Best Animation Movies of 1949

Washington Irving's tale of Ichabod Crane and the headless horseman is brought to life, narrated by Bing Crosby.

The desert in the U.S. southwest is the natural habitat of the Road Runner, a high-octane, cartoon bird who runs so fast on the desert's roadways that he leaves a trail of flame or causes pavement to ripple, distort, or roll up like a carpet. This speedy bird is unrelentingly chased by a hungry coyote named Wile E., who, though believing himself to be a genius, repeatedly fails to catch the Road Runner with his endless supply of ACME Corporation gadgets, weapons, and other paraphernalia. Episodes of this television series contain three theatrical cartoons, one with the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote, one with Tweety Bird and Sylvester Cat, and one with other characters from Warner Brothers' cartoon classics.

During yet another pursuit of Jerry, Tom ends up being killed when an upright piano slides down the stairs and slams into him. He meets a feline St. Peter at the gate of the Heavenly Express, but is initially turned away due to his constant torture. However, he will be allowed onto the train if he can have Jerry sign a letter of forgiveness within one hour. If not, it's Hell for Tom. Will he go up or down?

Bugs Bunny vs. a famous opera singer at the Hollywood Bowl.

Yosemite Sam tries to force Bugs Bunny to do a high-diving act when the regular act cancels.

This was the debut for Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. It was also their only cartoon made in the 1940s. It set the template for the series, in which Wile E. Coyote (here given the ersatz Latin name Carnivorous Vulgaris) tries to catch Roadrunner (Accelleratii Incredibus) through many traps, plans and products, although in this first cartoon not all of the products are yet made by the Acme Corporation.

While unwittingly trespassing in the royal gardens in search of carrots, Bugs runs afoul of the Sheriff of Nottingham, who tries to apprehend him for poaching. The royal grounds are, in fact, amply posted with "No Poaching" signs (one reads "Not even an egg"), but Bugs either didn't see or ignored them. Of course, Bugs sets out to endlessly turn the tables on the hapless sheriff, at one point talking him into building a six-room Tudor home in the middle of the King's gardens. The dueling pair are periodically interrupted by a fat, dopey Little John who proclaims, each time he appears, "Don't you worry never fear, Robin Hood will soon be here". In the end, the merriest of merry men does appear and it's...it's...oh, see it yourself. Bugs goes in disguise as the King, who then knights the Sheriff ("Arise, Sir Loin of Beef...").

A kitten who is being tormented by a bulldog finds a savior in a black cat (from the "Black Cat Bad Luck Company") who merely has to cross the dog's path for something very unlucky to happen to the bully.

The Bide-a-Wee Mouse Home has sent the orphan mouse, Nibbles, to spend Thanksgiving with Jerry. But Jerry's cupboard is bare, and Nibbles is always hungry. They start by raiding Tom's milk dish, but Tom wakes up and drains it. Fortunately, Mammy has just put out a huge Thanksgiving feast, just ready for the raiding. And that's just what Tom and Nibbles do, grabbing Pilgrim hats from the table decorations. All goes fairly well until Nibbles eats a whole orange, which is way too big for him. Jerry smacks him with a spoon, which sends the orange flying, right into Tom's mouth. Tom stalks up to the table in a feather duster, which turns into an Indian headdress. Battle follows, featuring Tom sending flaming cat-tails after the mice, and culminating in a champagne bottle launching Tom into the dish cabinet, which crashes down. Tom waves a white flag, and all three sit down to a polite dinner, but Nibbles eats the whole turkey before anyone else can touch it.