Main Directory / Hippety Hopper Main Page / Credits / Links
This is a fairly complete filmography of all Hippety Hopper cartoons made, if you have any comments, corrections, or additions, please feel free to e-mail me at jacktatay@yahoo.com
Hop,
Look and Listen 1948 Looney Tune, but reissued as a Blue Ribbon
Merrie Melodie without credits
Directed by Robert McKimson
Story by Warren Foster
Animation by Charles McKimson, Manny Gould, and I. Ellis
Layouts by Cornett Wood
Backgrounds by Richard H. Thomas
Voice Characterization by Mel Blanc
Musical Direction By Carl W. Stalling
A baby kangaroo escapes from the zoo, and he is then discovered by Sylvester, who thinks he is a giant mouse. When he shows fear at this encounter, a bulldog urges him on because he thinks it pitiful for a cat to be afraid of a mouse.
comments: This cartoon was blue ribbon Merrie
Melodie until the titles were recently restored.
Hippety
Hopper 1949 Merrie Melodie
Directed by Robert McKimson
Story by Warren Foster
Animation by Pete Burness, John Carey, Charles McKimson, and Phil DeLara
Layouts by Cornett Wood
Backgrounds by Richard H. Thomas
Voice Characterization by Mel Blanc
Musical Direction By Carl W. Stalling
A suicidal mouse is saved by Hippety Hopper, who helps seek revenge against the cat (Sylvester) for driving the mouse to suicide. When the Sylvester is continuously beat up by the "giant mouse," a bulldog once again urges him on. The two "mice" then beat up both Sylvester and the Bulldog, driving them to ballet.
comments: The bulldog is a great devise
in this and the first cartoon, "Hop Look and Listen." Rather than
beat up Sylvester for bothering him, he feels sympathy, and tries to help
him do what cats are SUPPOSED to do. However, his attempts at helping
Sylveser hurt them both more than if he had just minded his own business
in the first place.
Pop
’Im Pop 1950 Looney Tune
Directed by Robert McKimson
Story by Warren Foster
Animation by Charles McKimson, Rod Scribner, Phil DeLara, Manuel Perez, and J.C. Melendez
Layouts by Cornett Wood
Backgrounds by Richard H. Thomas
Voice Characterization by Mel Blanc
Musical Direction By Carl W. Stalling
Sylvester is bragging to his son, Sylvester Jr., about how he had once beat a giant mouse. Just then, an escaped circus Kangaroo shows up behind him, and Sylvester Jr. urges his father to catch the giant mouse just like he had in the story, that is, unless he'd rather destroy his son's faith in his father...
comments: This is the first cartoon to feature
Sylvester Jr. as Sylvester's primary motivation for catching the "giant
mouse."
Who’s
Kitten Who 1952 Looney Tune
Directed by Robert McKimson
Story by Tedd pierce
Animation by Phil DeLara, Emery Hawkins, Charles McKimson, and Rod Scribner
Layouts by Peter Alvarado
Backgrounds by Richard H. Thomas
Voice Characterization by Mel Blanc
Musical Direction By Carl W. Stalling
Sylvester is lecturing his son about mouse catching, when Hippety (escaped from a truck on it's way to the zoo) shows up. Sylvester is repeatedly pummeled by the kangaroo, causing his son to express shame. Sylvester tries many things to catch the "mouse" and make his son feel better, like leading Jr. to believe he has the upper hand in a fight between he and Hopper, even though he is obviously losing. The short ends with Sylvester shamed.
comments: One of the best of the series, I think.
The cartoons, though repetitious, where still creative at this point, going
at the same exact plot from a different angle every time, much like Jones'
Roadrunner series. This is also the first Hippety Hopper cartoon
to be written by Tedd Pierce, Warren Foster had joined the Freleng unit.
Hoppy
Go Lucky 1952 Looney Tune
Directed by Robert McKimson
Story by Tedd pierce
Animation by Charles McKimson, Herman Cohen, Rod Scribner, and Phil DeLara
Layouts by Robert Givens
Backgrounds by Richard H. Thomas
Voice Characterization by Mel Blanc
Musical Direction By Carl W. Stalling
This time, Sylvester is paired with a dope named Benny, who wants a mouse as a companion. Sylvester, whom Benny repeatedly calls George, goes in to seek a mouse, but runs into Hippety Hopper, who repeatedly beats him up. Just like his son in the cartoons that came before, Benny doesn't believe Sylvester when he tries to tell him there is a giant mouse.
comments: This cartoon has a strong "Of
Mice and Men" influence, a popular book at the time, and a seeming very
popular book among cartoon makers because references show up throughout
Looney Tunes, MGM cartoons, and many others.
Cats
Aweigh 1953 Merrie Melodie
Directed by Robert McKimson
Story by Tedd pierce
Animation by Phil DeLara , Charles McKimson, Herman Cohen, and Rod Scribner
Layouts by Robert Givens
Backgrounds by Richard H. Thomas
Voice Characterization by Mel Blanc
Musical Direction By Carl W. Stalling
Sylvester and son are ship's cats. Sylvester tells Jr. to round up the little mice (which are plentiful) because he is little while he himself rounds up the big mice (which there are none) because he is a big cat. While pursuing a little mouse, Sylvester Jr. releases a kangaroo, which both cats think is a giant mouse! Sylvester then tells junior that he can handle the large mice because it isn't fair that there are so many little ones for him to take care of (as if the hoards of little mice are harder to take care of than the one "giant mouse")
comments: Sylvester avoids real work and danger
by shoving it off to his son.
Bell
Hoppy 1954 Merrie Melodie
Directed by Robert McKimson
Story by Tedd pierce
Animation by Phil DeLara , Charles McKimson, Herman Cohen, and Rod Scribner
Layouts by Robert Givens
Backgrounds by Richard H. Thomas
Voice Characterization by Mel Blanc
Musical Direction By Carl W. Stalling
Sylvester wants to be a member of the "Loyal Order of Alley Cats Mouse and Chowder Club," but is always blackballed. To give him a hard time they say they will induct him into the club if he puts a bell around the throat of a giant mouse. When the bell rings, the club of cats will be able to jump the mouse. Sylvester's attempts at this continually fail, and the bell always seems to ring, causing the gang of cats to jump poor sylvester. But the gang gets it in the end.
comments: The club is a bit of a parody
of "The Honeymooners," a popular show of the time, complete with a "Grand
Poo-Bah" type of leader.
Lighthouse
Mouse 1955
Directed by Robert McKimson
Story by Sid Marcus
Animation by Phil DeLara , Charles McKimson, Herman Cohen, and Rod Scribner
Layouts by Robert Givens
Backgrounds by Richard H. Thomas
Voice Characterization by Mel Blanc
Musical Direction By Milt Franklyn
Sylvester is a lighthouse cat, and a little mouse
who can't sleep is constantly unplugging the lighthouse light, this caused
a ship to nearly crash on shore, knocking Hippety's crate from the ship.
The Scottish lighthouse keeper orders Sylvester to catch the moose that's
loose in the hoose (as he says it). A great deal of back and forth
action in this cartoon, with Sylvester keeping the light on, while Hippety
and little mouse try to keep it off.
Too
Hop to Handle 1956 Looney Tune
Directed by Robert McKimson
Story by Warren Foster
Animation by Robert McKimson and Kieth Darling
Layouts and backgrounds by Richard H. Thomas
Film Editor: Treg Brown
Voice Characterization by Mel Blanc
Musical Direction By Milt Franklyn
Sylvester Jr. wants to be taught how to catch mice, but Sylvester cannot because there are no mice about. Jr. then decides to be like the Pied Piper and attract mice with a hand made flute, but he doesn't know how many holes are needed to attract mice. His experimentation with hole number attracts many things, like pigs, bulldogs, and "giant mice."
comments: This short breaks the rules a
little, Sylvester and son actually find out that Hippety wasn't a giant
mouse after all. Also, note the bare minimum of people in the credits.
This short was made after the studio reopened from a temporary shutdown.
McKimson's top talent went to other directors, leaving him to do a great
deal of animation. His unit never really recovered from this.
The
Slap-Hoppy Mouse 1956 Merrie Melodie
Directed by Robert McKimson
Story by Tedd Pierce
Animation by Ted Bonnicksen, George Grandpre, Kieth Darling, and Russ Dyson
Layouts by Robert Gribbroek
Backgrounds by Richard H. Thomas
Film Editor: Treg Brown
Voice Characterization by Mel Blanc
Musical Direction By Carl W. Stalling
Sylvester and son are living the good life in a rich mansion, but Jr. is unhappy. He tells his father that the other cats see him as a has been, so Sylvester takes his kid to a big old run down mouse infested house to catch some mice. Hippety also happens have escaped again, and is hiding in the house.
comments: The run down house bears a resemblace
to the Carson Mansion of northern California.
Mouse-taken
Identity (1957)
Directed by Robert McKimson
Story by Tedd Pierce
Animation by Georege Grandpre and Ted Bronnicksen
Layouts by Robert Gribbroek
Backgrounds by Bill Butler
Film Editor: Treg Brown
Voice Characterization by Mel Blanc
Musical Direction By Milt Franklyn
Sylverster lets Jr., who has never seen a mouse before, tag along with him to his mouse hunting job at the local museum. When Jr. is disappointed that mice are so small, his father brags that mice come in all assorted sizes, small and large, like he used to hunt. But then they stumble upon Hippety Hopper, who had escaped from the zoo. You can guess what happens after that.
comments: Not quite as good as the others, but
still a decent effort. Its mainly the animation that isn't too good.
Also note that Richard H. Thomas, longtime background painter (and possibly
the only constant person in his unit for all this time) is gone.
He eventually went on to Hanna-Barbera, I believe.
Hoppy
Daze 1961 Looney Tune
Directed by Robert McKimson
Story by Tedd Pierce
Animation by Ted Bonnicksen, Warren Batchelder, Tom Ray, and George Grandpre
Layouts by Robert Gribbroek
Backgrounds by Bob Singer
Effects Animation by Harry Love
Film Editor: Treg Brown
Voice Characterization by Mel Blanc
Musical Direction By Milt Franklyn
A tough guy little cat convinces Sylvester that he can be a champion mouser with some training. The little cat really just wants to trick Sylvester into catching him a mouse. He then sends Sylvester into a warehouse to catch some mice, but this warehouse also has Hippety Hopper in it.
comments: This one is actually pretty good,
and it breaks the monotony of the previous outings with Jr. in them.
Hippety also speaks, in a sense, at the very end of this cartoon with an
imitation of Jimmy Durante. The series should have ended here.
Freudy
Cat 1964 Looney Tune
Directed by Robert McKimson
Story by Tedd Pierce
Animation by Ted Bonnicksen, Warren Batchelder, and George Grandpre
Layouts and Backgrounds by Robert Gribbroek
Film Editor: Treg Brown
Voice Characterization by Mel Blanc
Musical Direction By Robert McKimson
Sylvester Jr. takes his nerve racked father to Dr. Freud E. Katt to help him with his "hallucinations" of giant mice. Jr. then tells the doctor of his past experiences through flashbacks. The flashbacks are scenes from older cartoons with new music dubbed into them.
comments: A crummy "cheater cartoon" made
towards the decline of the studio.
Other Appearances:
Space Jam
MCI commercial