Zipping Along

Infobox Film
name = Zipping Along


image_size =
caption = Title card of Zipping Along
director = Chuck Jones
producer =
writer = Michael Maltese
narrator =
starring = Paul Julian (uncredited)
music = Carl Stalling
cinematography =
editing =
distributor = Warner Bros. Pictures
released = Start date|1953|9|19
runtime = 6:50 minutes
country =
language = English
budget =
gross =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website =
imdb_id = 46567

Zipping Along is a 1953 Warner Bros. cartoon in the "Merrie Melodies" series featuring Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner.

Plot

The Road Runner is "zipping along" by a train, and the camera zooms in and then freezes for his Latin name: "Velocitus Tremenjus". When the cartoon restarts, the Road Runner leaves the train and runs onto the main roads, with the coyote watching from above. He glances from side to side, and in mid-turn, the camera freezes for Wile's Latin name: "Road-Runnerus Digestus".

He prepares to do just that, as he ventures down the mountain and toward the road. He hears the "Beep-beep" and jumps into a 4-way intersection; the Road Runner mows him down from behind, and then from all the other directions as well before Wile can chase him. The camera cuts to Wile, who looks increasingly annoyed as this sequence repeats over and over.

The coyote hides behind a rock formation with a hand grenade in tow; he chews off the stop and throws the grenade at the Road Runner. Or so he tries: in fact, it was the other way around, and once Wile realizes the gaffe, he is blown up.

Wile now inspects the roads from a high overlook and peers out to see that the Road Runner has disappeared temporarily. That ends when the bird pops up "behind" Wile and beeps, then dashes away, leaving a lifesize cloud of dust behind that also beeps at the coyote. He reclines on the rail, miffed at the turn of events.

As we return to the regular desert scenery, Wile loads a bunch of mousetraps onto the road, but instead of getting trapped in them, the Road Runner knocks the traps into Wile's trench hideout. The coyote's reaction is delayed briefly before he yelps in pain.

The coyote has taken deliver of an ACME kite kit and plans to deliver a bomb from a jump in the air. However, his leaps end up sending him off the edge of the cliff, and he falls to the ground and is blown up by his own explosive.

The Road Runner is zipping along some roads while Wile is chopping down a power pole. Wile confirms the path of the Road Runner and finishes chopping; he misses considerably, and the power line falls. The power pole that Wile chopped traverses the road, but all of the other poles fall as well due to the power lines pulling them down. The one directly to the left lands directly on Wile and knocks him into the ground.

The coyote sneaks some bird seed mixed with steel shot out into the road that the Road Runner is running on, who obliges to the snack. Wile jumps out behind the bird as he speeds away with a giant magnet, but for some unexplained reason, a TNT canister is attracted to the magnet, and the coyote is blown up.

Wile E. Coyote, true to his name, tries a unique method: learn hypnotism from a book to induce the Road Runner to jump off a cliff. He tests the method successfully on a small bug by projecting a static lightning from his hands. However, when he jumps out and performs it on the Road Runner, the bird sports a mirror that causes the lightning to be reflected back to Wile, who obligingly walks off the cliff.

The Road Runner taunts his opponent from above, and the coyote attempts to use a see-saw and rock contraption, but the rock simply falls directly back on its owner.

Now, Wile sets a gun trap for the Road Runner, with himself ready to activate the guns at a moment's notice. He hides behind a turn as the Road Runner runs into the trap. However, because of where he moved the strings, the guns are pulled into the crosshairs of the coyote when they are activated, and he ends up shooting himself.

The coyote now hides behind a rock as he waits for the Road Runner to speed across a treacherous suspension bridge. As the Road Runner crosses, Wile jumps out and cuts the ropes, but instead of causing the bridge to fall, the whole plateau that Wile inhabits falls down. The Road Runner brakes at the end of the bridge and continues his rampage.

Wile waits for the Road Runner to pass and then loads himself into a "human cannonball" cannon, which unfortunately recoils and is thrown backwards, leaving the coyote blackened.

The coyote is now on top of a rectangular board bridging a deep canyon with a large "wrecking ball" at his command. He drops the ball into a circular path, which would have hit the Road Runner if the bird hadn't stopped and waited. The ball continues its circle and ends up right back where it started - on top of the coyote.

One last time, the coyote attempts to ensnare his nemesis. He mines a canyon with myriad explosives behind a doorway with many "FREE BIRD SEED" declarations and connects the main controller to the door. Unfortunately, as soon as the coyote climbs over the wall, he encounters a gigantic truck. With no recourse, Wile opens the door and is blown up repeatedly, then run over by the truck. Wile sticks out his tongue and beeps in an imitation of the Road Runner and then falls unconscious.

Censorship

*Some syndicated versions of this cartoon delete the scene of Wile E. being blasted by a row of rifles.