Bell Hoppy (1954)

Directed by

Robert McKimson

Genre

animation, comedy

Country

United States

Runtime

7 min

Rating

6.8 of 10 from 12 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

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

• Hoppy Daze (1960)
• Mouse-Taken Identity (1957)
• Pop 'Im Pop! (1950)
• Hoppy Go Lucky (1952)
• Hop, Look and Listen (1948)
• Stooge for a Mouse (1950)
• Cat's A-Weigh (1953)
• Who's Kitten Who? (1952)