Cool Cat (film)
Encyclopedia
Cool Cat is a 1967
animated cartoon, that introduced its title character, Cool Cat. It marked a major change of direction for the then recently reformed Warner Bros. cartoon studio
, as the first cartoon in a long time to introduce a major new character (virtually every Looney Tunes cartoon made in the previous three years had been ones featuring Daffy Duck
versus Speedy Gonzales
, or Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, the latter were gone in 1966), who would go on to be the studio's most prolific character between then and the studio's final shutdown in 1969.
It was also the first cartoon to feature the redesigned opening and closing tiles with the "W7" logo.
jungle in his robotic elephant
, Ella, but bemoans the fact that he hasn't seen anything worth shooting since he arrived. Shortly afterwards he comes across the title character, Cool Cat, who is walking through the jungle with a parasol. Seeing Cool Cat, Rimfire remarks "I tawt I taw a puddy tat!
A tiger-type puddy tat!" and pursues him while hidden inside Ella. He eventually blasts Cool Cat with a shotgun hidden in Ella's trunk, but Cool Cat bends over to sniff some flowers right as the shotgun fires, and Rimfire only succeeds in destroying his parasol. Cool Cat mistakes Ella for an actual elephant and warns "her" that someone's shooting at them and that they should flee, which Cool Cat proceeds to do. Rimfire misinterprets this as Cool Cat warning him that someone else is attacking both of them, and tries to pilot Ella to safety, only to drive over the edge of a cliff and fall into a chasm.
Rimfire irately pushes Ella up the edge of the chasm back up to the jungle above, and Cool Cat helps Ella up to the top, not noticing Rimfire's presence, and accidentally knocks the hunter back into the chasm. Still thinking that Ella is a real elephant, Cool Cat leads her away by her trunk to demonstrate some survival skills, while Rimfire climbs out of the chasm for a second time. As Cool Cat leads Ella through the jungle, an amorous male elephant gives chase to Ella, but is then caught by Rimfire who makes the opposite mistake to Cool Cat and assumes that the male elephant is in fact Ella. After yanking at the elephant's skin (angering it in the process) looking for an entry hatch, Rimfire finally realises that he is in fact dealing with a real elephant, who he then apologizes to, though this does not save him from being battered into the ground by the angry elephant's trunk.
After recovering from his beating, Rimfire notices Cool Cat looking for food, and decides to throw him "an exploding pineapple" in the form of a hand grenade
. Instead of yanking the grenade's pin out with his teeth however, Rimfire unknowingly pulls his dentures out of his mouth with the pin, and then tosses the unarmed grenade at Cool Cat. The tiger does mistake it for a pineapple and offers it to Ella, but after the mechanical elephant fails to react to it he tosses the grenade away, causing it to end up back with Rimfire. In turn, Rimfire mistakes the chattering dentures for a tarantula
and whips out his shotgun to blast it, detonating the grenade and destroying his dentures.
Rimfire then decides to hide in an abandoned bongo
that he finds in the jungle and blast Cool Cat when he comes near, but Cool Cat plays Ella a tune on the bongo when he finds it, which leaves Rimfire dazed. He repeats his plan with a large bush, but Cool Cat decides to demonstrate some "Jungle Judo
" on the bush, battering Rimfire in the process, then pushes Ella into the bush so that she can try the same thing, only for her to pass clean through the bush, then smash Rimfire on the side of a cliff. Exasperated, Rimfire finally gives up and tells Cool Cat that he's going to leave the jungle, only to discover that Ella has run out of petrol, and begins the 2000-mile journey to the nearest gas station. Cool Cat then opens Ella's rear hatch and checks the engine, and then remarks that "they just don't make elephants like they used to."
1967 in film
The year 1967 in film involved some significant events. It is widely considered as one of the most ground-breaking years in film.-Events:* December 26 - The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour airs on British television....
animated cartoon, that introduced its title character, Cool Cat. It marked a major change of direction for the then recently reformed Warner Bros. cartoon studio
Warner Bros. Cartoons
Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc. was the in-house division of Warner Bros. Pictures during the Golden Age of American animation. One of the most successful animation studios in American media history, Warner Bros. Cartoons was primarily responsible for the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies theatrical...
, as the first cartoon in a long time to introduce a major new character (virtually every Looney Tunes cartoon made in the previous three years had been ones featuring Daffy Duck
Daffy Duck
Daffy Duck is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons, often running the gamut between being the best friend and sometimes arch-rival of Bugs Bunny...
versus Speedy Gonzales
Speedy Gonzales
Speedy Gonzales is an animated caricature of a mouse in the Warner Brothers Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. He is portrayed as "The Fastest Mouse in all Mexico" with his major traits being the ability to run extremely fast and speaking with an exaggerated Mexican accent...
, or Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, the latter were gone in 1966), who would go on to be the studio's most prolific character between then and the studio's final shutdown in 1969.
It was also the first cartoon to feature the redesigned opening and closing tiles with the "W7" logo.
Synopsis
A big game hunter named Colonel Rimfire is visiting an AfricanAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
jungle in his robotic elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
, Ella, but bemoans the fact that he hasn't seen anything worth shooting since he arrived. Shortly afterwards he comes across the title character, Cool Cat, who is walking through the jungle with a parasol. Seeing Cool Cat, Rimfire remarks "I tawt I taw a puddy tat!
Tweety
Tweety Bird is a fictional Yellow Canary in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated cartoons. The name "Tweety" is a play on words, as it originally meant "sweetie", along with "tweet" being a typical English onomatopoeia for the sounds of birds...
A tiger-type puddy tat!" and pursues him while hidden inside Ella. He eventually blasts Cool Cat with a shotgun hidden in Ella's trunk, but Cool Cat bends over to sniff some flowers right as the shotgun fires, and Rimfire only succeeds in destroying his parasol. Cool Cat mistakes Ella for an actual elephant and warns "her" that someone's shooting at them and that they should flee, which Cool Cat proceeds to do. Rimfire misinterprets this as Cool Cat warning him that someone else is attacking both of them, and tries to pilot Ella to safety, only to drive over the edge of a cliff and fall into a chasm.
Rimfire irately pushes Ella up the edge of the chasm back up to the jungle above, and Cool Cat helps Ella up to the top, not noticing Rimfire's presence, and accidentally knocks the hunter back into the chasm. Still thinking that Ella is a real elephant, Cool Cat leads her away by her trunk to demonstrate some survival skills, while Rimfire climbs out of the chasm for a second time. As Cool Cat leads Ella through the jungle, an amorous male elephant gives chase to Ella, but is then caught by Rimfire who makes the opposite mistake to Cool Cat and assumes that the male elephant is in fact Ella. After yanking at the elephant's skin (angering it in the process) looking for an entry hatch, Rimfire finally realises that he is in fact dealing with a real elephant, who he then apologizes to, though this does not save him from being battered into the ground by the angry elephant's trunk.
After recovering from his beating, Rimfire notices Cool Cat looking for food, and decides to throw him "an exploding pineapple" in the form of a hand grenade
Hand grenade
A hand grenade is any small bomb that can be thrown by hand. Hand grenades are classified into three categories, explosive grenades, chemical and gas grenades. Explosive grenades are the most commonly used in modern warfare, and are designed to detonate after impact or after a set amount of time...
. Instead of yanking the grenade's pin out with his teeth however, Rimfire unknowingly pulls his dentures out of his mouth with the pin, and then tosses the unarmed grenade at Cool Cat. The tiger does mistake it for a pineapple and offers it to Ella, but after the mechanical elephant fails to react to it he tosses the grenade away, causing it to end up back with Rimfire. In turn, Rimfire mistakes the chattering dentures for a tarantula
Tarantula
Tarantulas comprise a group of often hairy and often very large arachnids belonging to the family Theraphosidae, of which approximately 900 species have been identified. Some members of the same Suborder may also be called "tarantulas" in the common parlance. This article will restrict itself to...
and whips out his shotgun to blast it, detonating the grenade and destroying his dentures.
Rimfire then decides to hide in an abandoned bongo
Bongo drum
Bongo or bongos are a Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of single-headed, open-ended drums attached to each other. The drums are of different size: the larger drum is called in Spanish the hembra and the smaller the macho...
that he finds in the jungle and blast Cool Cat when he comes near, but Cool Cat plays Ella a tune on the bongo when he finds it, which leaves Rimfire dazed. He repeats his plan with a large bush, but Cool Cat decides to demonstrate some "Jungle Judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
" on the bush, battering Rimfire in the process, then pushes Ella into the bush so that she can try the same thing, only for her to pass clean through the bush, then smash Rimfire on the side of a cliff. Exasperated, Rimfire finally gives up and tells Cool Cat that he's going to leave the jungle, only to discover that Ella has run out of petrol, and begins the 2000-mile journey to the nearest gas station. Cool Cat then opens Ella's rear hatch and checks the engine, and then remarks that "they just don't make elephants like they used to."