King-Size Canary (1947) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

The mouse breaks the fourth wall by referencing that he's already seen the cartoon they're in. This meta-commentary hints that the mouse knows the cat won't actually eat him because he has a larger plan to save him, which plays out later when the mouse grows giant and scares off the bulldog.

• mouse saves cat
• fourth wall
• meta cartoon

The canary is scrawny and sick, making it an unsatisfying meal. When the cat spots the Jumbo Gro plant growth formula on the shelf, he gets the idea to fatten up the bird first so he'll have a bigger meal.

• jumbo gro
• cat feeds canary
• growth formula

After the cat drinks Jumbo Gro and grows giant, he tosses the empty bottle out the window. It lands directly into the bulldog's mouth, and the dog instinctively gulps it down before growing enormous himself.

• bulldog drinks jumbo gro
• bottle lands in mouth

The mouse drinks the formula while the cat and bulldog are chasing each other through the city. He grows into a giant mouse, as tall as a twenty-story building, specifically to intervene and save the cat from the bulldog, fulfilling his earlier promise.

Foreshadowing: The mouse earlier promised to save the cat's life, which comes true when he grows huge.

• giant mouse saves cat
• mouse grows huge

The mouse hides inside a railroad tunnel while the cat chases him. While the cat passes by without noticing, the mouse secretly drinks more Jumbo Gro that he saved, growing even larger than the cat who had already consumed most of the formula.

• mouse bigger than cat
• railroad tunnel trick

The cat remains hungry even after growing giant. When he sees the massive mouse walking away, he decides to drink even more formula to grow bigger than the mouse, continuing the cycle of escalation that drives the chase.

• cat hungry
• growing bigger
• endless chase

The two giants keep growing larger and larger as they consume more formula until they've become so massive they outgrow the Earth itself. The camera pulls back to reveal them standing atop the globe, on top of the world.

• end of cartoon
• on top of globe
• giant characters

With the formula completely exhausted, both the cat and mouse realize they can no longer grow to outsize each other. They stop chasing, wave goodbye to the audience, and the cartoon ends as a visual gag with them standing on the globe.

• bottle empty
• formula runs out
• ending

The bulldog is a guard dog protecting the house. When the cat sneaks onto the property in the middle of the night, the sleeping bulldog wakes up and immediately gives chase to protect his territory.

• bulldog chases cat
• guard dog
• protect house