My Ten Favorite Warner Bros. Cartoons of the Early 1940's

Once Again Listed Alphabetically Instead of Ranked

Jonathan Adair
March 22, 2025

The Dover Boys- A quintessential Chuck Jones masterpiece that subverts the damsel in distress trope and gives us the fantastic villain of Dan Backslide.
The Hep Cat- Bob Clampett’s cartoons were the wildest from this period and this is one of his best.
Hollywood Steps Out- Proof that Kent Rogers was a great actor and a shame that he died too young. The Conga score is also phenomenal.
Jack Wabbit and the Beanstalk- Several hilarious gags with the “ear drum” gag and Bugs pulling out a gray hair from the giant’s head being particular standouts. Also contains this gem: “He can’t outsmart me because I’m a moron!”
Plane Daffy- A brilliant wartime cartoon with Daffy in top form and with “Hitler Is a Stinker” being treated as a well-known fact (which it is).
Porky Pig’s Feat- The cartoon that saw the return of Frank Tashlin and an awesome cartoon to commemorate it.
Super Rabbit- “Bricka Bracka Firecracker Sis Boom Bah! Bugs Bunny! Bugs Bunny! Rah! Rah! Rah!”- the greatest sports cheer of all time
The Wise Quacking Duck- This is a total laughfest of a cartoon where Daffy absolutely lives up to his name.
A Wild Hare- The most perfect debut for an iconic character.
You Ought to Be in Pictures- Friz Freleng’s first masterpiece is this ingenious combination of live action and animation.

Honorable Mentions: