Norman McLaren made Scherzo early after his arrival in North America in 1939, but the film was subsequently lost. In 1984 the original materials were found and the hand-drawn images and sound were reconstituted. Picture and sound dance triple-quick in this animated version of a musical scherzo. A film without words.
A beany-capped, wise-cracking crow invades a corn field owned by an elderly farmer. The farmer unsuccessfully attempts to kill the crow by using a gun, an axe, and a cannon.
A lip-smacking weasel invades the barnyard of Foghorn Leghorn and his usual canine foe, and Foghorn is quite willing to put baby chicks in danger of being taken by the weasel so long as it makes the dog appear to be failing his job of guarding the chicks.
Two polite twin gophers are indignant at the swiping of all their vegetables by "vandals" in trucks. They follow the trucks to a food processing plant and become caught in the machinery when they try to retrieve their property.
A drunken stork comes to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Daffy Duck with a bundle of joy, but Daffy wants no part of the delivery and takes extreme measures to keep the stork away.
Popeye and Bluto are running for President. It's election day, the vote is tied, and Olive Oyl is the only remaining voter. However, she won't vote, and the election outcome be decided, until her chores are done. Popeye and Bluto compete to complete them.
Foghorn's going fishing, but a fox has other plans for him. Posing as a racetrack tout, he suggests Foggy get a hunting dog and go hunting. Once the dog is gone, the fox comes after the chickens. One of them pulls the fox alarm, and the dog comes running back (too late). The fox next poses as a quiz show host, tricking Foghorn and the dog into blowing each other up. They go through another cycle or two of abuse before identifying their common enemy. They team up and go after him.
A working-class mouse, who wants to steal a birthday cupcake for his wife, enlists his friend in an effort to get rid of the cat who has suddenly appeared in the kitchen.
The Goofy Gophers are about to harvest the vegetables on the farm when the farmhands beat them to the punch. Worried that their food source is being "vandalized," they follow the truck to the barn so they can recover what they consider to be their food.
Elmer Fudd's dog, Rover, is made to believe by a TV show that all dog owners are evil men who do away with their old, expired mutts by taking them on a one-way hunting trip. When Elmer suggests they go hunting, Rover automatically jumps to the conclusion that Elmer intends to put him down. So, when they set out on their hunting expedition, Rover decides to strike first at his master.