The Unexpected Pest
The Unexpected Pest
| 01 June 1956 (USA)
The Unexpected Pest Trailers

Sylvester Cat must catch mice or lose his happy home. When he can't find a mouse inside, he searches out of doors and comes upon one meek, little mouse who agrees under duress to be Sylvester's one rodent to catch and rough up again and again in front of his masters. But it isn't long before the mouse realizes Sylvester needs him alive and decides to stop being Sylvester's stooge.

Reviews
Matrixston Wow! Such a good movie.
Whitech It is not only a funny movie, but it allows a great amount of joy for anyone who watches it.
filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.
Cristal The movie really just wants to entertain people.
Edgar Allan Pooh . . . seems to be the main lesson of Warner Bros.' animated short, THE UNEXPECTED PEST. Just when you think there's no more dirt to be dug up about a particular rat, it turns out that their Pops may have assassinated JFK. Some will argue that just because the longest-serving Rodent Speaker of the House reveals that he's been a serial Child Molester all along, doesn't automatically mean that the rest of the Mouse Leaders were (or are) Chesters themselves. Sylvester decides to make a pact with the Devil Mouse to keep his spot on a Comfy Sofa in PEST. Naturally, the rodent double-crosses him, because pathological lying is a Rodent's Nature. With PEST, Warner is warning America NOT to crawl into bed with a rat, no matter how much Security seems to be offered. Sooner rather than later the rodent will stab you in the back, forcing you to hobble away from the only Homeland you've ever known on crutches, just like Sylvester here. You may think that the Rodents are speaking your language, but they're actually only interested in squirreling away America's wealth for themselves, like pack rats!
utgard14 Sylvester's masters are going to get rid of him because there are no mice around and his main job was as the mouse catcher. So Sylvester finds a scared little mouse to be his slave, catching him over and over in front of the masters so they will think he is valuable to the household. But the mouse gets wise to Sylvester's game and turns the tables on him. This is a funny short, thanks in large part to the little mouse. He's a hoot! The animation is bright and colorful with well-drawn characters and backgrounds. The music is lively and fun. Wonderful voice work from the incomparable Mel Blanc. An enjoyable cartoon with great characters and a cute story.
TheLittleSongbird Looney Tunes, Sylvester and Robert McKimson are a good mixture, the Looney Tunes cartoons are childhood favourites that a vast majority of the time hold up very well and are even better from an adult perspective, Sylvester is a great funny character who can work equally well with another character or on his own and Robert McKimson(while somewhat in the shadow of Chuck Jones, Bob Clampett and Fritz Freleng) has been responsible for lots of fun cartoons and some classics also. The Unexpected Pest doesn't see either of them at their best, with a predictable set-up and a few gags that while nice we've seen many times already and since(ie. throwing objects from a great height, getting hands caught in mouse-traps). The beginning sets the cartoon well but there isn't really anything that wows, it's really when the mouse comes on the scene when The Unexpected Pest comes to life. The animation is very good though, simple but colourful and careful in design, while the music score keeps the energy levels high and brings much character to the proceedings. While you have seen some of it before, that doesn't stop The Unexpected Pest from being strong amusing entertainment, with nicely timed gags and very witty dialogue(Sylvester gets the best lines). The set-up is predictable, but the execution of the actual story is neat and is paced well with some nice twists. The ending works especially well, with a turning-of-the-tables sort of situation. The mouse is a fun character as well as cute, Sylvester as ever is the one who steals the show. Mel Blanc's vocals are superb, every single character he voiced came to life and largely because of him. He was one of those few voice actors who could voice more than one character in the same cartoon and not only give them different personalities and such but also make them funny and memorable. To conclude, familiar but neat and amusing. 7/10 Bethany Cox
phantom_tollbooth Robert McKimson's 'The Unexpected Pest' is a neatly plotted little cartoon with some unusual twists and genuine laughs. When Sylvester's owners realise that they don't need him now that he's got rid of all the mice, the cat has to seek out a mouse to save himself from becoming homeless. Threatening him with being eaten unless he follows his instructions, Sylvester uses the mouse hundreds of times in order to convince his owners that they have an infestation. I won't spoil the fun by elaborating further but the final few plot twists make for some very funny moments indeed. 'The Unexpected Pest' moves at a fairly leisurely pace and isn't much to look at but the script is great and McKimson wisely throws the spotlight firmly on the story. It's best the first time you see it but, with the delicious knowledge of what's to come also enhancing the fun, 'The Unexpected Pest' stands up to repeated viewings too. It's a solid cartoon and it's always a pleasure to see Sylvester without either of the twin drag factors, Tweety or Speedy Gonzalez.