Nelly's Folly (1961) User Reviews

strange that we can't find this more easily

[lee_eisenberg · 7/10 · 26 June 2007]

Though the backgrounds make it look like something from TV, the Chuck Jones short "Nelly's Folly" elicits an almost mystical feeling. Portraying an African giraffe with an angelic singing voice getting signed as a star until personal problems ruin her career - a turtle identifies the events shown as "show business" - the cartoon gives one the sense that the Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies cartoons were trying to take a new direction in the '60s (though the declining quality eventually led to the animation department's closure).

Did I like the cartoon? Well, maybe it wasn't the greatest, but I thought that it was worth seeing. I can understand why it got an Academy Award nomination. As it's not readily available on video or DVD, you can watch it on YouTube.

Nelly's Folly was another enjoyable Chuck Jones cartoon

[tavm · 7/10 · 23 August 2014]

Just watched this cartoon on the Sex and the Single Girl DVD. This Oscar-nominated effort by Chuck Jones-with Abe Levitow and Maurice Noble as co-directors-seems a bit reminiscent of his previous One Froggy Evening except there's actual dialogue and in this one-Nelly the Giraffe actually allows herself to sing for fame and fortune! There's a couple of amusing gags about commercialism and the fad of certain things but this was mostly a straightforward telling about the rise and fall of a celebrity animal that goes down easy for the six-minute limit of this short. While Gloria Wood (as the singing giraffe) also gets credit for the Voice Characterization alongside Mel Blanc, Ed Prentiss-the narrator-doesn't, which was a shame. Anyway, I recommend Nelly's Folly. P.S. Prentiss was born in my birthtown of Chicago, Ill.

Giraffe story

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 24 September 2015]

There is hardly any kind of animal breed that was not used by Warner Bros and got their own cartoon character and this is the company's take on giraffes. The protagonist is a female giraffe named Nelly and we follow her during your journey into stardom and back into obscurity, into love and into (lack of) acceptance. Tese 7 minute were even Academy Award nominated over 50 years ago, but lost to the Eastern European Entry in the animated short category. The director and writer is Chuck Jones, but admittedly, he did not make this one on his own. 2 more directors and 1 more writer are credited here, quite a lot for such a short film, don't you think. Mel Blanc, as always, is on board too, even if he does not voice the title character. This cartoon has some more melancholy and emotion than most other of these cartoons and maybe that is why it was so well-received, also by the Academy. Good watch, I recommend it.

One of the musical cartoons that Warner Brothers usually did quite well and a very worthy effort

[llltdesq · 9/10 · 22 August 2001]

A nominee for an Oscar, this cartoon has excellent artwork, a great musical score and an entertaining premise to make it a most worthy effort indeed. A very cute cartoon that uses artwork to provide a counterpoint to the premise on occasion. The music alone would make it worth watching this one. Some of the jokes are rather dated, but it's still a very well done cartoon. Recommended.

Yes, you can find 'Nelly' on DVD...!!!

[jjcalzada · 10/10 · 30 May 2008]

For those of us who are die-hard fans of this delightful and politically incorrect cartoon (Nelly desecrates an American home an then attempts to commit suicide) here's the DVD where you can find it at last: 'Warner Brothers Home Entertainment Academy Awards Animation Collection - 15 Winners, 26 Nominees', along with some other -almost- forgotten gems, such as 'The High Note', 'The Dot and the Line' and the chilling 'Peace on Earth'. Most of the transfers are OK, yet some suffer from technical problems like the use of non-anamorphic widescreen for a few cartoons filmed in Cinemascope, even if the box says they are anamorphic transfers (!). The collection covers the years from 1940 to 1965.

A delightful story with poignancy.

[taletiger · 9/10 · 7 June 2003]

This is a delightful story of discovery, loss and rediscovery of which I would recommend to anyone who enjoys music with soul. I focused on Nelly's singing, and found myself entranced. Gloria Wood did a fantastic job bring Nelly's voice to life!

Nelly starts out singing for the pure joy of it while in the jungle and later, she sings with an air of sophistication. You can really feel her emotions in her singing. Nelly eventually returns to the jungle, but her singing has become mournful. Her sad song near the end of the story is truely acute to the spirit, but it turns to pure joy when she finds she is no longer alone! This cartoon is special for me in several ways, but the singing alone makes it worthwhile. Chuck Jones and David Detiege took a classic story of Hollywood and added elements to it that make it stand out. I wish Nelly had been in more Looney Tunes!

Widely considered the top giraffe romance . . .

[oscaralbert · 9/10 · 14 March 2016]

. . . of All Time, whether live-action OR animated, NELLY'S FOLLY answers the question, "What if Michigan J. Frog were 22 feet taller, and did NOT have stage fright?" Nelly is the hottest thing since sliced cheese, and a particular favorite among Rich People's Party voters (who all play the lottery--except for the handful who actually ARE Rich People--and figure that they'll be able to BUY the sexy but unattached Tall Gal once their number hits). When the muck-raking Yankee media circulates word that Nelly is flirting with a "spoken for" male giraffe, these Monied Class Fellow Travelers desert Nelly En Masse, forcing her back to Africa, a sadder by wiser tree-topper. Though Nelly's tale goes on from there, perhaps it's time to ask yourself, "What have you ever done for the giraffes?" Most of us fatten up the birds for America's feral cats. But does Felix really NEED another serving of chickadee, when so many Real Life Nellies go to bush hungry at night?

I guess I hadn't see them all, so sad

[ericstevenson · 10/10 · 17 August 2023]

This is one of the few "Looney Tunes" cartoons I've never seen and...it's honestly kind of easy to see why. This is the rare short that has almost no jokes at all. It features a singing giraffe named Nelly who is taken out of the jungle to become a star. The fame eventually drives to loneliness where she falls in love with a giraffe at the zoo, who happens to be married. He has an affair with her and it ends Nelly's career. She even tries going back to him for love, but now he just calls her a has-been.

She goes back to the jungle, having lost all of her fame and love. The jungle animals can only cry at her songs now. She does fall in love with a fellow singing giraffe, so he gets her happy ending eventually. I was just dumbfounded by how something as silly as "Looney Tunes" could make me cry. I first saw this clip in a Looney Tunes compilation and had to learn more about it. It just shows how fame will drive us to lust and only by becoming down to earth will we find our true love and thank you so much "Looney Tunes", for teaching this important life lesson.

Don't let lust and fame consume you. Remember the ones whom we truly deserve to love and will not turn our backs on us. ****