travisimo
Joined May 2003
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travisimo's rating
"Sudden Fried Chicken" stars Herman (a mouse) and Henry (a rooster). Herman notices a poster that will award $1,000 to anyone who will stay in the ring for one round against a champion boxing rooster. He goes to Henry, who is feeling really low about himself, as he is getting bossed and pushed around by his wife. One thing leads to another, and the scrawny Henry is going up against the Champ!
I think I've seen this premise in many other cartoons. This short isn't all that unique or all that funny. The only funny moment for me in this cartoon is how Herman would help Henry get up off the mat. Herman also reminded me of Timothy the Mouse from "Dumbo," in that he was a small mouse that served up advice for his larger friend. Coincidentally, the director, Bill Tytla, served as an animation director on both "Dumbo" and "Pinocchio," which featured a very similar character, Jiminy Cricket. I guess it really is a small world after all!
This short also has its characters doing some rather racy stuff for cartoon characters - like smoking, drinking, spousal abuse, and adultery. However, that's probably taking this cartoon too seriously. I was more bothered by the cartoon's pace, such as jumping from Henry thinking about the contest to him actually participating in it. Shouldn't there have been something in between?
Overall, "Sudden Fried Chicken" did have very few moments, but that's about it. I couldn't find any more information about Herman & Henry to see if they were featured in any other cartoons. My guess is that audiences back in 1946 cared about this cartoon by about as much as I care about it now.
My IMDb Rating: 3/10
I think I've seen this premise in many other cartoons. This short isn't all that unique or all that funny. The only funny moment for me in this cartoon is how Herman would help Henry get up off the mat. Herman also reminded me of Timothy the Mouse from "Dumbo," in that he was a small mouse that served up advice for his larger friend. Coincidentally, the director, Bill Tytla, served as an animation director on both "Dumbo" and "Pinocchio," which featured a very similar character, Jiminy Cricket. I guess it really is a small world after all!
This short also has its characters doing some rather racy stuff for cartoon characters - like smoking, drinking, spousal abuse, and adultery. However, that's probably taking this cartoon too seriously. I was more bothered by the cartoon's pace, such as jumping from Henry thinking about the contest to him actually participating in it. Shouldn't there have been something in between?
Overall, "Sudden Fried Chicken" did have very few moments, but that's about it. I couldn't find any more information about Herman & Henry to see if they were featured in any other cartoons. My guess is that audiences back in 1946 cared about this cartoon by about as much as I care about it now.
My IMDb Rating: 3/10
The "Stupidstitious Cat" stars Buzzy the Crow, a cartoon character I've never heard of, and a cat that is very superstitious. This cartoon starts out promising, as we're introduced to the cat as he's sleeping with his fingers, toes, legs, and eyes crossed. He immediately speaks in rhyme when he talks about his superstitions, sort of like, "Don't step on a crack, or you'll break your mother's back." It's been fifteen minutes since I watched the cartoon, and I can't remember what he said. I guess that's an indication of how memorable this cartoon really is!
The cat also has a unique voice. It almost sounds too humanistic. I guess I was expecting something along the lines of Sylvester. The cat also has a unique mannerism, which I guess is modeled after a popular actor during the 40's, but I'm not that much of a movie aficionado to know who it is. Then we're introduced to Buzzy, whose voice also surprised me. I guess I was expecting Tweety; instead, Buzzy sounds like a gruff construction worker. Jackson Beck, who did the voice of Bluto in the Popeye cartoons, voices him; so, I guess that explains that!
So in typical fashion, the cat wants to eat Buzzy, but Buzzy uses the cat's extreme superstitious worries to his advantage. Like I said earlier, the cartoon starts out funny, but it wears out real quickly. Some of the sayings and superstitions didn't even ring a bell with me (like "Bread & Butter" and lighting three cigars at once?) It was also interesting that Buzzy or the cat's voices never changed. They just kept the same tone throughout, even when they were nervous, angry, or excited.
Overall, the "Stupidstitious Cat" started out like a funny, unique cartoon, but it wore out its welcome. From what I gather here on IMDb, this was Buzzy's first cartoon, and he would appear in only seven other cartoons up until 1954. After seeing this cartoon, I can understand why his status didn't skyrocket.
My IMDb Rating: 4/10
The cat also has a unique voice. It almost sounds too humanistic. I guess I was expecting something along the lines of Sylvester. The cat also has a unique mannerism, which I guess is modeled after a popular actor during the 40's, but I'm not that much of a movie aficionado to know who it is. Then we're introduced to Buzzy, whose voice also surprised me. I guess I was expecting Tweety; instead, Buzzy sounds like a gruff construction worker. Jackson Beck, who did the voice of Bluto in the Popeye cartoons, voices him; so, I guess that explains that!
So in typical fashion, the cat wants to eat Buzzy, but Buzzy uses the cat's extreme superstitious worries to his advantage. Like I said earlier, the cartoon starts out funny, but it wears out real quickly. Some of the sayings and superstitions didn't even ring a bell with me (like "Bread & Butter" and lighting three cigars at once?) It was also interesting that Buzzy or the cat's voices never changed. They just kept the same tone throughout, even when they were nervous, angry, or excited.
Overall, the "Stupidstitious Cat" started out like a funny, unique cartoon, but it wore out its welcome. From what I gather here on IMDb, this was Buzzy's first cartoon, and he would appear in only seven other cartoons up until 1954. After seeing this cartoon, I can understand why his status didn't skyrocket.
My IMDb Rating: 4/10
"Mary's Little Lamb" seems to illustrate why Ub Iwerks didn't succeed when he left Disney. He is an animation legend and is one of the key figures in the early days of Disney, but somehow he couldn't translate that success in his own venture.
This short does not stand out in any way. It's not funny, unique, or even that well drawn, which is a surprise because Mr. Iwerks was a genius when it came to drawing at Disney. Like Robert Reynolds noted, all the children seemed to be drawn the same, like they all came from one creepy village. The title character, Mary, also was awkwardly drawn and had an odd, badly timed walking style.
Mary, along with the teacher, was also drawn sort of rubbery. At the time this cartoon was made, animators were still having trouble drawing realistic-looking humans. This was evident at Disney when they did "Goddess of Spring," but they were constantly improving to make the beautiful "Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs," whereas Mr. Iwerks seemed to be stuck in this poor animation style.
And I haven't said anything about the songs. Most were absolutely horrible, especially the one "Good Morning" song sung by the teacher and the students. However, they were able to rhyme the song between Mary and the lamb, so I guess that's something. I don't mean to bash on Mr. Iwerks so much, but this was definitely not his best. He was a revolutionary animator in the early Mickey Mouse cartoons and would dabble in more innovative projects when he returned to Disney. He is definitely a legend, but for some reason, he just couldn't make it on his own.
My IMDb Rating: 2/10
This short does not stand out in any way. It's not funny, unique, or even that well drawn, which is a surprise because Mr. Iwerks was a genius when it came to drawing at Disney. Like Robert Reynolds noted, all the children seemed to be drawn the same, like they all came from one creepy village. The title character, Mary, also was awkwardly drawn and had an odd, badly timed walking style.
Mary, along with the teacher, was also drawn sort of rubbery. At the time this cartoon was made, animators were still having trouble drawing realistic-looking humans. This was evident at Disney when they did "Goddess of Spring," but they were constantly improving to make the beautiful "Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs," whereas Mr. Iwerks seemed to be stuck in this poor animation style.
And I haven't said anything about the songs. Most were absolutely horrible, especially the one "Good Morning" song sung by the teacher and the students. However, they were able to rhyme the song between Mary and the lamb, so I guess that's something. I don't mean to bash on Mr. Iwerks so much, but this was definitely not his best. He was a revolutionary animator in the early Mickey Mouse cartoons and would dabble in more innovative projects when he returned to Disney. He is definitely a legend, but for some reason, he just couldn't make it on his own.
My IMDb Rating: 2/10