Assignment 1-4-5 Formulas Analysis

Assignment 1-4-5

Formulas in Cartoons

It is hard to imaging cartoons following a formula when we watch them but there are formulas in just about any cartoon on television.  In this analysis of formulas in cartoons, I will point out some well know cartoons that display a blunt set of formulas.  This formula is called a Strictly Formula, which is the characters follow to a strict sequence of events that occur during the show every time.  They also do what is expected to do the same kind of action as done so many times in the past episodes (tvtropes.org, n.a.).

Some of Looney Toons characters that follow the strictly formula are Pepe LePew and the black female cat he chases, Willie Coyote pursuit of the Road Runner across the desert and Elmer Fudd hunting Bugs Bunny.  Each of these characters performs the same actions in every episode they are in and the outcome is always the same, being defeated at the end of their pursuit. 

Pepe LePew, that loveable French skunk, is always looking for his one true love and the petite black female cat, which is accident prone every time to have a white stripe painted down her back that runs in terror from the love stricken Pepe.  The formula here is each time the cat gets disguised as a female skunk, she tries to escape the affection of Pepe mostly because of his smell and there are also the reactions from the people that encounter Pepe as he pursues the female cat.  We know exactly what is to happen in each episode before the first scene occurs and we will laugh each time Pepe makes his love speech while holding the cat in his arms.

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Willie Coyote is an indestructible character that who knows how many attempts to catch the fast Road Runner, majority of the time never succeeds, except for twice in which both time he shares a meal with the Road Runner and lets him go just so he can continue chasing him across the desert.  Another formula seen with these two characters is the Coyote’s use of ACME products used to plot against the Road Runner.  Somehow and someway Willie Coyote use of equipment fails him and he never dies from any misfortunes, just gets back up and tries another plan to catch the Road Runner.

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The final sets of characters that are well known to follow a strictly formula in each episode are Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny.  This rivalry has been portrayed for many decades and some of the most classic episodes such as “What’s Opera Doc?” with the famous opera song “Kill the Wabbit” (Jones, 1957).  The strictly formula of Elmer Fudd hunting Bugs Bunny was put into an opera form but no change to the formula seen in many of their episodes.  This proves that the strictly formula can stay the same even when put into different styles of settings.

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References:

Jones, C. (Director). (1957). What's Opera Doc? [Motion Picture]. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051189/

tvtropes.org. (n.a.). Strictly formulas. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from tvtropes.org: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/StrictlyFormula