Every Wile E Coyote and Roadrunner gag is absolute gold - an absolutely perfect blend of speed and timing and extreme violence, but if I had to pick my favourite Roadrunner joke, it's easy.
It's the one that comes 5 minutes and 35 seconds into 'Zipping Along' where Wile E Coyote uses a simple wooden platform to swing a massive wrecking ball at
the Road Runner, who stops just as it comes near, and it swings right
over and takes the unfortunate coyote out:
It is so utterly perfect, it might just be the greatest few seconds of animation ever.
It's the simplicity of the gag and the way it is immaculately executed. There is the sudden stop of the targeted bird, the slow and lazy roll of the giant ball's arc, the slumped helplessness of Wile E as he sees it come towards him, and the way it doesn't just smash into the coyote, it goes smoothly right through the platform in a perfect semi-circle, taking him right out.
There were certainly more complicated schemes to nab that Road Runner, but this one little piece of physical is everything that I love about these cartoons. It's only 20 seconds long, but that gag will be getting laughs forever.
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