Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose (1954 film)
| Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Supervision: Robert Clampett |
| Produced by | Leon Schlesinger |
| Story by | Michael Maltese |
| Based on | Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose by Dr. Seuss |
| Music by | Carl W. Stalling |
| Animation by | Robert McKimson |
| Color process | Technicolor |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 9:50 |
| Language | English |
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Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose is a 1954 American animated short film by Leon Schlesinger Productions, based on the 1948 book by Dr. Seuss, and released as part of Warner Bros.' Merrie Melodies series. The short was directed by Bob Clampett and was the second film adaption based on a Dr. Seuss book.
Plot[edit]
Thidwick, a moose in a herd numbering approximately sixty who subsist mainly on moose-moss and live on the northern shore of Lake Winna-Bango, grants a small bug's request to ride on his antlers (mistakenly referred to in the book as horns) free of charge. The bug takes advantage of the moose's kindness and settles in as a permanent resident, inviting various other animals to live on and in the moose's antlers.
The kind-hearted moose acquiesces to the unexpected living arrangements, treating the animals as 'guests' even though he never told them explicitly that they were allowed to live there. His passengers however are thoughtless and selfish, and the situation quickly gets out of control. When one of the guests, a woodpecker, begins drilling holes in Thidwick's antlers, the other moose give Thidwick an ultimatum: if he doesn't get rid of his guests then he will be forced to leave the herd.
When Thidwick's sense of decency compels him to forgo the comforts of herd life in favor of indulging his guests, his herd leaves him behind. Winter comes, and the herd swims across the lake to find fresh supplies of moose-moss. Thidwick wants to do the same, but his guests object, and insist that Thidwick must not take "their home to the far distant side of the lake". Even as he faces starvation, Thidwick refuses to go against his guests' wishes, and he remains on the cold, northern shore of the lake, where his guests prefer to reside. Meanwhile, the heartless residents of Thidwick's antlers, who pay no regard to the increasing physical or psychological load that the moose is forced to endure, continue inviting other animals, including a 435 pounds (197 kg) black bear, to live with them.
The situation comes to a head when a group of hunters spot Thidwick and pursue him, with the goal of shooting him and mounting his head on the wall of the Harvard Club of New York: a building well known in the 1930s and 1940s for its hunting trophies. Thidwick attempts to outrun the hunters, but the heavy load, including his passengers' refusal to permit him to travel across the lake, prevents him from escaping. Just before his capture, however, Thidwick remembers that it is time for him to sings his lament to his antlers and shed his antlers. At the last moment, he drops his antlers, makes a snide comment to his former guests, and escapes by swimming across the lake to rejoin his herd. His former guests are captured by the hunters and are stuffed and mounted, still perched on his antlers, on the trophy wall of the Harvard Club.
Home media[edit]
- (1991) LaserDisc – The Golden Age of Looney Tunes, Vol. 1, Side 4: Bob Clampett
- (1991) VHS – The Golden Age of Looney Tunes, Vol. 4: Bob Clampett
- (1999) VHS – Looney Tunes: The Collectors Edition, Vol. 7: Welcome to Wackyland (USA 1995 Turner print)
- (2000) VHS – The Best of Dr. Seuss (USA 1995 Turner print)
- (2003) DVD – The Best of Dr. Seuss
- (2008) DVD – Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 6, Disc 4
- (2008) DVD – Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who Deluxe Edition
References[edit]
External links[edit]
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Wikiquote has quotations related to: Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose (1954 film) |
- 1954 films
- English-language films
- 1954 animated films
- 1954 short films
- 1950s Warner Bros. animated short films
- Merrie Melodies short films
- Animated films about elephants
- Films based on works by Dr. Seuss
- Films directed by Bob Clampett
- Films produced by Leon Schlesinger
- Films scored by Carl Stalling
- Circus films
- Warner Bros. Cartoons animated short films
- Horton the Elephant
- Films with screenplays by Michael Maltese
