Which ‘Merrie Melodies’ cartoon won an Academy Award in 1948, the first for Warner Bros.?

The first pairing of ‘Tweetie Pie’ was with Sylvester the Cat. It won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short film in 1948, winning Warner Bros. their first Academy Award for Best Animated Short Films. Running time for the short film was 7:02 minutes.

The plot features the cat Sylvester (called Thomas) who repeatedly tries to capture and eat a small chick bird named Tweetie. While many attempts are tried, the cat is thwarted due to his owner Emma who has crosswords for Thomas when caught in the act of trying to catch and eat the bird. Thomas is cast out of the house and first tries to gain entry through the chimney and then a window. Once Thomas gains entry again, he concocts an intricate trap to catch Tweetie but it backfires.

As the short film ends, all attempts by Thomas have failed leading to his continued frustration as Tweetie maintains freedom.

Mel Blanc (1908-1989) provides the voice for both Tweetie and Sylvester. After spending 60+ years in radio broadcast, Blanc became known for his work in animation as the voices of additional characters including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and most of the other characters from the ‘Looney Tunes’ and ‘Merrie Melodies’ theatrical cartoons during the golden age of American animation.