" . . . do not knock it," Henry the Skunk-of-a-runaway-husband-and-dad (a.k.a., Pepe Le Pew) says to conclude WILD OVER YOU. Obviously, this punch line is meaningless without knowing what the "it" is. What exactly is "it" here? "It" can be summed up in two words: Rough Sex. Pepe has tried to "close the deal" five times with an escaped wild cat who has painted itself up as a skunk to avoid recapture. (Since Pepe is nose blind, he never quails at his opportunities for inter-species trysts.) The Warner Bros. animators portray these five attempted rapes as cartoon whirlwinds--the representation you might expect if Bugs Bunny tried to get it on with the Tasmanian Devil. Pepe is somewhat ambivalent as he emerges banged up from his first four scrapes with the wildcat, but in the middle of his fifth attack (what he would call "Shooting Zee fish in Zee Barrel," as the pair are crammed into the basket of a rising hot air balloon), sadomasochist Pepe decides it's all good.

If you are familiar with Pepe LePew, you will know where Wild Over You is going to go. But that isn't enough to mar the cartoon's enjoyment. The animation is full of simple detail and elegant colour, very Chuck Jones but with also an authentic touch. The music is catchy and beautifully orchestrated, with a lovely amorous French flavour. The dialogue is very witty and quite kinky even for a Pepe cartoon, a series that was uniquely risqué to start with. The gags are as is the case with Pepe and Looney Tunes in general clever and imaginatively timed. The story could be seen as formulaic, but the vibrant pacing and entertainment value more than makes up for that. Pepe is still likable and true to the personality that we are used to seeing him, and the cat contrasts with him very well. Mel Blanc, criss crossing Charles Boyer and Maurice Chevalier, is stellar. All in all, a fine cartoon that has much to like about it. 9/10 Bethany Cox

By 1953, the Pepe Le Pew formula is getting to be pretty set in stone--Pepe comes upon a cat that looks like a skunk and he spends the rest of the film ardently in pursuit. This time, it's a bit different due to the setting (the famous Paris Exposition) and because the cat is in this case an escaped wild cat from the zoo. The bottom line is that if you love Pepe Le Pew, you'll love this one as well. If not, then there are no major differences that will change your mind (though, if you DON'T like these cartoons, you are a real curmudgeon).One thing I particularly liked were all the terrible puns and plays on words when it comes to the French in the film. Again and again, terribly funny but bad puns abound when you see a sign in this short.

Before I start this review, I would like to point out two things:1) There are/could be spoilers in this review.2) This review is dedicated to the men behind Pepe Le Pew, Michael Maltese (who created Pepe's fractured French and died in 1981), Mel Blanc (who lent a very realistic Charles Boyer impression to Pepe and died in 1989), and the last of the great WB animators, Chuck Jones (who created the character and died this year). May God rest both of your souls, you oh-so-talented men. Okay, on to the review...To the eye of someone who still thinks that Looney Tunes are children's fare, this cartoon is nothing more than your typical Pepe cartoon (cat gets painted, Pepe mistakes the cat for a skunk, Pepe seduces cat, cat runs off, hilarity ensues until the end). To the eye of someone who knows that Looney Tunes cartoons are not kid-friendly, this cartoon has a twist from the usual Pepe routine. Instead of the cat running off, the cat (here shown as a wildcat from a French zoo) claws Pepe half to death whenever he's near her.This unabashed cartoon made my side hurt the first time I watched it (and proved that Looney Tunes is not for children). I was never this overcome with laughter since "Cow and Chicken" (and believe me, their innuendo could make a Le Pew cartoon AND a Simpsons episode blush). Cartoon Network does air this somewhat frequently. GRADE: A+