Morphology of the Preditor/Prey Cartoon

A common genre of cartoons is the predator/prey cartoon. In this, the main plot is that of the predator chasing the prey, and the prey escaping. Cartoons that fall into this genre include

• Road Runner
• Tom and Jerry
• Elmer Fudd and either Bugs Bunny or Daffy Duck
• Sylvester and either Tweety Bird or Speedy Gonzolas

These cartoons, in general, have a set of simple morphemes that define the plot.

Morphemes

A. Exposition

• Immediate action - The cartoon starts directly in a chase scene. Very common in Road Runner cartoons, where a blurred chase in under way, and the action is momentarily frozen to introduce the characters (usually with some accompanying Latin-sounding name).
• Predator hunting - The cartoon starts with the predator on a hunt. Very common in the Elmer Fudd cartoons.
• Predator in need sees prey and begins action - The cartoon starts with the predator doing action unconnected with prey, usually just walking along, at which point the predator sees the prey and begins the chase. This is most common with Sylvester and Tweety Bird cartoons, in which Sylvester is walking along the street, sees Tweety in a window, and decides to eat the bird.
• Predator antagonized by prey - The cartoon starts with the predator minding his own business. The prey then proceeds to somehow perturb the predator. Road Runner would often yelp "Beep, Beep!" behind the Coyote, causing the Coyote to jump far into the air and hurting himself. Jerry or Speedy would steel cheese, forcing the cat to chase them.

B. Chase

The predator pursues the prey. This can take the form of simply running after the prey, or may also involve weapons of some sort. The Coyote usually runs after the Road Runner. Elmer Fudd hunts Bugs Bunny. Tom sometimes simply chases Jerry, or sometimes chases him with a weapon, such as a meat cleaver. Sometimes the predator uses more complex ways of chasing the prey, such as rocket propelled devices that the Coyote obtains from ACME.

C. Trap

The predator uses some other means (other than chase) to capture or kill the prey.

D. Predator is Foiled/plan backfires

The predator never (with a few exceptions) catches the prey. Beyond failing to catch the prey, the method of pursuit often backfires, causing injury to the predator.

• Escape - The simplest way the predator is foiled is by losing the chase. The prey can outrun or otherwise elude the predator. The Road Runner and Speedy outrun their prey. Bugs, Speedy, and Jerry often escape into holes.
• Outsmarted - When traps are involved, the prey often outsmarts the predator. The Road Runner eats all the seeds but the poisoned ones. Jerry doesn’t step on the trap. Furthermore, the predator is often injured (or embarrassed) as a result. Bugs attaches the fishing hook that had the carrot on it to Elmer Fudd’s pants, so when Elmer tries to pull in the line, he pulls his pants off. Tweety switches the line so Sylvester pulls in a cat-hating dog.
• Self-defeat - Often the predator’s defeat comes from his own hands. The Coyote often runs off a cliff while in pursuit of the Road Runner. The Coyote’s bolder somehow misses the Road Runner and lands on the Coyote. Elmer Fudd throws and explosive down Bug’s rabbit hole, but then looks down the hole and is hurt.
• Defeat by violation of physics - This catagorry occurs infrequently, but enough to warent its mention. This defeat occurs when the prey escapes through means of violating rules of physics. The main example of this is when the Coyote paints a tunnel on the canyon wall, but the Road Runner goes through it as if it were real (and of course the Coyote tries to follow and simply bashes his nose).

E. Ending

• Big screw-up - This is the ending in which the last defeat is so bad that the story really cannot continue. Tom blows up the entire house in an effort to get Jerry.
• Gives up/runs away - This ending differs only slightly from the previous, in that the last defeat frustrates or morally crushes the predator to the point of ending the pursuit. Usually the last time the Coyote falls off a cliff, the cartoon will end with him waving a white flag. Elmer Fudd usually gets fed up with chasing Bugs.
• Other ending - This is the ending which does not fit into the other two categories. Elmer Fudd can no longer chase Bugs because rabbit season is over. This ending is common, but the diversity limits further classification.

The beginning and ending obviously always occur in the same place in the story, and equally obviously always occur only once. The other elements usually occur many times in a pursuit/defeat cycle. Road Runner cartoons are very regular in this. The Coyote chases the Road Runner, but cannot catch him. So the Coyote builds a few traps, and they all backfires. He then orders something from ACME, and it too backfires. This is all the Coyote can take, and he surrenders. Usually this is a downward spiral, each segment of the pursuit becoming bigger and more outlandish, each defeat becoming more severe, until the predator finally gives up or the like. This cycle is quite episodic in the Road Runner cartoons (each pursuit/defeat cycle seem very separate from each other). In other cartoons, the flow from cycle to cycle is more fluid. Also, this cycle can be repeated as many times as desired.