90 Day Wondering is a jointly produced Warner Brothers/United States Army animated short, directed by Chuck Jones. It is an instructional short aimed at encouraging discharged soldiers to re-enlist. It is neither a Looney Tune nor a Merrie Melodie.
Plot[]
Ralph Phillips, a young American soldier, is ecstatic to finally be able to leave Fort Itude, spinning out of the base like a tornado. He makes a stop to buy some civilian clothes and eventually returns to his hometown of Spooner, where he moves back in with his family (who're just as ecstatic to be reunited with Ralph after so long). After a joyous reunion, life returns to normal for Ralph and the rest of the Williams-family.
While initially happy about coming back home and reuniting with his family, Ralph discovers that a lot has changed in Spooner during the time he was gone and ends up having a bit of a hard time readjusting to civilian life:
- After spending some time at home with his family, Ralph tries going to the Sugar Bowl (his old hangout) to reunite with the friends he had from before he first enlisted in the military. But upon arriving there, he doesn't see any of his old friends and sees that the place is now filled up with teenyboppers, making Ralph feel like an old man.
- Walking past a billboard containing an advertisement with a sexy cigarette girl, Ralph pulls out his little black book (now full of bugs, dust and cobwebs) to reunite with an old girlfriend. Ralph calls up every girl in his book, but none of them are available due to various reasons (married, have kids, taking care of their families, etc.).
Later that night, Ralph's on a park bench lamenting how different civilian life seems compared to how it was from before he enlisted. Ralph starts wondering what his GI-buddies are up to and even starts to consider re-enlisting -- he's soon approached by Pete ("The Civilian's Friend") and Re-Pete ("E-5¼"), a pair of imps who give presentations to Ralph.
- Pete's presentation tries convincing Ralph not to re-enlist in the Army, making points of how workers in the military tend to not make as much as civilians who have the same jobs as well as being forced to wear uniforms.
- Re-Pete's presentation is about why Ralphs should consider re-enlisting in the Army -- while Re-Pete's presentation acknowledges that while people military might not make as much money as civilians working the same (or similar) jobs, but some of the benefits include things like receiving many services for free (whereas civilians would have to pay for them) and getting automatic raises and promotions. And there are also benefits that would extend to members of Ralph's family as well.
Ultimately, Ralph's convinced to re-enlist and Re-Pete helps him race back to the base to "re-up."
Availability[]
Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 4, Disc Three (restored)
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1, Disc Three (restored)
Notes[]
- The MPAA logo appears on the credits, but not its number.
- As this short was created for the United States government, it was never copyrighted, thus it is in the public domain in the United States.
Gallery[]
