A Day at the Zoo (Short 1939) – IMDb

A Day at the Zoo (1939)

*** (out of 4)

Tex Avery directed short gives us exactly as the title says. The narrator introduces us to various animals at a local zoo but there’s often a twist in the story.

A DAY AT THE ZOO is a rather clever short from Avery who, as you’d expect, gives us the high quality animation but he mixes it with a certainly smart aleck attitude that is rather funny. There’s a running gag throughout the running time dealing with a man who keeps picking on a lion. The narrator warns him to leave the lion alone several times but the pay off is rather funny. There are also a few nice gags aimed around people feeding the monkeys including one poor woman who should have listened to the sign. Fans of Avery’s humor will certainly get a kick out of this one.