Edgar Allan Pooh . . . as he gets to consume THREE yellow canaries (at 2:15, 2:43, and 6:32). Since this is 50% more than the penguin-colored cat's usual "Merrie Melodies" daily minimum protein requirement, it's a merry Yule indeed for Mr. "Suffering Succotash." GIFT WRAPPED extends the origin story begun by Warner Bros. animators in TWEET TWEET TWEETY. The latter episode's feral feline is now domesticated in "Granny's" house. This latter old bat is totally clueless about proper cat care, giving "her" newly-named Sylvester a RUBBER mouse as his holiday gift. "Why couldn't she have given me something practical, like a REAL mouse?" Sylvester laments. Some anonymous benefactor HAS sent "Tweety" to Granny's address, but misdirects this food source Sylvester hatched himself in TWEET TWEET TWEETY to "Granny." When Sylvester tries to rectify this simple mistake, Granny-the-Witch is able to conjure up equally annoying Tweety clones for "her" starving cat to consume with swats of her Magical Broom. Though the animators sketch in an extraneous bulldog for comic relief, GIFT WRAPPED is a generally cheerful tale of festive feline feasting.

TheOneManBoxOffice I'm sure I'm not the only one who believes that the Looney Tunes franchise of cartoon shorts are some of the best sources of slapstick comedy in all of cinema. Next to Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, another duo that is known for the chase scenario is Sylvester the Cat and Tweety Bird, both of which are performed brilliantly by the man of 1000 voices himself Mel Blanc."Gift Wrapped" is the Christmas-themed Sylvester and Tweety cartoon from 1952. It isn't often that we see a Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies cartoon that takes place around Christmas time, but in this film, it is the perfect set-up for Sylvester's on-going lust to finally catch and eat Tweety. This is similar to the concept of the 1941 Tom & Jerry short "The Night Before Christmas", in which the famous cartoon duo does their usual shtick in a Christmas setting. But that's another story.Sylvester wakes up on Christmas morning after failing to obtain a single mouse. He finds his present, only to find out it's a rubber mouse. All hope is lost for him, except a moment later, he hears Tweety singing "Jingle Bells". Peeking inside the wrapped cage is his long-awaited snack. However, Granny catches him in the act, and thus the good ol' scheming routine begins, with Sylvester failing every single time, with his only obstacles being Granny (obviously) and eventually a bulldog Sylvester finds in a present most likely for Granny.As I said before, the usual Sylvester and Tweety set-up and having it take place on Christmas day is a unique and welcome idea. The background artwork in the film catches the Christmas atmosphere to a tee, and the animation is top-notch as usual thanks to Friz Freling's (credited as I. Freling in this picture) direction. My only issue is that it could've gone on a little longer, as there were plenty more opportunities to be done. But it's a short film meant to fill in 7 minutes before the beginning of the main feature it's supposed to accompany (most likely a Christmas movie like "Christmas in Connecticut" or "The Shop Around the Corner").All in all, this is one of my favorite Sylvester and Tweety shorts, because it keeps to the formula while also making it a funny short to watch when it's on television during Christmastime, especially for those whose favorite Looney Tunes are Sylvester and/or Tweety, and I'm not just whistling Dixie, brother. The short alone can also be found on Volume 2 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection and Volume 2 of the Looney Tunes Platinum Collection if you are a collector.

Lee Eisenberg OK, since "Gift Wrapped" is set around Christmas, we can safely assume that Granny and Tweety are being good, while Sylvester and the dog - presumably named Hector - are being naughty. The main humor here is seeing how Sylvester uses the presents to go after Tweety...and when the dog appears unexpectedly (come to think of it, I could occasionally guess when he was going to appear). Everyone likes to use Christmas as the setting for something unusual (or would all this count as usual?); "Gremlins" did a really neat job with that.I figure that the cartoon mainly functions as a place holder in between the really great cartoons (1952 also saw "Operation: Rabbit"). So this is an OK, not great addition to the pantheon of Sylvester/Tweety cartoons. Passable.

slymusic "Gift Wrapped" is an excellent Tweety/Sylvester/Granny cartoon for the Christmas season. If only Sylvester had behaved himself, he would have had a joyous, peaceful Christmas. Fortunately, in the end, Granny sees to it that there will indeed be peace in her household.Highlights: Sylvester's toy crane accidentally lifts up Granny instead of Tweety's birdcage. Granny ends the short by playing the organ and singing Christmas carols with Tweety (although Granny cannot sing very well); Sylvester and the bulldog try to sing along, too, but Granny has sealed their mouths shut with Christmas tree stamps. The bulldog hides himself inside a large gift box and mightily chomps Sylvester when he opens the lid! Sylvester poses as Geronimo (with hilarious stereotypical musical accompaniment) and Tweety poses as Hopalong Cassidy; Sylvester pulls the cork out of Tweety's pistol and gets blasted! For a great Christmas comedy short, I highly recommend "Gift Wrapped." For all his trickery, Sylvester just can't seem to outwit Granny, and it's funny to see all of Sylvester's schemes backfire on him.