TheLittleSongbird Not one of Chuck Jones' classics, with the cartoon ending on rather an odd note and it's not as razor-sharp or witty as some of his other work. But Go Fly a Kit still an interesting and completely endearing cartoon, and well worth watching, not just for curiosity. The animation is superbly drawn and vividly coloured, Go Fly a Kit also does wonders telling the story through the visuals. The music from Milt Franklyn doesn't disappoint either, being a pleasing mixture of sensitive and energetic, full of character and orchestrated beautifully. While you miss the hilariously witty dialogue that you are used to, there is still some nice subtle humour. The gags are more restrained than usual but timed well and amusing, but much of the best of the humour comes from the facial expressions, Marc Anthony's expression of shock and realisation that he was biting on his own leg is priceless stuff. Go Fly a Kit is more a cartoon this said that takes on a heart-warming, tugging-on-the-heartstrings touch. It does so in a very sweet and moving way, and the cartoon has a lot of heart and warmth and doesn't dissolve into schmaltz too much. The story is told mostly in flashback but is always easy to understand, and while it's not a cartoon that has rapid-fire pacing Go Fly a Kit is never dull. The characters are very likable and carry the cartoon very well, Marc Anthony the bulldog being the most memorable. The voice work is fine, though not the best work of either Mel Blanc or Daws Butler. All in all, very sweet and well-done. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Julia Arsenault (ja_kitty_71) Along side Max Fleischer, former Disney animator David Hand and Japan's Hayao Miyazaki, Chuck Jones is one of favorite animators, and this short is one of my favorite shorts from the late '50s. I thought it was a sweet story about a flying kitten who was raised by an old woman eagle with a maternal instinct, and when he leaves the nest and sets forth into the world, he falls in love with a cute little girl kitten after saving her from a very mean bulldog.I just love the backgrounds with their vivid colors. My favorite scenes are when our hero (The Flying Kitten) wants to join a chorus of blackbirds (tweet,tweet,tweet,meow). But when they see him they are so frighten that they bump right into each other even when they fly away. And also when our canine nemesis try to pounce on our hero; but our hero is too quick for him, during the struggle he use his propeller-like tail to get away and the dog found himself biting his own LEG!All in all, I love every bit of it. It has got tenderness, the love he shares with his adopted-mother and his sweetie and sorrow, when he says goodbye when he leaves: first home and when he flies south every Fall (being part-bird). But every spring, he comes back and his girl would wait at the airport for him, just like the myth of Persephone and the origin of the seasons.

Michael Daly Mild spoilersA love of cats appears to be the driving force behind many of Chuck Jones' greatest cartoons, and here Jones and Michael Maltese give a strong aerial angle that once again proves their mastery of compelling story-telling.An airport coffee vendor (Daws Butler) explains to a waiting passenger (Mel Blanc) the relationship between a red-furred female cat and a mysterious feline known as a flying cat. In flashback we learn of the gestation of the flying cat, an orphan cat adopted by an elderly female eagle whose own chicks have grown and left the nest. The cat and the eagle love each other like true mother and son, and the cat tries to fly - leading to one of Jones' funniest/tenderest scenes; the cat falling down the thousand-foot precipice trying to fly and the horrified eagle rushing to save him, until he uses his tail to make him fly. The cat POV shot of the mother eagle plunging earthward upon seeing her adopted son now flying, and then flattening out of the dive and soaring back upward, is a triumph not only of humorous and believable charm, but of realistic animation. The eagle claps at her adopted son's triumph, and beams to the audience in typical Jones fashion.Eventually, however, the flying cat must leave the nest - this brief scene, the cat and the eagle waving goodbye amid a magnificent sunset, reaches to the heart as well as to the discerning eye approving the artistic power of the background. The short's mood then shifts as the cat lands on a wire and drives three surprised crows to bang each other's heads, before spotting a female cat (the red cat) being pursued by a ferocious bulldog. The flying cat thus bears his claws and the real struggle of the film is on, highlighted by Jones' use of backgrounds and effects animation. Facial expressions, a Jones trademark, also come through, best shown when the bulldog attacks the flying cat and winds up chewing on his own leg - you'll die laughing upon the dog's realization of what he is chewing on. The film's climax neatly wraps up the story, but there is a surprise element in the short - given the ending, I am surprised the female cat's relationship with the flying cat is alluded to as it is.

boblipton Odd little cartoon, even for Chuck Jones, about a cat, raised by eagles, who flies by whirling his tail around. Sort of like a reversed Pepe Le Pew, full of cute little bits and a large bulldog to torment. A treat for cat lovers.