The Pied Piper of Guadalupe
The Pied Piper of Guadalupe is a 1961 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Friz Freleng.[2] The short was released on August 19, 1961, and stars Speedy Gonzales and Sylvester.[3]
| The Pied Piper of Guadalupe | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Friz Freleng Hawley Pratt |
| Produced by | David H. DePatie |
| Starring | Mel Blanc |
| Music by | Milt Franklyn |
| Animation by | Gerry Chiniquy Bob Matz Virgil Ross Tom O'Loughlin[1] |
| Color process | Technicolor |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release date | August 19, 1961 |
Running time | 6 minutes |
| Language | English |
It was nominated at the 34th Academy Awards in the category of Best Animated Short.[4]
Plot
After being taunted and mocked by the mice in Guadalupe, Sylvester imitates the Pied Piper of Hamelin in an attempt to lure the mice of Mexico, so he can trap them in a jar. But his flute has no effect on Speedy Gonzales, and Speedy decides to rescue his friends, one by one.
Synopsis
Sylvester finds himself being constantly harassed and teased by the mice as they seem to be able to outsmart him at every turn, going so far as to bonk him on the head with a two-by-four when he insults them, no matter how far away he is from their hole.
Hoping to get even with them, Sylvester is inspired by a book based on the Pied Piper of Hamelin, and goes to take music lessons on the flute. Once he is well-studied with the flute, he returns to get his payback on the mice. At first, when the mice see him, they continue to taunt and ridicule him, saying he's gone "much loco in the cabeza," but their taunting comes to an abrupt end when, as Sylvester plays the Mexican Hat Dance on his flute, the mouse leading the taunts becomes entranced, and dances out to Sylvester, who then conks him on the head with his flute, stunning him, and places him in the large jar he brought with him. With the next victim, Sylvester removes his sombrero to conk him, then places it back on his head before collecting him as well.
Following that, the rest of the mice are soon captured as well. One attempts to hold back another entranced by the music, pleading for him to not go, but both get conked and captured by Sylvester. The last two try to restrain the last one by anchoring his tail to a wooden peg in the ground, but both the one with the hammer and the restrained mouse are entranced and captured. With that, Sylvester thinks he's finally gotten his revenge on the mice for all their taunts and ridicules, but soon discovers that he missed one: Speedy Gonzales himself.
Speedy demands his friends back, but Sylvester refuses, even taunting Speedy to try and rescue them. Calling Sylvester's bluff, Speedy makes for the jar containing them, and manages to rescue one before Sylvester could even put the cork back in to capture Speedy. Angered by that cheap shot, Sylvester tries to get even by luring Speedy in via his flute, but Speedy acts like he was entranced as well, and when Sylvester tries to bonk him with a mallet, Speedy dodges and clobbers him, leaving Sylvester dazed and wobbling in place as Speedy rescues another of his amigos.
Later, Sylvester hides from Speedy in a wooden barrel. When he hears him coming, Sylvester lights a stick of dynamite to throw out at Speedy, but Speedy flanks him from behind and hops on the barrel, using his speed to start the barrel rolling in the other direction. Speedy hops off before the barrel rolls down some stairs and lands on top of a dog sleeping at the bottom. The dynamite then goes off, causing the barrel to fall apart, revealing a charred Sylvester and dog inside, after which the now angry dog chases after Sylvester.
With Sylvester distracted dealing with the dog, Speedy rescues two more of his friends, before going for more. Sylvester is waiting behind an archway on a motorcycle, and when Speedy passes, Sylvester starts the engine and gives chase. After a long pursuit, Speedy stops at a cliff edge. Sylvester barely has time to realize where he's heading, complete with his eyes punching through his goggle lenses in horror, before the motorcycle plunges over the edge and into the lake below. After some trouble with restarting the bike, complete with bubbles on the surface indicating the struggle, Sylvester is able to get it started again and struggles up the cliff. Speedy sees him coming and takes off again, restarting the chase. However, Speedy lures Sylvester towards a one-way street, and while Speedy hides by the sign, Sylvester drives straight in, leaving Speedy horrified when he hears a crash and sees a bus comes out, with a large gash in the front showing where Sylvester collided with it. Sylvester somehow emerges from the other end with his helmet dented and only the handlebars of his bike left as he staggers away.
Sylvester later emerges from the cat hospital covered in bandages and bruises, only for Speedy to catch up to him and offer him his flute back. However, after what he's been through, Sylvester tells Speedy he can have it. Speedy thanks Sylvester, but as he begins to play it, Sylvester watches helplessly as his bandaged leg begins to wiggle to the tune, and he's helpless as he dances after Speedy, howling in pain and begging Speedy to stop, to no avail.
References
- Beck, Jerry (1991). I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat: Fifty Years of Sylvester and Tweety. New York: Henry Holt and Co. p. 148. ISBN 0-8050-1644-9.
- Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 333. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
- Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. p. 137. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
- "The 34th Academy Awards (1962) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved May 3, 2014.