The Ant and the Aardvark is a series of 17 theatrical short cartoons produced at DePatie-Freleng Enterprises (DFE). The cartoon follows attempts of a blue aardvark named Aardvark (voiced by John Byner, impersonating Jackie Mason) to catch and eat a red ant named Charlie (also voiced by Byner but impersonating Dean Martin), usually doing so by inhaling with a loud vacuum cleaner sound. The character goes unnamed until Rough Brunch, where he states his name is indeed Aardvark. The ant has given him names as well, always beginning with "Old" ("Old Sam," "Old Ben,"...etc.).
In The Ant From Uncle, Charlie calls Aardvark "Dad" the entire episode. In the episodes I've Got Ants in My Plans and Odd Ant Out, the Aardvark tussled against a rival green aardvark (also voiced by Byner), similar to the way Sylvester fought other cats over Tweety in a few of Freleng's earlier shorts at Warner Brothers. Because many Warner alumni worked for DFE, a lot of familiar plots were recycled in the latter studio's cartoons. In Technology, Phooey, the Aardvark utilizes a computer to help think up ideas to catch the ant — very similar in concept to a Chuck Jones short with Wile E. Coyote. This cartoon also features yet another vocal impersonation from Byner, as the Paul Lynde-esque computer.
Also, the last short ever made, From Bed to Worse, borrowed heavily from the Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes short, Greedy For Tweety. There were many minor characters in the series. Among them was Cousin Term the Termite, the unnamed cousin ant, Aunt Minerva (one of the Gi-Ants), Tiny the Elephant (Ant's lodge brother), Tiger (voiced by Marvin Miller), the faceless scientist with a Boris Karloff-like voice, the unnamed nurse (voiced by Athena Lorde), the mischievous dog, the anteater-eating shark, the lifeguard who mistook Aardvark for a dog (he always said, "OFF THE BEACH!"), were amongst other classic gags. Most of the minor characters were also voiced by John Byner.
Enjoy the entire series showcased above.
| № | Title | Director: | Story: | Released: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Ant and the Aardvark" | Friz Freleng | John W. Dunn | 1969 |
| 2 | "Hasty But Tasty" | Gerry Chiniquy | John W. Dunn | 1969 |
| 3 | "The Ant From Uncle" | George Gordon | John W. Dunn | 1969 |
| 4 | "I've Got Ants in My Plans" | Gerry Chiniquy | John W. Dunn | 1969 |
| 5 | "Technology, Phooey" | Gerry Chiniquy | Irv Spector | 1969 |
| 6 | "Never Bug an Ant" | Gerry Chiniquy | David Detiege | 1969 |
| 7 | "Dune Bug" | Art Davis | John W. Dunn | 1969 |
| 8 | "Isle of Caprice" | Gerry Chiniquy | David Detiege | 1969 |
| 9 | "Scratch a Tiger" | Hawley Pratt | Irv Spector | 1970 |
| 10 | "Odd Ant Out" | Gerry Chiniquy | Sid Marcus | 1970 |
| 11 | "Ants in the Pantry" | Hawley Pratt | John W. Dunn | 1970 |
| 12 | "Science Friction" | Gerry Chiniquy | Larz Bourne | 1970 |
| 13 | "Mumbo Jumbo" | Art Davis | John W. Dunn | 1970 |
| 14 | "The Froze Nose Knows" | Gerry Chiniquy | Dale Hale | 1970 |
| 15 | "Don't Hustle an Ant with Muscle" | Art Davis | Dale Hale | 1970 |
| 16 | "Rough Brunch" | Art Davis | Sid Marcus | 1971 |
| 17 | "From Bed to Worse" | Art Davis | John W. Dunn | 1971 |
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