Cartoon a Day: Senor Droopy

Senor Droopy
1949
Directed by Tex Avery
Available on: Tex Avery's Droopy - The Complete Theatrical Collection

Like I said a few days ago, many of our favorite cartoon characters have fought the bull, including one of my favorites, Droopy. "Senor Droopy" features both Droopy as a bullfighting challenger against the champion, the wolf. The winner of the match can anything he wants in all of Mexico. The prize Droopy wants is actress Lina Romay.



The gags in "Senor Droopy" are great, classic Tex Avery, and the animation is brilliant. Here's what makes this cartoon unique...the wolf is Droopy's enemy, yet he is also against the bull, just like Droopy. So many of the great gags done at the bull's expense are actually courtesy of the bad guy of the cartoon. The wolf gets away with many of the things that you would expect from the lead character. For the first half of the cartoon, he's the one in the Bugs Bunny role




Of course, eventually the bull starts to get the upper hand, and in a way, the other enemy of the short takes on that lead role. Suddenly the wolf is the one falling victim to the gags. Then in one final burst of energy, it's Droopy that ends up winning out in the end. It's an odd story structure but it works so well for the Droopy character.



The final gag of the short is a real classic. When Droopy wins the match an asks for his prize (Lina Romay) he's told "she wouldn't want you," but then the final shot is of the real actress with the animated Droopy sitting on her lap. "Oh no?" she says in response.