Adventures of the Road-Runner

Adventures of the Road-Runner is an animated film, directed by Chuck Jones and co-directed by Maurice Noble and Tom Ray. It was the intended pilot for a TV series starring Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, but was never picked up until four years later when Warner Bros. Television produced The Road Runner Show for CBS from 1966 to 1968 and later on ABC from 1971 to 1973. As a result, it was split into three further shorts. The first one was To Beep or Not to Beep (1963). The other two were assembled by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises in 1965 after they took over the Looney Tunes series. The split-up shorts were titled Road Runner a Go-Go and Zip Zip Hooray!.

Directed by Chuck Jones, Adventures of the Road-Runner leans on a strong ensemble — Paul Julian, Dick Tufeld, Nancy Wible — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about animation titles of 1962.