Gift Wrapped (film)

Gift Wrapped is a 1952 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes animated cartoon directed by Friz Freleng (credited as I. Freleng), originally released on February 16, 1952. Later reissued by Warner Bros. under the "Blue Ribbon" Merrie Melodies series in 1960, Gift Wrapped is available on DVD as a part of Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2 and Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 2.

Synopsis

Sylvester awakes on Christmas morning to find presents under the tree, but is disappointed when his gift is just a rubber mouse ("Oh, why couldn't I get something practical? Like a real mouse!" he remarks). When he hears Tweety's singing coming from what appears to be a gift-wrapped bird cage and sees that it is labeled for Granny, he switches the tags. Granny gives the cage to Sylvester and opens the box with the rubber mouse. Believing it to be a mix-up, she goes to give Sylvester his box and correct the mistake, but once she sees a satisfied Sylvester hiccup Tweety's feathers, she immediately gets wise and makes the cat spit up the bird. After a thorough scolding, Granny insists that Sylvester kiss Tweety under a sprig of mistletoe, but the now-sulking cat eats Tweety again, leading to another forced regurgitation.

Granny places Tweety's cage on a pole where she thinks Sylvester won't be able to reach it, but the cat is determined to get at his meal. On his first attempt, Tweety points out a huge present waiting under the Christmas tree. Sylvester immediately runs to the package to open it with relish, only to find it is Hector the Bulldog, who promptly eats Sylvester. Granny immediately forces Hector to spit out Sylvester and drags him out of the room.

Meanwhile, Sylvester resumes his attempts to get to Tweety with the following tricks all ending in failure:

• Reeling in Tweety's cage with a toy steam crane at the top of the staircase landing. An angry Granny, armed with a broomstick, is waiting on at the end of the claw instead, and chases Sylvester off with it.
• From the attic, the cat saws a hole in the floor and then uses a hook to grab the latch at the top of Tweety's cage. Tweety, observing, "That puddy tat sure doesn't get discouraged," replaces himself in the cage with a stick of lit dynamite, which detonates just as the cage is pulled into the attic. After replacing the wrecked cage, a dazed and blackened Sylvester stumbles down the stairs.
• During a Western-style showdown with Tweety, Sylvester-as-Geronimo sneaks up the Christmas tree and snickers as Tweety (playing Hopalong Cassidy) points a pop gun at the cat and says, "Stick 'em up, Geronimo!" ... only for the gun to blast a real gunshot in the cat's face when the stopper is pulled out ("Okay, Hoppy, I'm pullin' ya cork!"). An irritated Sylvester uses his bow and arrow to capture the bird, but seconds before he can consume his prize, Granny shoots a toilet plunger over the cat's mouth ("You didn't count on Pocahontas, did you, Geronimo?").

In the final gag, Tweety is playing on his new train set when Sylvester sneaks in with some spare train tracks and sets them up to point the train toward his open mouth, then sets the train in reverse. After devouring Tweety in one bite, Sylvester in turn is eaten whole by Hector. An outraged Granny makes both the dog and cat spit up their respective prey and, in her anger, she having had enough of their carnivorous pursuits, insists there will be peace in the house once and for all.

The cartoon ends with Granny (playing harpsichord) and Tweety (the only one of the animals who has behaved) singing a variation of the Christmas carol "Hark The Herald Angels Sing". On Tweety's right and left are Sylvester and Hector, both with giant "Do Not Open Till Xmas" stamps taped all over their mouths.

Cast

• Mel Blanc as Tweety, Sylvester and Hector
• Bea Benaderet as Granny (uncredited)
• Daws Butler as Narrator (uncredited)

Availabilty

VHS

• Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer

External links

• Gift Wrapped on IMDb