wolf and dog are just doing their jobs (even punching a clock) and, when the work day is done, they're friends. It's one of the best Looney Tunes (or Merrie Melodies) series that didn't involve one of their main characters. Ralph Wolf is certainly similar to Wile E. Coyote, in appearance and actions, but he's a little less crafty and more obvious than Wile E. Coyote. This is a very funny short with a lot of sight gags that work well. The animation is bright and colorful. The music is lively and fun. It's not the best of the Ralph & Sam shorts but it's a good one.

The second of Chuck Jones' Wolf vs Sheepdog series... but before he and Michael Maltese settled into the format most of us remember for this series -- with the two adversaries being named Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog, and both good friends away from "the office". This cartoon begins with the dog coming on shift being called "Fred" by the dog he's relieving, who is called "Ralph"....although at the end of the cartoon, they reverse the names. Meantime, it turns out the wolf is called "George" -- and he's relieved (and for him, it really IS a relief!) at the end of HIS shift by another wolf.. who's named "Sam". Confused? Well, it doesn't really matter, because once the action starts, it's the same plot as always: the wolf, who looks even more like Wile E Coyote in this episode than he did in the first one ("Don't Give Up the Sheep"), tries all sorts of devious means to try to get at those sheep, and is constantly thwarted by the sheepdog. There are all sorts of funny scenes, involving a waterfall, an Acme "Smoke Screen" bomb and an Acme "Artificial Rock" disguise ("Have Fun! Be Popular! Be A Rock!" says the packaging). Overall, "Sheep Ahoy" is a pretty enjoyable cartoon, but I think this series really hit its stride with the next episode ("Double or Mutton").

Chuck Jones, after Tex Avery, was the second-greatest director of animated shorts, perhaps of all time and certainly of their theatrical heyday. Jones was absolutely the best at character development and Sam and Ralph are two of his lesser-known gems. They appeared in all of seven shorts as a team and the shorts work exceptionally well. I think the reason they work so well is the basic premise: that what these two do is a job! The shorts are absolutely beautiful and the ending to this one is a scream! Well worth seeing. Recommended.