The short begins with Quacker the Duck packing his bags as he prepares to head to Florida for the winter. While he says his good-byes to Jerry before departing, the mouse stops him and shows him a wildlife book stating that domestic ducks like himself do not fly south for the winter like their wild cousins. Dismissing this, Quacker tries to take off and join the overhead flocks, but finds that his little wings aren't up to the job. Determined to go south no matter what, the duck resorts to all kinds of tactics in order to travel. One of his attempts gets the attention of Tom, who develops a hunger for southern-fried duck. After several run-ins with the cat, Jerry and Quacker manage to escape onto an airplane bound for Florida. Unbeknownst to them, however, a certain cat managed to get aboard, leading to a rather shocking conclusion when the two are relaxing on the beach.
Tropes appearing in this cartoon:
- Catapult to Glory:
- In order to get airborne, Quacker attempts to use a slingshot to send himself flying. Not only does it not work, but it ends up flinging him into Tom, putting Quacker in his sight for the rest of the cartoon.
- Quacker also attempts to drop an anvil onto one end of a board to toss him into into the sky with the overhead flocks. Unfortunately, he can't stay in the air no matter how hard he flaps.
- Determinator:
- Even though Quacker is unable to fly, he's bound and determined to go south one way or another.
- Tom, for chasing Jerry and Quacker all the way to Quacker's destination.
- Downer Ending: Tom manages to catch Jerry and Quacker after following them all the way to Florida. Making matters worse is that he has spent the entire cartoon actively attempting to eat Quacker.
- Enemy Rising Behind: As Jerry and Quacker are relaxing on the beach in Miami, Quacker comments on how he and Jerry gave Tom the slip, unaware that the cat is coming up out of the sand dune behind them while holding a bucket overhead.
- Evil Laugh: Tom gives off a pretty unsettling one after he traps Jerry and Quacker.
- I Want My Mommy!: Quacker cries out for his "Mama" after Tom slams a bucket down over him and Jerry.
- Rocket Ride: One of Quacker's attempts to go south is to ride a rocket saying "Miami or Bust". At the same time, Tom attempts to swallow the duckling as he soars by. He ends up swallowing the rocket which propels him into a nearby pond.
- Slasher Smile: Tom makes this expression on his face when he traps both Jerry and Quacker with a bucket at the end of the cartoon.
- Team Rocket Wins: In one of his most infamous moments (though the actual act isn't shown under cover of the umbrella), Tom manages to get the win over Jerry in this cartoon. Even more so as Quacker boasts that he and Jerry have given Tom the slip.
