While not one of my favourites, Ub Iwerks was responsible for a lot of interesting work. Especially when working with Walt Disney, his oldest friend and one of his best, and co-creating one of animation's most famous characters in Mickey Mouse. His career since opening his own studio had interest value but the quality was variable, often being successful in the animation and music but wanting in the story and variable in gags, lead characters and tone.
1933 to 1936 saw twenty five cartoons, mostly based on famous fairytales and familiar stories, as part of Iwerks's "ComiColor" series. The "ComiColor" series is very much worth watching and interesting, as is the case with many series some cartoons are better than others but there are no real animation nadirs. 1935's 'The Brementown Musicians' is remarkably very well done and one of the better cartoons of the series.
'The Brementown Musicians', while faithfully adhering to the basic details (and also spirit) of the story while putting its own spin, is slight and not exactly ground-breaking, but there is little to fault it. The ending, which is the most dramatic portion of the cartoon, threatened to be at odds with the rest of the cartoon but thankfully was not.
However, 'The Brementown Musicians' in no way disgraces the story and has enough freshness to stop it from being stale. It avoids the over sentimental factor and is never dull.
There are very amusing moments, that aren't too corny and never repetitive, it's very charming and there is a genuine likeability and cuteness without being over-sentimental. The characters drive 'The Brementown Musicians' very well, farm animals can be very cutesy and bland in the wrong hands but they were remarkably neither here.
Furthermore, the animation is great. Meticulously detailed, fluid in drawing, vibrant in colour and often rich in imagination and visual wit. The music is cleverly and lushly orchestrated, is infectiously catchy and adds a lot to the cartoon.
Overall, very good and one of the better "ComiColor" cartoons. 8/10 Bethany Cox