Release Date:

June 19, 1937

Main Character(s):

None

Summary:

In a world where cars act like humans (with their lights as eyes and their wheels operating like hands and feet), a little boy car named Junior wants to be a taxi but his mother wants him to be a touring car like his father. Instead of going to auto school, Junior heads to the big city where he drinks highly powerful ethyl that makes him go super fast and uses it to beat a train over a railroad crossing. This works two times until he runs out of gas and ends up in an auto hospital. Despite this, he doesn't learn his lesson.

That’s Not All, Folks:

Regular humans are shown too. One operates a gas station while Junior is repaired by human doctors.

This is the first time a character does an idiot move seen in many Warner cartoons: not getting out of the way of an approaching train and just standing in front of it.

What I Like About This One:

The music that plays over the title card.

Two cars getting into a fight and a traffic light being used to pause and resume their fighting (as in a boxing match).

A female taxi turning her parking meter to “occupied” when she gains a partner for dancing.

Junior’s drink for his lunch being labeled “Traffic Jam”.

Junior’s heart being his motor.

Junior carrying the “safety zone” with him but doesn’t look where he’s going and falls into an open manhole.

The different flavors for gas: Rose gas (strawberry), Violet gas (grape), and Ethel gas (orange).

Junior getting stuck behind a literal “road hog” (a car that looks like a pig).

The ending where Junior beats another train across a crossing but then gets hit by another. But this time he isn’t hurt at all, as it’s the train that’s destroyed!

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕