Wild Over You (1953)

The movie is surprisingly subdued in its pacing, its characterizations, and its go-for-broke sensibilities.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Pepe Le Pew, Wild Cat, and the zoo-keeper.Director: CHARLES M. JONES. Story: Michael Maltese. Animation: Ben Washam, Lloyd Vaughan, Richard Thompson, Abe Levitow, Ken Harris. Lay-outs: Maurice Noble. Backgrounds: Phil De Guard. Voice characterizations: Mel Blanc. Music director: Carl Stalling. Color by Technicolor. Producer: Edward Selzer.Copyright 27 July 1953 (in notice: 1952) by The Vitaphone Corp. A Warner Bros "Looney Tunes" cartoon. U.S. release: 11 July 1953. 7 minutes.COMMENT: One of my favorite Pepes, this one is set against a marvellously stylized art deco background of the 1900 Paris Exposition. Our very introduction to Pepe here is a classic variation as he saunters on to the garden scene singing, "Can You Kiss a Pretty Girl, Pepe Boy, Pepe Boy, Can You Kiss a Pretty Girl, Charming Pepe." Director Jones uses an unusual number of inventive high angles to punch his visual points home, as our masochistic little hero chases a determinedly antagonistic wild cat from one delightfully period-flavored set-up to a final flight in an ever-ascending balloon. Even for non-Pepe fans, the artistic charm of this outing must surely prove irresistible.

If you are familiar with Pepe LePew, you will know where Wild Over You is going to go. But that isn't enough to mar the cartoon's enjoyment. The animation is full of simple detail and elegant colour, very Chuck Jones but with also an authentic touch. The music is catchy and beautifully orchestrated, with a lovely amorous French flavour. The dialogue is very witty and quite kinky even for a Pepe cartoon, a series that was uniquely risqué to start with. The gags are as is the case with Pepe and Looney Tunes in general clever and imaginatively timed. The story could be seen as formulaic, but the vibrant pacing and entertainment value more than makes up for that. Pepe is still likable and true to the personality that we are used to seeing him, and the cat contrasts with him very well. Mel Blanc, criss crossing Charles Boyer and Maurice Chevalier, is stellar. All in all, a fine cartoon that has much to like about it. 9/10 Bethany Cox

By 1953, the Pepe Le Pew formula is getting to be pretty set in stone--Pepe comes upon a cat that looks like a skunk and he spends the rest of the film ardently in pursuit. This time, it's a bit different due to the setting (the famous Paris Exposition) and because the cat is in this case an escaped wild cat from the zoo. The bottom line is that if you love Pepe Le Pew, you'll love this one as well. If not, then there are no major differences that will change your mind (though, if you DON'T like these cartoons, you are a real curmudgeon).One thing I particularly liked were all the terrible puns and plays on words when it comes to the French in the film. Again and again, terribly funny but bad puns abound when you see a sign in this short.

This is the kinkiest of all the Pepe Le Pew cartoons (and the series is pretty out there to begin with!). Pepe's quarry in this one is an escaped wild cat, disguised as a skunk to elude capture. When Pepe goes after her, she doesn't merely run away--she viciously mauls him in a hissing flurry of fur and claws. Rather than deter him, the violence seems to entice him all the more! At the end, he tells the audience, "If you have not tried it, do not knock it". Hard to believe that this cartoon was shown to 1950s theater audiences, or that it is still shown to children. It's twisted and subversive...and funny as all get out! It just goes to show what you can get away with in animation.