The Bear That Wasn't

... the result is this underseen gem from the last days of the MGM Animation Department. The four geniuses are, of course, Chuck Jones (co-director), Maurice Noble (co-director/designer), Frank Tashlin (script), and Paul Frees (voices). The result is a delight.

Tashlin's Thurbur-like story, which I won't spoil, is a delightful double satire on big business bureaucracy and perception vs. reality, with our hapless ursine hero somehow preserving his dignity and sanity in a situation that rapidly snowballs into indignity and insanity. Tashlin's witty script calls to mind his best work in live-action films, Jones and Noble's direction and designs are among their best, and the understated humor of Frees's voice characterizations wrap up this comic package nicely. That this film wasn't even nominated for an Academy Award is inexplicable.

As I revise these comments, some three years after I originally wrote them, "The Bear That Wasn't" has finally come out on DVD, as part of the Loony Tunes Gold Collection, Volume 3. Do yourself a favor and see it.