Get Lost (film)

Get Lost is the 68th animated cartoon short subject in the Woody Woodpecker series. Released theatrically on March 12, 1956, the film was produced by Walter Lantz Productions and distributed by Universal-International.[1] The cartoon is based on the well-known fairy tale for Hansel and Gretel of German origin, recorded by the Brothers Grimm.

Get Lost
Directed by	Paul J. Smith
Produced by	Walter Lantz
Story by	Jack Cosgriff
Starring	Dal McKennon June Foray Grace Stafford
Music by	Clarence Wheeler
Animation by	Herman R. Cohen Gil Turner Robert Bentley
Backgrounds by	Art Landy
Color process	Technicolor
Production company	Walter Lantz Productions
Distributed by	Universal International
Release date	March 12, 1956
Running time	6' 01"
Country	United States
Language	English

Plot

Woody is reading the story of Hansel and Gretel to his nephew Knothead and his niece Splinter. Neither of the kids seem to be interested, though, and walk out while Woody is still reading. However, the kids decide to act out the story by pretending to be Hansel and Gretel and purposely getting lost in the woods. A cat spots the two little woodpeckers and decides to catch and cook them. In order to capture Knothead and Splinter, the cat makes a gingerbread house (from a Ready–Mix Gingerbread House mix) and, through a straw, shoots Mexican Jumping Jelly Beans at the kids. The little woodpeckers eat the jelly beans, which send them jumping to the gingerbread house.

As Knothead and Splinter arrive, they are greeted by the cat whom they know is up to no good, but they go along with him anyway. The cat decides to eat Splinter for lunch and save Knothead for dinner, but Knothead escapes. Meanwhile, Splinter reads the cat a recipe for Woodpecker Pot Pie, and prepares herself to go into the oven along with the pie, while Knothead decides to play a few tricks on the cat. When the cat finally catches the two woodpeckers, he puts them in the oven but Knothead takes the phone with him and calls the gas company to tell them he refuses to pay the bill.

As a result, the woodpeckers emerge from the oven alive, but before they can escape the cat catches Knothead by putting salt on his tail. Splinter puts the cat's tail in an egg beater in order to save Knothead and give him a chance to escape. Once he is free, Knothead takes the cat's tail and paints a facsimile of himself on it. The cat ends up putting his own tail into the oven and burns himself. For the finish, the little woodpeckers give the cat a bowl of soup with a firecracker in it, and make their escape back home.

Notes

Though part of the Woody Woodpecker series, its main stars are Woody's nephew and niece Knothead and Splinter, who make their first appearances in this short. The two were well received by audiences, leading to another appearance the following year in Red Riding Hoodlum.

References

1. Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 157–158. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7.

• Cooke, Jon, Komorowski, Thad, Shakarian, Pietro, and Tatay, Jack. "1956". The Walter Lantz Cartune Encyclopedia.