I love Looney Tunes, so picking my 5 favourite shorts proved difficult, but not impossible, so let's get going!
5. What's Opera, Doc?
Of all the Elmer Fudd shorts, this one would probably be my favourite. It's a spoof of operas, with many jokes poking fun at all the tropes and clichés commonly seen in them. It's also pretty much the funniest Elmer vs. Bugs short, with strong wordplay, clever physical gags and some pretty fluid animation. I'd say that this is the best looking of the Looney Tunes shorts, with mind blowingly beautiful backrounds. Not to mention the surprisingly depressing ending, which I won't dare spoil. It's a classic, and with good reason.
4. Duck Amuck
The idea here is genius. Daffy Duck (my personal favourite character in Looney Tunes) gets into a fight with an animator. It's hard to describe all the crazy shit that happens next, but it's some of the best physical comedy I've ever seen. The escalating craziness combined with the creative visuals make this short absolutely unforgettable. It's crazy, it's fun, and it's hilarious. And the reveal at the end? Genius.
3. One Froggy Evening
Talk about a classic. A man finds a singing frog. Every time he tries to profit off the frog's talent, the frog stops singing. I love how the man is instantly punished every time his greed gets the better of him. It doesn't actually feature any trademark characters, but this was the first appearance of Michigan J. Frog, who was in assorted Looney Tunes media afterwards. I do find it odd that they never did an awful lot with this character after this short. Maybe they couldn't think of too many funny situations to put him in, I don't know. What I do know is that One Froggy Evening is a superb piece of comedy.
2. The Great Piggy Bank Robbery
That. Animation. This short has some of the funniest facial expressions of any animation I've seen. The plot here is that Daffy, after reading a Dick Tracy comic, imagines that he has to foil a dastardly plot to rob a load of piggy banks. Everything here, from the exaggerated facial expressions to the ridiculous villain names (I'm a Neon Noodle fan myself) is fantastic, and absolutely hilarious. The writing here is spot on, making for some of the funniest gags in Looney Tunes. It's also a great parody of crime stories like Dick Tracy, affectionately spoofing a whole load of different aspects of them. This one's a must see.
1. Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2 Century
As I said, I'm a huge Daffy Duck fan. And this short is awesome. So awesome that it got its own series. The jokes here all hit bullseyes, like the disintegrating pistol that lives up to its name a little too well. This short is great, almost too funny for words, and features Daffy at his absolute best. It wasn't an easy decision, but Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2 Century is my favourite Looney Tunes short.
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