The Whizzard Of Ow
Encyclopedia
The Whizzard of Ow is a short film that was released on November 1, 2003. It stars Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner
, being the first short that's not directed by Chuck Jones
.
-like wizard that hold a large book of magic in one hand and a staff in another, and a elegant but sombre Doctor Strange
-like warlock with a black cat on his shoulder) where they zap each other until they kill themselves in a final energy blast. Their possessions, however, escaped unharmed but falls over Coyote, just as he was about to catch Road Runner, causing considerable pain to him (especially the cat, who viciously scratches to his face out of fear). Coyote notices the ACME book of magic and becomes delightfully happy, as he now has a new weapon against the Road Runner.
It's turned out that the reason of the cat's uncontrollable transformations were Road Runner's fault, who found the book of magic and decided to test his powers. He then turns a mailbox into a gracious and beautiful female roadrunner and the two leave, walking and holding "hands
", while the Coyote suffers being shark food
.
This Coyote and Roadrunner short is notable for being the only one so far to use the real taxonomic names Geococcyx californianus (Greater Roadrunner
) and Canis latrans (Coyote
) instead of the usual pseudo-Latin names.
Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner
Wile E. Coyote and The Road Runner are a duo of cartoon characters from a series of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons. The characters were created by animation director Chuck Jones in 1948 for Warner Bros., while the template for their adventures was the work of writer Michael Maltese...
, being the first short that's not directed by Chuck Jones
Chuck Jones
Charles Martin "Chuck" Jones was an American animator, cartoon artist, screenwriter, producer, and director of animated films, most memorably of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts for the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio...
.
Plot
The short begins with a magical battle between two differents stereotypes of sorcerers (a short GandalfGandalf
Gandalf is a character in J. R. R. Tolkien's novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. In these stories, Gandalf appears as a wizard, member and later the head of the order known as the Istari, as well as leader of the Fellowship of the Ring and the army of the West...
-like wizard that hold a large book of magic in one hand and a staff in another, and a elegant but sombre Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
-like warlock with a black cat on his shoulder) where they zap each other until they kill themselves in a final energy blast. Their possessions, however, escaped unharmed but falls over Coyote, just as he was about to catch Road Runner, causing considerable pain to him (especially the cat, who viciously scratches to his face out of fear). Coyote notices the ACME book of magic and becomes delightfully happy, as he now has a new weapon against the Road Runner.
- 1: The first spell that Coyote tries is to turn the black cat into a feral beast. He succeeds, and the cat transforms into a black pantherBlack pantherA black panther is typically a melanistic color variant of any of several species of larger cat. Wild black panthers in Latin America are black jaguars , in Asia and Africa they are black leopards , and in North America they may be black jaguars or possibly black cougars A black panther is...
, but unfortunaty, his beast proved to be too feral, and it quickly slices his belly into strips, fading Coyote like a balloon. - 2: Coyote buy an ACME flying broomstick and, after some trial and error, begins to chase the Road Runner through air. However when he enter in a gloomy tunnel, Coyote mistakes his beeps (that were temporarily more deeper than the normal) with a horn of an approaching truck and suddenly changes his direction to the sky, only to be hit by two comets and get his broom "out of gas". After a long drop, Coyote manages to stop his broomstick in the middle of air and lands safely, only to the Road Runner scare him from his back with his beeps off a cliff and leaving the poor Coyote to suffer gravity.
- 3: In his second spell, Coyote tries to turn himself in a giantGiantGiant or Giants may refer to:*Giants *Giant *Giant people; see gigantism, a medical condition*Giants -Arts and entertainment:*Giant , a 1952 novel by Edna Ferber...
, but much to his chagrin, the spell only affects his head, whose weight crushes his own body. - 4: Coyote uses invisible ink to make a bomb transparent and disguise it like a crystal ballCrystal ballA crystal ball is a crystal or glass ball believed by some people to aid in the performance of clairvoyance. It is sometimes known as a shew stone...
in order lure a unsuspecting Road Runner to his death. However, the fake crystal ball actually works and the Road Runner sees Coyote's future where he's caught in middle of a huge explosion...a future that quickly turns into reality when the bomb rolls straight to him. - 5: In his third spell, Coyote learns levitation and uses his classical "seeds trap" to temporarily stop the Road Runner and smash him with a large rock. Unfortunally, the rock doesn't fall under his command, giving enough time for the Road Runner to finish his lunch and leave. After several unsuccessful attempts to makes the rock fall, Coyote leaves in disgust, only for the rock to follow and crush him.
- 6: In his last spell, Coyote once again tries to shape shiftShapeshiftingShapeshifting is a common theme in mythology, folklore, and fairy tales. It is also found in epic poems, science fiction literature, fantasy literature, children's literature, Shakespearean comedy, ballet, film, television, comics, and video games...
the cat into another creature, and this time, into a pegasus to once again chase the Road Runner though air, but they inadvertently fly trough a load of poisonous snakes (prompting the pegasus to use the Coyote as a stick to get rid from them), and to make matters worse, the pegasus quickly turns into a flying carpet, and much to Coyote's anguish, they fly straight to a reserve of scorpions and to a field of cacti. The carpet is then turned into a monitor lizardMonitor lizardMonitor lizards are usually large reptiles, although some can be as small as in length. They have long necks, powerful tails and claws, and well-developed limbs. Most species are terrestrial, but arboreal and semiaquatic monitors are also known...
(who promptly devours his snout), a lawnmower, and then into a white shark, and he and the Coyote land in a lake where the Coyote is viciously mauled by his familiar.
It's turned out that the reason of the cat's uncontrollable transformations were Road Runner's fault, who found the book of magic and decided to test his powers. He then turns a mailbox into a gracious and beautiful female roadrunner and the two leave, walking and holding "hands
Wing
A wing is an appendage with a surface that produces lift for flight or propulsion through the atmosphere, or through another gaseous or liquid fluid...
", while the Coyote suffers being shark food
Food
Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...
.
This Coyote and Roadrunner short is notable for being the only one so far to use the real taxonomic names Geococcyx californianus (Greater Roadrunner
Roadrunner
Roadrunners are birds of the genus Geococcyx.Roadrunner or Road Runner may also refer to:* Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner, an animated character based on the bird** The Road Runner Show, compiled cartoons including the character...
) and Canis latrans (Coyote
Coyote
The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...
) instead of the usual pseudo-Latin names.
Quotes
- Announcer (on phone): You have reached ACME Flying Broom Customer Service. All of our operations are busy at this time. Your call is important to us... (phone vaporizes)