Is Sniffles A Horrible Creation?

[Jack]

Anyhow, after thinking I had found every Looney Tunes realted thing on the internet, I discovered Google. Somehow, it is sort of a treasuretrove of cartoon related stuff from some old message board or newsgroup. Anyhow, in a message about the legendary Clampett/Jones feud, I came accross this:

, as Jones says,"only desperation would claim credit for such a horrible creation [as Sniffles], attributable solely to woeful me."
So, where does this come from? Does Jones really think Sniffles is Horrible? I rather like the character, he has his moments, and can be quite funny at times. Those cartoons aren't any less enjoyable than most of his other work.

What do you think?

Jack:D

[Matthew Hunter]

Lame at times, yes, but certainly not horrible. Someone must've liked him, because he was merchandised heavily at the time of his creation. I think one of his final toons, "Hush My Mouse" was the best. They kept getting better, but Jones obviously despised him after a while. I think it frustrated him to think that he had made such a Disneyesque character that was more cute than funny, while everyuone around him was coming up with stuff like Bugs and Daffy. However, I don't think Sniffles is horrible. the situations in the cartoons are enjoyable, they're just slow, but if you're patient enough you can enjoy and even laugh at one of those cartoons. Now, if you want to talk HORRIBLE Jones creations, what about Conrad Cat? Now THAT guy is STUPID.
-Matthew

[kiddiesunshine]

While I will watch a Sniffles cartoon, I don't really are for the character. There's something there that just doesn't interest me. I don't care for Conrad Cat either. A bad character and an even worse singer. I'd love to shove him right off the plank! Dang, was that harsh or what?

[Sogturtle]

Chuck has an unfortunate habit of denigrating everything that he directed or created prior to about 1943. Sniffles is not horrible by any stretch of the imagination, and at the end Jones was building him into REAL comedies. Buuuuuut as the direct outgrowth of Chuck's kitten character from his very first cartoon ("The Night Watchman") he is the work of a very young mind (Chuck was only 24 at the time) that appears to have been unsure what way to go. The cartoons are designed to be slow-moving and well CUTE and CUDDLY (definitely NOT the norm at Warners). Jones can only take part of the credit (or blame) for Sniffles cuteness and Disneyesque manner... Charlie Thorsen (former Disney employee) designed him to be EVEN CUTER and fuzzier than Chuck put on the screen (judging from Thorsen's "presentation drawing" of Sniffles to Jones. Sniffles was indeed merchandised by Leon Schlesinger, and this is notable since he was the first Merrie Melodies creation to be a real recurring character, and to be worthy of merchandising. I certainly wouldn't mind being able to put Sniffles creation on my resume!!!;)

[Jack]

I've seen Thorsen's "presentation drawing" of Sniffles, I don't like it as much as the mouse who made it to the screen.

I don't think Jones should be so hard on himself in respect to those older cartoons, he was new, inexperienced, and the cartoons he made are actually pretty good. I still love "Sniffles Takes A Trip," "Dog Gone Modern," and "Robin Hood Makes Good."





Jack:D

[Sogturtle]

Yak~

I agree with you on Thorsen's Sniffles presentation drawing, just TOOOO fuzzy, furry and cute (but all of his animals are like that, just don't tell his biographer that). Chuck's version is far superior and much more easily animated.

And yep Jones is waaaaay too hard on himself for his early works. He should take a lesson from Chaplin, who NEVER badmouthed his own early films. Buuuuuut Chuck knows people are comparing his stuff of that era to that of the other directors and to his own later work. A tough position to be in!! I happen to like "Sniffles And The Bookworm"!!

[BillC]

Sniffle's (IMO) is one of my favorite WB cartoon series.

To me, Sniffles has a charm that is not found in
ANY other Charictor

in "Sniffles takes a Trip" we see just the top of sniffles hat
bouncing up and down and you relize even with out
seeing RR tracks that he is walking over the ties and
sure enough, Chuck Jones shows us what was already created in our minds! he indeed is, waking over the tracks. which is why his pork pie hat his bobbing. and in other scenes Jones shows us
Nature in all it's daytime splender with all the creatures scurring here and there butterflys floating ect and sniffles really enjoying his new found freedom from the city. Then as night time takes over everything that sniffles enjoyed is now becoming a fearfull
trip amoung shadows and staring eyes! even the butterfly
becomes almost like MOTHMAN in the dark! The thought that went into these cartoons intentional or unitentional is PURE GENIOUS

I wish there were more than the 12 sniffles toons.
BILLC