Year: 1947
Runtime: 8 mins
Language: English
Director: Tex Avery
A hungry cat plans to feed a scrawny canary “Jumbo Gro” fertilizer, hoping to enlarge it into a bigger morsel. The trick backfires as the canary, a dog, and a mouse each get a dose, sparking a frantic competition to see which of them will grow the biggest, turning the garden into a chaotic race.
Warning: spoilers below!
Haven’t seen King-Size Canary 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!
Read the complete plot breakdown of King-Size Canary (1947), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
In the dead of night, a hungry alley Cat prowls the streets, rooting through garbage cans for a bite. His search is thwarted when bones are snatched away by other alley cats, leaving him with nothing but hunger and determination. He spots a refrigerator inside a house and slips onto the property, intent on a meal, but the moment he sneaks in, a sleeping bulldog is roused to life. The bulldog gives chase up to the side of the house, and the clever [Cat] pulls out sleeping pills, knocking the dog into a deep sleep and buying a moment of silence for his own hunger.
Inside the kitchen, the cat’s luck begins to shift. He finds a can of cat food, and as he pries it open, a Mouse pops onto a dinner plate from within the can. The cat is about to dig in with a fork when the tiny rodent halts him with a stubborn grin and a warning: he’s already seen the cartoon they inhabit, and he will eventually save the cat. The hungry predator isn’t ready to listen, but the mouse keeps talking, steering him toward a new possibility. The mouse points toward the other room, hinting that there is a huge, fat Canary waiting to be found. The [Cat] bolts toward the other room, stuffs the unsuspecting bird into a sack, and carries it back to the kitchen in triumph.
The canary is revealed not as a grand rockstar but as a scrawny little creature. The canary speaks, “Well, I’ve been sick…,” and the cat is initially repulsed by the tiny figure. Yet desperation wins, and a literal brainstorm happens when the cat spots a bottle of Jumbo Gro plant growth formula on the shelf. He drips a bit of the formula into the canary, and the bird grows rapidly, quickly towering over ten feet tall. With newfound height, the canary takes advantage of the size to rough up the cat. The cat, not to be outdone, drinks Jumbo Gro himself and swells into a giant, tossing the bottle out the window. It lands straight into the bulldog’s mouth, and the bulldog gulps down the formula, enlarging as well.
The trio erupts into a chase: the giant cat and the canary race around the side of the house, while the bulldog lumbers after them, crashing through the yard. Outside, the bulldog leaps onto the scene and the bottle slides down the chimney, rolling into the living room where the mouse, who’s quietly reading a book titled The Lost Squeekend (a playful nod to The Lost Weekend), watches in bemused disbelief. The dog bounds over the house and chases the cat into the city.
Meanwhile, the [Mouse] drinks a few sips of the Jumbo Gro formula, instantly growing to gigantic size. The bulldog chases the cat through the city, but the gargantuan mouse appears and frightens the bulldog away with a simple, chilling cue: > Boo! The mouse, now as tall as a twenty-story building, reminds the cat that the promise of saving his life still stands. The cat thanks the mouse as the bottle of Jumbo Gro is handed back to him and the waddle off begins. Still hungry, the [Cat] rubs his enormous belly, catches sight of the towering mouse trudging away, and hatches another plan.
Driven by hunger, the cat drinks more formula and grows even larger than the mouse. The chase reaches epic proportions as the cat — now a hundred stories tall — pursues the giant mouse across the city and into the countryside, sweeping past landmarks like the Grand Canyon, the Hoover Dam, and the Rocky Mountains. The giant mouse, in response, hides in a railroad tunnel, then drinks Jumbo Gro again when the cat isn’t looking, becoming even bigger. The two giants exchange blows while the formula keeps flowing, but when the bottle finally runs dry, they both pause and realize the scale has pushed beyond the Earth itself.
They wave goodbye to the audience, acknowledging that the formula has run out, and the camera slowly pulls back to reveal the two titans standing atop the globe, a playful, outsized finale that closes the cartoon with a wink.
Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 12:33
Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.
Comedic stories where simple situations spiral into absurdly chaotic chain reactions.If you enjoyed the fast-paced, escalating antics in King-Size Canary, you'll love these movies. This collection features similar comedies and cartoons where a single catalyst sparks a chaotic chain reaction, filled with slapstick humor and a sense of playful, uncontrollable escalation. Find more movies with a frenetic energy and absurdly funny situations.
Narratives in this thread typically begin with a simple, often silly, premise that gets drastically amplified. A chase, a mistake, or a competition kicks off a sequence of events where the scale and chaos intensify with each new development. The plot is less about a traditional arc and more about riding a wave of escalating absurdity, where the fun is in seeing how far things can go.
These movies are grouped by their shared commitment to kinetic, lighthearted comedy. They possess a fast pace, a whimsical tone that embraces cartoonish logic, and a structure built on visual gags and escalating situations rather than deep emotional stakes. The connection is the feeling of being swept up in a hilarious, unpredictable whirlwind.
Tales of ridiculous rivalries where characters try to outdo each other with fantastic means.Looking for more movies with the absurd competition of King-Size Canary? This list features films where characters engage in ridiculous rivalries, using fantastical elements like growth serums or magic in a frantic battle for supremacy. Discover similar stories filled with cartoon logic, playful conflict, and a lighthearted tone.
The narrative pattern is a back-and-forth battle where each participant acquires and uses a new advantage, constantly raising the stakes. There is no real villainy, just a playful, obsessive drive to be the biggest, best, or strongest. The journey is defined by this cyclical one-upmanship, leading to ever-more-absurd scenarios until the mechanism of competition is exhausted.
These films are united by their core theme of absurd competition and the application of 'cartoon logic' to solve problems. They share a light emotional weight, an ambiguous or inconclusive ending that simply stops the conflict, and a tone that finds humor in escalation rather than drama. The similarity lies in the specific type of conflict and the rules of the world.
Don't stop at just watching — explore King-Size Canary 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 King-Size Canary is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.
Track the full timeline of King-Size Canary with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.
Discover the characters, locations, and core themes that shape King-Size Canary. Get insights into symbolic elements, setting significance, and deeper narrative meaning — ideal for thematic analysis and movie breakdowns.
Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of King-Size Canary that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.
Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about King-Size Canary: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.
Discover movies like King-Size Canary 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.
King-Size Canary (1947) Scene-by-Scene Movie Timeline
King-Size Canary (1947) Movie Characters, Themes & Settings
King-Size Canary (1947) Spoiler-Free Summary & Key Flow
Movies Like King-Size Canary – Similar Titles You’ll Enjoy
Cans Without Labels (2019) Complete Plot Breakdown
Cat City (1986) Full Summary & Key Details
King Size (1988) Detailed Story Recap
A Gruesome Twosome (1945) Detailed Story Recap
Mouse and Garden (1960) Film Overview & Timeline
Cats A-Weigh! (1953) Movie Recap & Themes
Canned Feud (1951) Ending Explained & Film Insights
Canary Row (1950) Detailed Story Recap
The Discontented Canary (1934) Spoiler-Packed Plot Recap
A Tale of Two Kitties (1942) Full Movie Breakdown
Catch as Cats Can (1947) Full Movie Breakdown
The Wayward Canary (1932) Detailed Story Recap
The Cagey Canary (1941) Story Summary & Characters
King Tweety (2022) Complete Plot Breakdown
Cat Feud (1958) Spoiler-Packed Plot Recap