Van Beuren cartoons are extremely variable, especially in the number of gags and whether the absurdist humour shines through enough (sometimes it does, other times it doesn't), but are strangely interesting. Although they are often poorly animated with barely existent stories and less than compelling lead characters, they are also often outstandingly scored, there can be some fun support characters and some are well-timed and amusing.
'Toy Time' is not just one of the best 1932 Aesop's Fables/Van Beuren cartoons, it's to me one of the better ones up to this point and in the series in general. It may not be a masterpiece, but it did show that Van Beuren did have some imagination and ambition in them when they had the resources to do so and tried extra hard.
Admittedly, the story is pretty formulaic and structurally on the thin and slight side and, while 'Toy Time' is actually one of the better-looking early 30s Van Beuren cartoons, the character designs are still sloppy and awkward, with particularly primitive character designs for the two protagonists.
However, the backgrounds are very imaginative and elaborate for Van Beuren and the Aesop's Fables series and the toy shop setting makes one feel like a kid again in a good way. The two protagonists are more appealing and more interesting than most protagonists in the series, their chemistry is very sweet without being overly-so, the toys are great fun and the cat villain adds some fun conflict.
Charm can be found all over the cartoon while there are more gags than is mostly found. While not the most inventive or absurdist, they do amuse and don't fall on the wrong side of cute. Synchronisation is neat, the pace is lively and as always the music is splendid, beautifully orchestrated and full of energy.
Overall, pretty good for this series with a lot of improvements made compared to what is often found. 7/10 Bethany Cox