"So why not come on up sometime to Bugtown's buggy clime?"
"Honeymoon Hotel" is a 1934 Merrie Melodies short directed by Earl Duvall. Along with Beauty and the Beast (1934), it is one of the first Warner Bros. cartoons in color and one of only two Warner Bros. cartoons from the 1930s made in Cinecolor (with every other color cartoon being made in Technicolor until 1947-1949).
The cartoon takes place in the (literally) small town of Bugtown. A young ladybug couple has just gotten married, and have a stay at the honeymoon hotel, although a fire breaks out midway through the night.
We are here to trope what we have to trope:
- Animate Inanimate Object: The ladybug couple's car comes to life after they arrive at the honeymoon hotel.
- Covert Pervert:
- After the bellhops and maids drop everything off in the couple's room, they all look through the window at the top of the door. One of them, who can't reach, uses a parascope.
- The mustached bug who tries to look into guests' rooms.
- Dastardly Whiplash: In the middle of the cartoon, there is a mustached bug smoking a cigar who tries to look into guests' rooms. He bears the stereotypical villain look.
- Dawn of an Era: In a meta example, it holds the distinction of being the very first Warner Bros. cartoon in color.
- Good Smoking, Evil Smoking: Midway through the short, there is a mustached bug with a cigar in his mouth who tries to peek into the rooms.
- Harmless Villain: One gag in the cartoon has a bug trying to look into guests' rooms, only to be knocked out by a single slug in the face from a doorknob.
- House Fire: The short's main conflict is a fire that breaks out and destroys the titular hotel.
- Inkblot Cartoon Style: The bugs are all drawn in this style.
- The Man in the Moon: After the ladybugs finally think they've gotten their alone time, the moon looks through their window, says that he can see everything they do, and blushes when they turn out the light.Moon: Is my face red!
- Mouse World: Bugtown is populated entirely by insects, with buildings made out of objects like cans, lunch boxes, and tea kettles.
- No Antagonist: The closest this short has to a villain is a mustached bug who tries to look into guests’ rooms, and he’s only there for a brief gag. The main conflict of the short is a fire that breaks out at the hotel.
- No Name Given: None of the characters are given names.
- Secret Message Wink: At the end, the ladybug couple, who are in a murphy bed, wink at the audience and go back into the wall. On the bottom of the bed is a calendar with a baby on it, who also winks.
- Setting Introduction Song: The short begins with a song about Bugtown, sung by some bugs painting the lyrics onto a sign.
