A Bird in a Guilty Cage

A Bird in a Guilty Cage

Year: 1952

Runtime: 7 mins

Language: English

Director: Friz Freleng

Animation

Sylvester sees Tweety in a department‑store window and sneaks in through a mail chute. Tweety darts into hat pile, then a dollhouse, dodges rifle fire and escapes via a vacuum tube. He sends a stick of dynamite through a tube; Sylvester swallows it, thinking it’s Tweety. The bomb explodes after the cat leaves the store and walks down street.

Warning: spoilers below!

Haven’t seen A Bird in a Guilty Cage yet? This summary contains major spoilers. Bookmark the page, watch the movie, and come back for the full breakdown. If you're ready, scroll on and relive the story!

A Bird in a Guilty Cage (1952) – Full Plot Summary & Ending Explained

Read the complete plot breakdown of A Bird in a Guilty Cage (1952), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.

Inside Stacy’s, Sylvester spots Tweety in a shop window display and hatches a plan. He hides behind the curtains, climbs up to the canary’s cage, and mutters to the audience about what he plans to do. To the bird, the moment sparks a quick aside: > How naive can ya get? Then the cat declares his game: a “Sandwich” in which Tweety would be sandwiched between two slices of bread and nearly eaten. The canary shoots back a jab, still in the mood to resist, with the line: > I don’t wike dat game!

What follows is a frenzied chase through Stacy’s. Tweety darts away as the pursuit intensifies, and the cat begins piling mannequins to reach the bird, who has found a hiding spot among the lighting. The chase snakes through the store: Tweety slips down, slides on skate-wheels attached to a mannequin, and manages to push the makeshift structure down a flight of stairs. He briefly disappears but soon reemerges, prompting another frantic pursuit.

The action leads to a hat sale, where the cat, in a moment of misguided triumph, tries on hats with Tweety perched atop. He aims to smash the bird, but in a comic twist he ends up smashing his own hat instead and injuring himself in the process.

The next maneuver sends the chase into a dollhouse. The cat reaches in, only to discover his index finger is smeared with yellow dye. Seeing the yellow smear, he mistakes it for Tweety, pulls a revolver, and fires into the dollhouse, unintentionally injuring his own finger. Undeterred, he grabs a hunting rifle from the sporting goods section and fires at the fleeing Tweety, leaving bullet holes scattered across the floor and wall. Tweety squeezes into a wall hole for cover, and Sylvester jams the gun’s muzzle into the hole, but it miraculously reappears from a different floor hole aimed at his own rear end.

Not discouraged, the hunter ties a red ribbon around the rifle’s muzzle and stuffs it back into the wall. From the floor emerges a yellow-ribboned muzzle, and the hunter, convinced the strange setup is a fake, fires again—only to be blasted by the weapon hidden below, which shoots him in the buttocks. He yanks the rifle free and discovers it’s the same yellow-ribboned firearm he had attempted to weaponize.

Next, Tweety makes use of Stacy’s pneumatic tubes, traveling through the store in a rapid, comic tour. Sylvester follows to the other end to catch him, but Tweety pops out of a different hole and slips a stick of dynamite into the tube. The cat, fooled into thinking he has cornered his quarry, swallows the explosive, only to trigger a blast that leaves him visibly blackened.

After all the chaos, the would-be predator revises his snack list, deciding to cross birds off his diet once and for all. The final line lands with a characteristically wry note: > That one sort of upset my stomach!

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 10:41

Mobile App Preview

Coming soon on iOS and Android

The Plot Explained Mobile App

From blockbusters to hidden gems — dive into movie stories anytime, anywhere. Save your favorites, discover plots faster, and never miss a twist again.

Sign up to be the first to know when we launch. Your email stays private — always.

Unlock the Full Story of A Bird in a Guilty Cage

Don't stop at just watching — explore A Bird in a Guilty Cage in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what A Bird in a Guilty Cage is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

A Bird in a Guilty Cage Timeline

Track the full timeline of A Bird in a Guilty Cage with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

A Bird in a Guilty Cage Timeline

Characters, Settings & Themes in A Bird in a Guilty Cage

Discover the characters, locations, and core themes that shape A Bird in a Guilty Cage. Get insights into symbolic elements, setting significance, and deeper narrative meaning — ideal for thematic analysis and movie breakdowns.

Characters, Settings & Themes in A Bird in a Guilty Cage

More About A Bird in a Guilty Cage

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about A Bird in a Guilty Cage: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About A Bird in a Guilty Cage

Similar Movies to A Bird in a Guilty Cage

Discover movies like A Bird in a Guilty Cage that share similar genres, themes, and storytelling elements. Whether you’re drawn to the atmosphere, character arcs, or plot structure, these curated recommendations will help you explore more films you’ll love.