Canned Feud (Looney Tunes)

Canned Feud (episode 611)
"I taught I taw a bad cartoon!"
Directed by: Friz Freleng Written by: Warren Foster Cal Howard Release date: February 3, 1951 Franchise: Looney Tunes Prequel: "A Fox in a Fix" (previous short) Sequel: "Rabbit Every Monday" (next short)

"Canned Feud" is a 1951 Looney Tunes short directed by Friz Freleng. In this short, Sylvester tries to get a can opener from a mouse to open cat food while his owners, Sam and Violet go on vacation to California.

Plot

When Sylvester realizes his owners went on vacation for two weeks and forgot him, he tries to find all of his canned food but has no can opener, so the aforementioned mouse teases him of giving him the can opener, only to take it away.

Why It's Starved for Two Weeks

1. Much like "Mexican Cat Dance", this cartoon is a Sylvester torture short, as he gets tortured for no reason. All he wanted was the canned goods from the cabinets, but an outright sadistic mouse snatches away the can opener that can open the nourishments.
2. Speaking of which, the mouse in this short is unlikable, as he constantly torments and tortures Sylvester as he tries to get the can opener from him, but prevents the cat and tries to make Sylvester starve all for his own entertainment.
3. Plot hole: Why didn't the owners leave food for Sylvester in the first place? Neither they A. Didn't care. Or B. Were in a hurry, and outright forgot about Sylvester.
4. The mouse comes off as a Jerry Mouse knockoff, but with none of his charm or likability. In fact, the mouse can literally revival Jerry Mouse's flanderized persona from the Gene Deitch-era.
5. Outright sadistic gags, such as Sylvester getting electrocuted, as well as him being trapped in a vacuum cleaner, with the mouse worsening the situation by putting hot coals in it out of SADISM...
6. The gags in this short are not funny, but mean-spirited, horrible, and sadistic.
7. The ending is bad, as Sylvester finally gets the can opener, only to realize the mouse has now locked all of the cans and Sylvester cries in defeat.
8. The mouse never gets his comeuppance for literally starving Sylvester.

Redeeming Qualities

1. Sylvester is the only likable character in this short.
2. Mel Blanc does a good job with the voice work, as usual.
3. As with the earlier "Looney Tunes" shorts, Carl Stalling's musical score is amazing to listen to, and fits the onscreen action nicely.
4. Decent animation for its time.
5. The mouse is thankfully never seen or mention again after this episode.
6. The mouse gets his punishment in "Stooge for a Mouse"; however, given the fact that he was portrayed more sympathetically in that short, as well as "Rhapsody Rabbit", unlike over here, and this short takes place after those two cartoons, this really isn't much saying.

Reception

Tho "Canned Feud" has been given more positive then negative reviews, it has been critically panned by many fans and critics alike, and is often considered as one of the single worst cartoon in all of Looney Tunes.

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