IN THE BAG (1929) Animation, Comedy | Short | Free Movie

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In the Bag is a fast-paced slapstick chase cartoon from the Aesop’s Fables series, showcasing synchronized music, rubber hose animation, and Paul Terry’s signature visual humor. A blend of urban hijinks and animal antics, it fits firmly within the early sound cartoon transition period — bridging silent-era timing with sound-driven storytelling.

Synopsis:

A sly alley cat thinks he’s scored the heist of the century when he snatches a mysterious bag from a city plaza. But what’s in the bag? Treasure? Food? Or trouble?

As he dashes through alleys, rooftops, and trolley cars, a gang of determined police dogs give chase — slipping on banana peels, crashing into each other, and getting tangled in leashes. Meanwhile, the bag keeps shifting, growing, rattling, and eventually hopping away on its own!

The chaos builds to a pie-flavored climax at a city picnic, where the bag bursts open… revealing not stolen goods, but a picnic basket and a jack-in-the-box banana peel. The alley cat faints; the cops laugh.

Final gag: the moral flashes across the screen —
"Greed gets you zipped up faster than sense!"

Cast & Crew:

Directed by: Paul Terry
Produced by: Amadee J. Van Beuren
Story & Gags by: John Foster
Animation by: Mannie Davis, George Stallings
Music Synchronization: Josiah Zuro (uncredited studio arranger)
Studio: Aesop’s Fables Studio / Van Beuren Corporation
Distributed by: Pathé Exchange
Release Year: 1929
Format: Black-and-white, synchronized music and sound effects