TheLittleSongbird Chuck Jones has been responsible for some of the best cartoons ever made, and among his finest and those best cartoons ever made is Chow Hound. It is animated with fluid detail and with colours that are vibrant but also in keeping with the tone of the writing and story. The music is energetic and has a strong sense of character, while also being orchestrated most beautifully. Chow Hound has some amusing and appropriately witty moments as you'd expect from WB/Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies and Chuck Jones, but it's notable also for having writing that has a dark and cynical tone, shaped and characterised in an adept way and giving Chow Hound some power and depth. The story is one that is very well paced and never short of intriguing, while the characters are likable and written and characterised in a way that makes even the most minor of characters interesting. Mel Blanc, Bea Beanderet and Stan Freberg, three of the finest voice actors of the era(and especially in the case of Blanc of all time too) all give sterling vocal performances, beautifully pitching manic energy and affecting pathos. John T.Smith is also great as Bulldog. In conclusion, one of Chuck Jones' and possibly also animation's masterpieces. 10/10 Bethany Cox

phantom_tollbooth Chuck Jones's 'Chow Hound' is a legendary cult classic, renowned for its extremely dark plot (from a beautiful script by Michael Maltese). It would make a great double bill with Jones's equally dark 'Fresh Airedale' since both cartoons feature villainous dogs mercilessly exploiting innocent cats. The main difference is that in 'Chow Hound' the villain actually gets his comeuppance in a gruesomely unforgettable final twist. To say too much more about 'Chow Hound's' plot would be to spoil it but special mention must go to the exceptional characterisation that Jones teases out of even the most minor of players. All three of the cat's unwitting shared owners are brilliantly rendered without the audience ever seeing their faces, a little mouse steals every scene he appears in and the villainous dog is a truly despicable and genuinely threatening presence. 'Chow Hound' is thoroughly deserving of its cult status and will remain in any viewers mind long after the chilling iris out.

dymondbolt All I wanted to do was make a simple comment on how this is a classic piece of Warner Brothers Animation. I didn't realize I had to make a separate summary on the movie. I thought I would be doing that with my commentary. The whole gag is classic. The Dog uses the Cat ( and the mouse in the cats mouth)to get free food. The line "And don't forget the Gravy" soon gets forgotten when the dog yanks the cat back to him, gobbles up the food, then slaps the cat and says " What?! No Gravy??" Like the cat had time to even get the food in his mouth in the first place. The truly classic part comes after the Dog buys the butcher shop. The doctors commenting on his bloated fat body, unable to even move and after they leave the cat and mouse letting him know that " This time we didn't forget the gravy!". Funnels are so helpful. Just classic. I wish I could get a copy of the thing. But with so many studios keeping things "PC" I don't think the thing will be out soon. The scene where the dog gets paid for returning the Saber-toothed pussy cat to the ZOO and the cat is trussed up and held by the mouse dressed like a ZULU Warrior would have a hard time getting by the PC police. Tragic really. This is a great little movie.

Markc65 Not only is this a great cartoon, but it represents a change in Chuck Jones' style while at Warners. In the late 30's and early 40's Jones made cartoons in the Disney mode, or rather he tried to. Most of those cartoons were rather dull and humorless. By mid-forties, though, Jones had seen the light and started to make funny cartoons like his contemporaries Tex Avery, Bob Clampett, Friz Freleng and Frank Tashlin. But it was when he was teamed up with writer Mike Maltese in the late 40's that Jones' cartoons really started to gel; they became funnier and more polished as well as being stylistically unique, especially when compared to the cartoons Freleng and McKimson were turning out during the same period at Warners. Maltese's writing was much darker and more cynical than anything Jones had worked with before. (Jones tended to make rather sweet and sentimental cartoons when left to his own devices.) "Chow Hound" shows how well Jones and Maltese complimented one another's styles. It is Jones' strong sense of design, superior draftsmanship, funny expressive characters, and expert timing that keeps the cartoon from getting too dark or grotesque.The plot involves a bully of a dog (who looks like a beefier version of Charlie Dog) who uses a cat and mouse to run several scams on some unsuspecting pet owners in order to get himself a running supply of meat. However, the dog's own gluttonly and greed drive him to think up the ultimate plan to get a bigger score. The cartoon moves at a brisk pace, and scenes build on top of each other, leading nicely to the next until the final surprise ending. And it is a great ending!In one scene, featuring a close up of a newspaper want ad, several of the animators' name are printed as an injoke.