Similar Endings, Different Animators (Bob Cannon & Ken Harris)

The Road Runner series always gets criticized for being the most repetitive of the Warner shorts. But they really aren't! Chuck and Friz would frequently reuse ideas, gags, etc. because they got a laugh in the original short. Case in point, one of the posters at GAC mentioned that while in a story meeting with Friz, he suggested "We did a gag in a Tweety and Sylvester cartoon where "X" happened. Put that in."

Case in point... Bob Cannon did this wonderful piece of character animation for the ending of Chuck's MY FAVORITE DUCK (1942). It's clear that early on Chuck didn't want the darnfool duck triumph unconditionally. "I showers him with lefts, and rights!" I'll post more of Cannon's work later on.




Now take a look at this ending animated by the great Ken Harris for RABBIT PUNCH (1948). Notice any similarities? It seems like Chuck only let his characters get off easy (or easy enough where cutting the film is a way out of a tight spot) when they were on higher moral ground, which Bugs usually was. Harris will get a spotlight in the near future!