Underplayed Gems

Bell Hoppy (1954)

Bell Hoppy poster
Directed by
Robert McKimson
Genre
animation, comedy
Country
United States
Runtime
7 min
Rating
6.8 of 10 from 12 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

Sylvester the Cat tries to join a club of alley cats. To earn membership he must put a bell on what he thinks is a giant mouse but is actually a baby kangaroo.

slapstickzanylightheartedfast-pacedcartoonishchaoticgag-driven

What happens

Bell Hoppy is a 1954 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon short directed by Robert McKimson. The short was released on April 17, 1954, and stars Sylvester the Cat and Hippety Hopper. The story sees Sylvester in his "mouse chaser" persona, once again confusing baby kangaroo Hippety Hopper for a giant mouse. This plot is intertwined with a reversal of the "belling the cat" fable from the Middle Ages; instead of mice wanting to avoid becoming prey to a hungry cat, here, a pack of starving alley cats hope to place a bell around the neck of the largest mouse they can find, so that upon its approach, they can ambush it, kill it and feast on its carcass. Sylvester comes into the picture when – wanting to join a fraternal organization called "the Loyal Order of Alley Cats Mouse and Chowder Club" – he is offered the opportunity for membership by the leader of the club by successfully placing the bell around the mouse's neck. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems. Not quite it? You can browse by genre, country and year, or take this one into the 3D catalogue and ask the Catbot for something closer.