Top 10 Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner Face Offs

This short was the best possible way to introduce Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner to the world! “Fast and Furry-ous” was packed to the brim with many simple, yet iconic setups that would inspire generations of cartoons almost a whole century later. Misfiring rockets, dimwitted setups with giant rocks, and the expectation of a bird’s literacy skills - every gag was hilarious in their payoffs. Though it wasn’t Chuck Jones’s first time directing a “Looney Tunes” short for Warner Bros., this was arguably the biggest contribution the franchise had received since Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck made their debuts. The only reason it’s at the bottom of the list is because of how future shorts would improve upon the formula.

The theme of “Hook, Line, and Stinker” is “subversion” as almost every one of Wile E. Coyote’s plans goes awry in the most unexpected ways. Despite using familiar setups from previous shorts, almost every one of the gags here caught us off guard between the wired bundle of dynamite and the classic piano drop. Even Wile E.’s convoluted mouse trap of a finale had us wondering what in Sam Hill he was trying to do. To this day, this short is absolutely one of the best face-offs between the bird and the canine.

How many more times can you make catapults, brick walls, and weights funny? If you’re asking that question, you probably haven’t seen “Zoom and Bored.” While some of the early gags lean more towards playing with the possibilities of animation, the later gags put Wile E. through some extensive punishments. Have you ever seen a swarm of angry bees exact their anger on a distant target as opposed to a close one? How about a bomb exploding the second its fuse is lit? Or how about a harpoon spear that seems to just fly forever? Yeah, after all of that, the Road Runner was right to grant Wile E. some mercy from his beeping.

Compared to the other shorts, “Whoa Be-Gone!” is among the most surreal in terms of logic and expectations. Many of the gags seen here get a little nutty with the ACME products. If you thought a giant rubber band sounded ridiculous, wait until you see Wile E. utilize “tornado seeds!” Really, we have to give points to the imaginative setups here. The Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner shorts were about to hit their tenth anniversary. For Chuck Jones and his team to continue coming up with funny and creative jokes this long is a feat few series can ever achieve.

In all honesty, “There They Go-Go-Go!” is loaded up with a lot of short and punchy skits, which might be a miss for some folks. However, we’re recognizing this one specifically because of the animation chops on display here. Chuck Jones and his team are at the top of their game with the different effects and animation tricks, from the fire on Wile E.’s feet to the use of fewer frames to make the moment traps go haywire feel more sudden. Plus, they all still feature the same level of wit behind every joke from shorts prior.

There are plenty of clever moments to love about “Gee Whiz-z-z-z-z-z-z”. While we can appreciate the smaller jokes, we want to recognize this short for two iconic bits that have stood out across the coyote’s history. First, there was the ridiculous green glider suit that did function for a solid minute or two before Wile E. crashed it. Then, there’s the finale with the jet bike, which was a good idea at one moment until Wile E. decided to turn off the engine for some reason. You think maybe he survived the fall after the short ended?

In this short, it felt like every object was out to get Wile E. Coyote for some bizarre reason. “Beep, Beep” featured some of the most convoluted ACME contraptions, as well as a humorous chase scene taking place in an abandoned mine shaft. The real piece of resistance here was how the second-to-last gag ties back into one of the earlier gags. Honestly, Wile E. has no one to blame but himself for falling for his own ridiculous “free water” trap.

If you want to see just how busted, broken, and possibly untested ACME’s products are, well, “Ready, Set, Zoom!” is the perfect highlight reel. From the ACME glue to the classic red rocket, Wile E. just cannot get these products to work, even when he’s using them as makeshift items like the motorized washtub. The finale with the female Road Runner disguise was a perfect way to end this series of not-so-clever contraptions. Seriously, how did Wile E. not think a second Road Runner would attract even more coyotes?

First off, can we take a moment to appreciate just how clean the animation is here? This is truly impressive for 1963! For the first couple minutes of this short, we got to see all of the absurd ways you can toss a coyote off a cliff, the best one involving a cactus. Although, the finale is what has made us remember “To Beep or Not to Beep” all these years later. Using a primitive catapult, Wile E. Coyote succumbs to the catapult’s shoddy design not once, not twice, not even thrice, but a whopping SIX TIMES! And for once, ACME is not the manufacturer to blame for this series of mishaps, but Road Runner Manufacturing Co.

So many shorts could have easily taken the top spot. Why “Beep Prepared?” Well, it’s for the ways it manages to keep gags basic while still delivering an assortment of unexpected, wildly hilarious payoffs. Despite the simplicity in setups, every single gag here feels wholly original with a ton of wit and brevity. As we said, there are so many great shorts that feature Speedipus Rex and Carnivorous vulgaris, but once you’ve sat through all seven minutes of “Beep Prepared,” you’ll forever remember it as one of the greatest “Looney Tunes” shorts ever produced!

What’s your favorite Wile E. Coyote & Road Runner short? Did it make our list? Let us know down in the comments!