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The Wild Chase

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The Wild Chase
Directed byFriz Freleng
Hawley Pratt
Story byFriz Freleng
Cal Howard
Produced byDavid H. DePatie
Friz Freleng
StarringMel Blanc
Paul Julian
Edited byLee Gunther
Music byBill Lava
Animation byNorm McCabe
Don Williams
Manny Perez
Warren Batchelder
LaVerne Harding[1]
Layouts byDick Ung
Backgrounds byTom O'Loughlin
Color processTechnicolor
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
The Vitaphone Corporation
Release date
  • February 27, 1965 (1965-02-27)
Running time
6:29
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Wild Chase is a Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies short directed by Friz Freleng and Hawley Pratt.[2] The short was released on February 27, 1965, and stars Speedy Gonzales, Sylvester and Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner.[3]

Plot

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Wile E. Coyote and Sylvester the Cat consistently prove ineffectual in their pursuits to apprehend Speedy Gonzales and the Road Runner.

Initially, Wile E. Coyote descends precipitously from a cliff in his endeavor to capture the Road Runner, an occurrence subsequently replicated by Sylvester subsequent to an encounter with Speedy. Their strategy to launch rocks at their competitors goes awry, resulting in the rocks descending upon themselves. Subsequently, they covertly position iron pellets beneath birdseed and cheese, attaching a grenade to a magnet on a roller skate; however, this scheme concludes with the grenade detonating in Wile E.'s visage. Moreover, their attempt to dislodge a flat rock from a cliff results in both characters plunging over the edge. In their endeavor to demolish a culvert, they mishandle the detonator, precipitating the detonation of the dynamite upon themselves. Finally, they employ a rocket car to pursue the racers, ostensibly achieving victory, but are subsequently disqualified as only Speedy Gonzales and the Road Runner are duly registered participants.

The narrative culminates with Sylvester and Wile E. being propelled into the atmosphere as the rocket car erupts in a pyrotechnic display.

Crew

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  • Co-Director: Hawley Pratt
  • Story: Friz Freleng & Cal Howard
  • Animation: Norm McCabe, Don Williams, Manny Perez, Warren Batchelder, Laverne Harding
  • Layout: Dick Ung
  • Backgrounds: Tom O'Loughlin
  • Film Editor: Lee Gunther
  • Voice Characterizations: Mel Blanc
  • Music: Bill Lava
  • Produced by: David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng
  • Directed by: Friz Freleng

Production notes

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This cartoon represents the sole Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner production directed by Friz Freleng or Hawley Pratt, who were predominantly known for their work on Speedy Gonzales and Sylvester the Cat cartoons. It serves as a notable crossover between the Sylvester/Speedy and Wile E. Coyote/Road Runner series. This short is unique as the only Speedy Gonzales cartoon to feature Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, and conversely, the only Wile E. Coyote/Road Runner short to include Speedy Gonzales and Sylvester.

Additionally, it marks the final appearance of Speedy Gonzales with Sylvester the Cat and the last classic-era cartoon directed by Freleng. The content of the cartoon primarily comprises recycled animation and comedic gags from earlier Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner productions.

References

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  1. ^ Beck, Jerry (1991). I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat: Fifty Years of Sylvester and Tweety. New York: Henry Holt and Co. p. 153. ISBN 0-8050-1644-9.
  2. ^ Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 351. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
  3. ^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 137. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
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