TheLittleSongbird Chuck Jones is widely considered one of animation's finest directors/animators and for very good reason. When he was at his best, his cartoons were masterpieces of animation, comic timing, characterisation and wit.The Sniffles cartoon series were very early efforts for Jones, and, while they are interesting from a historical perspective, it is safe to say that from personal opinion they don't see him at his best(though they are a long way from bad). There is somewhat of a still finding his feet feel here, with the humour once he became a regular director for the Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies cartoons becoming much funnier, more constant and wittier and the characterisation far more interesting.'Sniffles and the Bookworm' is one of the better Sniffles cartoons. The premise is a very familiar one and has been done with more imagination elsewhere, but actually there is not much wrong here. The predictable ending is where 'Sniffles and the Bookworm' is at its weakest.What makes 'Sniffles and the Bookworm' one of his best is that it is one of the crisper paced, it's one of the most amusing ones and it is very charming while being a Sniffles cartoon that doesn't try too hard to be cute. The literary characters coming to life premise is not an original one as said but is still great fun to watch, very nostalgic and has its fair share of visual invention.Have said before that Sniffles is not one of the most interesting and compelling characters, here he is sweet but has grown in personality. The bookworm is a good supporting character and they work very well together. The literary characters are wittily done and the chases are suitably merry.As ever with Jones, the animation is very good. It is lush and vibrant in colour and meticulous and beautifully drawn in detail. The character designs are fluid, well drawn and distinctive Jones, if not the creative ones of his very best cartoons. Carl Stalling's music is lush and characterful, with clever orchestration and a mastery of not just adding to the action but enhancing it as well (Stalling was a near-unequalled master at this, though Scott Bradley gave him a run for his money).On the whole, very good for a Sniffles cartoon. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Vimacone Sniffles was one of Chuck Jones' early characters. This was during his early years when he was attempting to emulate Disney. Sniffles appears in a handful of Jones' shorts from 1939- 41. One of Sniffles regular companions was a mute bookworm. This is his first appearance.Most of Jones' early shorts had sluggish or dramatic pacing, which Jones' colleagues at the time and even contemporary fans have criticized him for. This is the case for the first half of the short until all the characters break into song and dance, which saves the film from being forgettable.This also falls in the genre of book come to life cartoons, which was a staple of WB cartoons throughout the 1930's. The book (or product label) come to life shorts always featured a popular song. This one being a musical number "Mutiny In The Nursery" from the WB feature "Going Places (1938)". The musical sequence is very catchy and makes it one of the best Sniffles entries.

Neil Doyle This is one of the most enjoyable and endearing little cartoons ever turned out by Chuck Jones, simple and unpretentious bits of humor that come about all because a "bookworm" invades a bookstore where Sniffles the Mouse is on guard watching out for the classic books.Various characters from the books join in the fun, and mayhem erupts when someone awakens the Frankenstein monster. The merry chases are fun to watch and Sniffles manages to resolve the situation at the predictable end by disposing of the monster.The last scene involves a happy reunion between Sniffles and the little green bookworm. The animators do a great job of giving the mouse and the worm warm personalities. Kids should find it delightful.

Lee Eisenberg Chuck Jones's first star Sniffles was usually known as just plain cute. However, "Sniffles and the Bookworm" is different. This cartoon incorporates the "inanimate objects come to life" genre that twice portrayed books acting out their titles ("Have You Got Any Castles?" and "Book Revue"): Sniffles, a studious worm, and a group of classic novels have a hootenanny and inadvertently wake up Frankenstein's monster.So, for once, we do get to see a different side of this mouse. Of course, I probably speak for most Looney Tunes fans when I say that Chuck Jones got really good once he started directing Bugs, Daffy, and the rest of the really famous characters.All in all, worth seeing.