May 13, 1970

Much Ado About Nutting (1953) ****

A stylish cartoon with no dialogues about a cute squirrel trying to crack a large nut. Her exasperation increases as the nut cracks other objects instead, including stones and axes. Her frustrated attempts to reach her elusive goal result in a veritable cascade of gags, which gradually increase in magnitude and tempo. Chuck Jones' unique ability to tell his stories in purely visual terms is very evident in this cartoon classic.