A Day at the Zoo is a typically amusing Warner Bros. cartoon directed by Fred "Tex" Avery. You'll see pink elephants, a pack of camels smoking cigarettes, a monkey admonishing a lady trying to feed him when the sign says not to, and a human baboon switching places with an actual one. Some gags are now too dated (like the two panthers walking around and constantly saying, "Bread and butter", or two (human) Elks greeting each other), and the typical speed of Avery has not been fully developed yet (that would come when he moves to MGM). However, there is a historical interest here as this has a recurring gag appearance of Egghead, a precursor to Elmer Fudd, who keeps teasing a caged lion even after the narrator tells him not too. Egghead keeps saying, "I'm a bad boy" impersonating it's originator, Lou Costello. So to any fan of Avery and Warner cartoons, A Day at the Zoo is worth a look.
12 Reviews
Sweet Little Merrie Melodie - Typical
theowinthrop7 March 2007
A nice little set of jokes concerning various animals at the zoo. For example a Rocky Mountain wildcat that is upset for missing a prize on "bank night" (hence his behavior). Or a pair of well behaved elks (who are two gentlemen - obviously members of the "Elks" Lodge - who are greeting each other (and both are named Bill). A monkey is surprised at his resemblance to a man at the zoo, and convinces the zoo keeper that there must be a mistake here. And another monkey gets angry about a woman who disobeys a simple zoo regulation on a sign. There is also a running joke, with overtones of Lou Costello's running tag line on radio "I'm a baaad boy!" dealing with "Egghead" (the predecessor of "Elmer Fudd") and a Lion. An easy to take cartoon. One problem about using the "You Tube" versions (which, for all I know, is true about the quality of the actual cartoons) is that the sound track is not in sync with the cartoon images. Hopefully someone can fix that.
Good, typical Avery cartoon, but hilarious even if not novel
llltdesq1 August 2002
If Tex Avery ever made a standard cookiecutter cartoon at Warner Brothers, this was it by a wide margin. The gags are all standards, seen often and it isn't original by any means. But it's delightful and still quite funny even in its familiarity (perhaps because it's so familiar, in fact) and it's well worth watching. Recommended.
For the majority of Americans who loathe "Egghead" . . .
oscaralbert20 April 2017
Warning: Spoilers
. . . Warner Bros. provides a satisfying Come-Uppance at the close of A DAY AT THE ZOO, as the serial rule breaker winds up inside a not-so-cowardly lion (ZOO coming out in the same year that Bert Lahr grabbed his own tail in OZ). Also in the news then, band leader Glenn Miller was putting a southwestern Michigan town on the map which serves at the namesake for this animated short's featured "Kalama Zoo." But between these two gags at the beginning and finale of ZOO, director Tex Avery engages in his usual brand of pedestrian humor that never rises to the level of HUNTING SEASONING or WHAT'S OPERA, DOC? The pack of smoking camels may be mildly amusing to some, those being mostly among the 2% of Americans who do NOT have an immediate family member who succumbed to the product promoted by cartoon character "Joe Camel" of the Corrupt Corporate Capitalism's People-Killing Conglomerates. This is immediately followed by a lame Greyhound bus gag, reminding us of why Warner soon booted Avery over to MGM in Real Life, in a career demise as swift as Egghead's here.
Zoo Tour
Vimacone29 March 2023
Avery's spot gags tend to be hit or miss. While the idea of coming up with a short with a series of blackout gags centered around a theme without a plot was certainly novel, some of them wear thin after a while. True of any formulaic series.
This energy in this title is really lacking. There are some funny gags, but they come off as too dry. Gil Warren's narration reflects this. Compare to Norman McCabe's WHO'S WHO IN THE ZOO, which is also not a great cartoon, but has much better execution.
There are some interesting pop culture references, which requires the viewer to become well versed in to understand, such as Bank Nite and the bread and butter superstition.
The proto- Elmer again serves as the running gag. As usual, his voice and mannerisms are much different than his other appearances. Here he quotes and sounds like Lou Costello.
I wonder if there were any scenes cut from the blue ribbon release. There's an abrupt cut to black as well as the soundtrack prior to the scene with the rabbits.
Not one of Avery's best shorts. It's public domain status and frequent appearance on unofficial videos in poor quality further reduced its value.
This energy in this title is really lacking. There are some funny gags, but they come off as too dry. Gil Warren's narration reflects this. Compare to Norman McCabe's WHO'S WHO IN THE ZOO, which is also not a great cartoon, but has much better execution.
There are some interesting pop culture references, which requires the viewer to become well versed in to understand, such as Bank Nite and the bread and butter superstition.
The proto- Elmer again serves as the running gag. As usual, his voice and mannerisms are much different than his other appearances. Here he quotes and sounds like Lou Costello.
I wonder if there were any scenes cut from the blue ribbon release. There's an abrupt cut to black as well as the soundtrack prior to the scene with the rabbits.
Not one of Avery's best shorts. It's public domain status and frequent appearance on unofficial videos in poor quality further reduced its value.
If You Love Puns, Ya Gotta Love This One!
ccthemovieman-118 August 2007
I'm always amazed and happy to see the corny puns Tex Avery and others like to present in classic-era cartoons. This cartoon is full of them. The scene is a zoo: "Kalama Zoo," where the "blue plate special" is on at feeding time, etc.
The puns keep comin' as we get a tour of the zoo, complete with a ton of "corn" and wisecracks. Some of it, of course, is really stupid but a good number of the puns are funny. We see camels (smoking), greyhounds (a bus), two bucks (deer) and five scents (skunks)." You get the picture. Very corny.
We see birds, too, such as the "Jail Bird" in a cage with a "Stool Pigeon" in the adjacent one. I'm telling you, it's non-stop cornball material ....and a lot of fun. The ending, with the lion and the idiot that was teasing him, was predictable but still humorous and clever.
The puns keep comin' as we get a tour of the zoo, complete with a ton of "corn" and wisecracks. Some of it, of course, is really stupid but a good number of the puns are funny. We see camels (smoking), greyhounds (a bus), two bucks (deer) and five scents (skunks)." You get the picture. Very corny.
We see birds, too, such as the "Jail Bird" in a cage with a "Stool Pigeon" in the adjacent one. I'm telling you, it's non-stop cornball material ....and a lot of fun. The ending, with the lion and the idiot that was teasing him, was predictable but still humorous and clever.
Some Fun Poked At The Animal Kingdom.
Dawalk-129 May 2009
As someone who has always had a fascination with animals, I'm a big fan of this WB short. If I were to work in any occupation that dealt with animals right now, I'd be a biologist. But I surely wouldn't want too be a zookeeper, wrangler nor animal trainer. As long as I don't have to be around them, I'd be happy in some occupation involving animals without me having to be near them. Anyway, this is one of the WB cartoons in which the sight-gags and puns are the main focus/emphasis and another that's so well put together. The parts that I find to be the funniest and my faves are the recurring bits with Egghead constantly taunting the lion, the Alcatraz jailbird and stool pigeon, and the wild cat. If any of y'all like learning about animals like I do, then I highly recommend to watch this one.
They Called My Name at Bank Night, and I Wasn't There
Hitchcoc15 January 2019
This is a mass of puns, related to the animal kingdom. We are taken on a trip to the zoo where each animal represents a stereotype or plays into an obvious pun. Because it is fast paced and full of colorful vignettes, it works very well. It also includes on ongoing event. A little man with a stick is taunting the lion in his cage. The narrator warns him over and over. We all know what will happen, but it doesn't matter. A lot of fun. I remember this particular cartoon from when I was very young.
Tex Avery at the zoo
TheLittleSongbird9 November 2017
Love animation, it was a big part of my life as a child, particularly Disney, Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry, and still love it whether it's film, television or cartoons.
Also have much admiration for Tex Avery, an animation genius whose best cartoons are animated masterpieces and some of the best cartoons ever made. While the ending is an easily foreseeable one, 'A Day at the Zoo' is one of Avery's best early cartoons to me. Sometimes there was the sense that he was still finding his style at this point, but the visual and verbal humour were in classic Avery style in 'A Day at the Zoo' and there was evidence of the wild wackiness he was famous for (if not done as imaginatively as later).
It is no surprise that the animation is superb, being rich in colour and detail, the meticulousness is also noticeable. The character designs are fluid and well drawn, if not quite the creative ones of his very best cartoons. Carl Stalling's music is lush and characterful, with clever orchestration and a mastery of not just adding to the action but enhancing it as well (Stalling was a near-unequalled master at this, though Scott Bradley gave him a run for his money).
'A Day at the Zoo' is great fun and never less than amusing, the running gag never outstays its welcome and is executed with enough variety to stop it from becoming predictable and repetitive. The characters carry the cartoon beautifully and the pace is always lively without being so relentless that it feels rushed.
Mel Blanc shows once again his unrivalled ability to voice multiple characters and give each of them an individuality rather than giving them all the same personality and voice.
In summation, great. 9/10 Bethany Cox
Also have much admiration for Tex Avery, an animation genius whose best cartoons are animated masterpieces and some of the best cartoons ever made. While the ending is an easily foreseeable one, 'A Day at the Zoo' is one of Avery's best early cartoons to me. Sometimes there was the sense that he was still finding his style at this point, but the visual and verbal humour were in classic Avery style in 'A Day at the Zoo' and there was evidence of the wild wackiness he was famous for (if not done as imaginatively as later).
It is no surprise that the animation is superb, being rich in colour and detail, the meticulousness is also noticeable. The character designs are fluid and well drawn, if not quite the creative ones of his very best cartoons. Carl Stalling's music is lush and characterful, with clever orchestration and a mastery of not just adding to the action but enhancing it as well (Stalling was a near-unequalled master at this, though Scott Bradley gave him a run for his money).
'A Day at the Zoo' is great fun and never less than amusing, the running gag never outstays its welcome and is executed with enough variety to stop it from becoming predictable and repetitive. The characters carry the cartoon beautifully and the pace is always lively without being so relentless that it feels rushed.
Mel Blanc shows once again his unrivalled ability to voice multiple characters and give each of them an individuality rather than giving them all the same personality and voice.
In summation, great. 9/10 Bethany Cox
Tex Avery + zoology = some really cool surprises!
lee_eisenberg6 August 2007
If you've seen any of Tex Avery's cartoons from his days at Warner Bros., then you'll probably have an idea of what sorts of things "A Day at the Zoo" has in store. Specifically, the rabbits literally multiply, a greyhound is the other kind, and the (jail) bird and (stoolie) pigeon have a slight conflict going. But the main plot turns out to involve Elmer Fudd's prototype Egghead teasing the lion; how dumb do you have to be to do that?! Yes, it's a gag-nearly-every-second cartoon, the sort of thing that characterized the Marx Brothers' movies, Mel Brooks's movies, and flicks like "Airplane!"; these sorts of movies make no pretense about being completely silly. Thank you, Tex Avery! Available on YouTube.
Follow the Rules
Michael_Elliott29 March 2016
A Day at the Zoo (1939)
*** (out of 4)
Tex Avery directed short gives us exactly as the title says. The narrator introduces us to various animals at a local zoo but there's often a twist in the story.
A DAY AT THE ZOO is a rather clever short from Avery who, as you'd expect, gives us the high quality animation but he mixes it with a certainly smart aleck attitude that is rather funny. There's a running gag throughout the running time dealing with a man who keeps picking on a lion. The narrator warns him to leave the lion alone several times but the pay off is rather funny. There are also a few nice gags aimed around people feeding the monkeys including one poor woman who should have listened to the sign. Fans of Avery's humor will certainly get a kick out of this one.
*** (out of 4)
Tex Avery directed short gives us exactly as the title says. The narrator introduces us to various animals at a local zoo but there's often a twist in the story.
A DAY AT THE ZOO is a rather clever short from Avery who, as you'd expect, gives us the high quality animation but he mixes it with a certainly smart aleck attitude that is rather funny. There's a running gag throughout the running time dealing with a man who keeps picking on a lion. The narrator warns him to leave the lion alone several times but the pay off is rather funny. There are also a few nice gags aimed around people feeding the monkeys including one poor woman who should have listened to the sign. Fans of Avery's humor will certainly get a kick out of this one.
lovely Merrie Melodies
Kirpianuscus4 November 2017
nothing surprising. all lovely. because, after decades, the flavor of childhood has the mark of Merrie Melodies, with its silly situations and stupid characters, lessons and show in same package. good entertainment. and a tour at zoo, with the same ingredients of ordinary tour and the legendary Grayhound. so, Merrie Melodies .
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