In a world in which large media companies merge and the output becomes stale, I hope we still have room for King Tweety.
King Tweety struggles a bit in the early going with a bit of a Mistaken Identity/Heir To The Throne set up. But it gets weird. Really weird.
Queen Aoogah has vanished from her throne in the Canary Islands. As it turns out, birds with similar features to the Queen, including a feather with the features of Jimmy Carter, are eligible to inherit the throne. Tweety fits the bill. Off goes Tweety, accompanied by Granny, to claim the throne. As cats are not allowed, Sylvester must stow away.
The story features the Tweety and Sylvester dynamic, which initially feels too inspired by Itchy and Scratchy from The Simpsons, while Granny looks on bemused. But as the story develops, the rivalry is actually a friendly, even familial rivalry.
Greeted by Diego von Schniffenstein, and given the royal treatment, Tweety and Granny are happy as can be. Sylvester uncovers a conspiracy. The dogs of the island want to reclaim control. Now Sylvester has to get proof and protect Tweety.
Now this all sounds pretty traditional. But it all leads to magic spells, a dog turned into a giant Djinn. Rather than steer away or be embarrassed by this zaniness, the story dives right in. Cameos by the ghost of Lady Bird Johnson, Charlie ‘Bird” Parker, and Larry Bird (wait a minute, he’s not dead) all add to a story that spends the last twenty minutes being surreal. Yet in all the oddness, it does not lose its inherent charm. Tweety, Sylvester, Granny and new family member Aoogah save the day, and we all have a good time.
Erick Adolphson and Carren Ingle bring good humor and charm to a story that starts slow and struggles a bit to fill the run time. Some jokes seem to hang a beat too long, and there a couple of punchlines that are predictable, but it seems that there is joy in telling this tale.
The art feels as of Tuca and Bertie was mashed into standard Warner Brothers rendering, which adds to the nature of this story. The voice work kept up with the pace, even when the story felt a bit shaggy, Eric Bauza voicing both Tweety and Sylvester had me laughing more than I expected.
When I’m not enjoying a movie, I tend to look at the run time. For the first half I was looking at the run time wondering when it would be over. This movie really kept me engaged in the second half.
Extras include three bonus cartoons: Something Fishy Around Here, The Maltese Canary, and The Cat Who Knew Too Much.
Come for the Tweety and Sylvester adventure, stay for Larry Bird pulling a feather out of his butt.
