Gift Wrapped (film)
Encyclopedia
Gift Wrapped is a 1952 Warner Bros.
Looney Tunes
animated cartoon directed by Friz Freleng
(credited as I. Freleng), originally released on February 16, 1952. Later reissued by Warner Bros. under the "Blue Ribbon" Merrie Melodies
series, Gift Wrapped is available on DVD as a part of Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2
.
awakes on Christmas
morning to find a present for him. To his disappointment, it is merely a rubber mouse. He hears his hated rival Tweety Bird singing Jingle Bells in his cage, which has been gift wrapped and addressed to Granny
. Just before she enters the room, he switches the cage's tag so that it's addressed "To Kitty" instead. Granny innocently gives the cage to Sylvester and opens the box with the rubber mouse.
Believing there has been an innocent mix-up, she goes to give Sylvester the mouse and correct the mistake. Upon seeing a satisfied Sylvester hiccup Tweety's feathers, Granny realizes what has occurred and angrily forces Sylvester to regurgitate
Tweety. After giving the wayward cat a scolding, Granny insists that Sylvester kiss Tweety under a sprig of mistletoe
. Sylvester eats Tweety Bird again instead, and is once again scolded and forced to spit him out.
Granny places Tweety's cage up high where Sylvester shouldn't be able to reach him. Undaunted, the ever-resourceful feline retrieves a ladder, climbs up to Tweety's cage, and opens it with the intent to eat him. Tweety Bird manages to convince Sylvester that a huge present waiting under the Christmas tree
is for Sylvester. Sylvester abandons Tweety in his greed, and opens the present with relish. It turns out to be Hector the Bulldog, who promptly eats Sylvester. Granny arrives and forces the dog to spit out Sylvester, and then throws the dog out of her house.
Sylvester attempts to get to Tweety by using a toy steam crane
. Instead, he catches an angry Granny, who bashes Sylvester with a broom.
The feline retreats to the second floor of the house and attempts to saw a hole in the floor so as to be able to descend upon Tweety from above. Tweety replaces himself in the cage with a stick of lit dynamite
, which goes off just as Sylvester pulls the cage up to his level. Sylvester then puts the wrecked cage back and stumbles down the stairs, blackened and torn up from the explosion.
He next attempts a Western-style showdown with Tweety; himself playing the part of Geronimo
, with Tweety playing Hopalong Cassidy
. After being shot by a pop-gun (which as would be expected, was revealed as a real gun), Sylvester wins, but before he can consume his prize, Granny shoots a plunger
over his mouth, and declares, "You didn't count on Pocahantas, did you, Geronimo?"
While Tweety plays on his new train set, Sylvester tries one last time to catch him. He takes some spare train tracks, sets them up to point towards his open mouth, and the puts the train in reverse. The train goes over the new tracks, and towards Sylvester who then devours Tweety, only to be devoured himself by Hector the Bulldog who has somehow gotten back in the house. Granny whacks the dog until he coughs up Sylvester, and then does the same to Sylvester until he coughs up Tweety. Granny announces she's had enough, and that she'll show Sylvester and the dog there will be peace in the house once and for all.
The cartoon ends with Granny and Tweety singing a variation of the Christmas carol "Hark The Herald Angels Sing". On Tweety's right and left are Sylvester and the dog with stamps over their mouths.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes is a Warner Bros. animated cartoon series. It preceded the Merrie Melodies series and was Warner Bros.'s first animated theatrical series. Since its first official release, 1930's Sinkin' in the Bathtub, the series has become a worldwide media franchise, spawning several television...
animated cartoon directed by Friz Freleng
Friz Freleng
Isadore "Friz" Freleng was an animator, cartoonist, director, and producer best known for his work on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from Warner Bros....
(credited as I. Freleng), originally released on February 16, 1952. Later reissued by Warner Bros. under the "Blue Ribbon" Merrie Melodies
Merrie Melodies
Merrie Melodies is the name of a series of animated cartoons distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures between 1931 and 1969.Originally produced by Harman-Ising Pictures, Merrie Melodies were produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions from 1933 to 1944. Schlesinger sold his studio to Warner Bros. in 1944,...
series, Gift Wrapped is available on DVD as a part of Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2
Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2
Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2 is a DVD box set that was released by Warner Home Video on November 2, 2004. It contains 60 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons and numerous supplements.-Related releases:...
.
Synopsis
Sylvester the catSylvester (Looney Tunes)
Sylvester J. Pussycat, Sr., Sylvester the Cat or simply Sylvester, is a fictional character, a three-time Academy Award-winning anthropomorphic Tuxedo cat in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies repertory, often chasing Tweety Bird, Speedy Gonzales, or Hippety Hopper...
awakes on Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
morning to find a present for him. To his disappointment, it is merely a rubber mouse. He hears his hated rival Tweety Bird singing Jingle Bells in his cage, which has been gift wrapped and addressed to Granny
Granny (Looney Tunes)
Granny is a co-star of many Sylvester the Cat and Tweety Bird animated shorts throughout the 1950s and 1960s, is a Looney Tunes character that was created by Tex Avery. She is the owner of Tweety . Granny's voice was first provided by Bea Benaderet from 1937 through 1953...
. Just before she enters the room, he switches the cage's tag so that it's addressed "To Kitty" instead. Granny innocently gives the cage to Sylvester and opens the box with the rubber mouse.
Believing there has been an innocent mix-up, she goes to give Sylvester the mouse and correct the mistake. Upon seeing a satisfied Sylvester hiccup Tweety's feathers, Granny realizes what has occurred and angrily forces Sylvester to regurgitate
Regurgitation (digestion)
Regurgitation is the expulsion of material from the mouth, pharynx, or esophagus, usually characterized by the presence of undigested food or blood.Regurgitation is used by a number of species to feed their young...
Tweety. After giving the wayward cat a scolding, Granny insists that Sylvester kiss Tweety under a sprig of mistletoe
Mistletoe
Mistletoe is the common name for obligate hemi-parasitic plants in several families in the order Santalales. The plants in question grow attached to and within the branches of a tree or shrub.-Mistletoe in the genus Viscum:...
. Sylvester eats Tweety Bird again instead, and is once again scolded and forced to spit him out.
Granny places Tweety's cage up high where Sylvester shouldn't be able to reach him. Undaunted, the ever-resourceful feline retrieves a ladder, climbs up to Tweety's cage, and opens it with the intent to eat him. Tweety Bird manages to convince Sylvester that a huge present waiting under the Christmas tree
Christmas tree
The Christmas tree is a decorated evergreen coniferous tree, real or artificial, and a tradition associated with the celebration of Christmas. The tradition of decorating an evergreen tree at Christmas started in Livonia and Germany in the 16th century...
is for Sylvester. Sylvester abandons Tweety in his greed, and opens the present with relish. It turns out to be Hector the Bulldog, who promptly eats Sylvester. Granny arrives and forces the dog to spit out Sylvester, and then throws the dog out of her house.
Sylvester attempts to get to Tweety by using a toy steam crane
Crane (machine)
A crane is a type of machine, generally equipped with a hoist, wire ropes or chains, and sheaves, that can be used both to lift and lower materials and to move them horizontally. It uses one or more simple machines to create mechanical advantage and thus move loads beyond the normal capability of...
. Instead, he catches an angry Granny, who bashes Sylvester with a broom.
The feline retreats to the second floor of the house and attempts to saw a hole in the floor so as to be able to descend upon Tweety from above. Tweety replaces himself in the cage with a stick of lit dynamite
Dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive material based on nitroglycerin, initially using diatomaceous earth , or another absorbent substance such as powdered shells, clay, sawdust, or wood pulp. Dynamites using organic materials such as sawdust are less stable and such use has been generally discontinued...
, which goes off just as Sylvester pulls the cage up to his level. Sylvester then puts the wrecked cage back and stumbles down the stairs, blackened and torn up from the explosion.
He next attempts a Western-style showdown with Tweety; himself playing the part of Geronimo
Geronimo
Geronimo was a prominent Native American leader of the Chiricahua Apache who fought against Mexico and the United States for their expansion into Apache tribal lands for several decades during the Apache Wars. Allegedly, "Geronimo" was the name given to him during a Mexican incident...
, with Tweety playing Hopalong Cassidy
Hopalong Cassidy
Hopalong Cassidy is a fictional cowboy hero created in 1904 by the author Clarence E. Mulford, who wrote a series of popular short stories and twenty-eight novels based on the character....
. After being shot by a pop-gun (which as would be expected, was revealed as a real gun), Sylvester wins, but before he can consume his prize, Granny shoots a plunger
Plunger
A plunger is a common device that is used to release stoppages in plumbing. The tool consists of a rubber cup with an attached stick "shaft", usually made of wood or bronze. Before use, any objects such as hair in the plug grate should be removed and, if possible the overflow hole should be...
over his mouth, and declares, "You didn't count on Pocahantas, did you, Geronimo?"
While Tweety plays on his new train set, Sylvester tries one last time to catch him. He takes some spare train tracks, sets them up to point towards his open mouth, and the puts the train in reverse. The train goes over the new tracks, and towards Sylvester who then devours Tweety, only to be devoured himself by Hector the Bulldog who has somehow gotten back in the house. Granny whacks the dog until he coughs up Sylvester, and then does the same to Sylvester until he coughs up Tweety. Granny announces she's had enough, and that she'll show Sylvester and the dog there will be peace in the house once and for all.
The cartoon ends with Granny and Tweety singing a variation of the Christmas carol "Hark The Herald Angels Sing". On Tweety's right and left are Sylvester and the dog with stamps over their mouths.
Censorship
- The ABC airing of this cartoon edited out the shot of Sylvester staggering down the stairs after getting blown up by the dynamite stick that Tweety substituted for himself in the cage. Also cut was the part during the "Hopalong Cassidy" sequence where Sylvester gets shot by Tweety's toy gun and falls down the Christmas tree (with an abrupt cut from traveling up the tree to Tweety being chased by Sylvester).
- Cartoon Network and the WB left the "dynamite in the cage" sequence intact, but edited out the entire next Hopalong Cassidy sequence from fade in to fade out (because of the American Indian stereotyping), fading out into the train sequence instead (though an identical scene was retained in the clip showClip showA clip show is an episode of a television series that consists primarily of excerpts from previous episodes. Most clip shows feature the format of a frame story in which cast members recall past events from past installments of the show, depicted with a clip of the event presented as a flashback. ...
cartoon entitled Tweet Dreams when that short aired on both channels).