Terrytoons Studios had a lot of characters that didn't really have regular appearances. The studio though did have a lot of regular characters and theatrical series for each of those characters. The effectiveness varied with some characters working (Heckle and Jeckle, Gandy/Sourpuss), some characters leaving me mixed (Mighty Mouse and it was dependent on the cartoon) and some didn't work (Clint Clobber). Each of the theatrical series tended to mostly mixed, some more consistent than others in either a good way (Heckle and Jeckle) and bad (Clint Clobber).
1946 was again Mighty Mouse and Gandy/Sourpuss heavy, the latter not as much as the previous year though but it was again another big year for the former. It was also though a quite interesting year, with it introducing one to one of the studio's better theatrical series, that for Heckle and Jeckle. 'The Talking Magpies' kicks the 1946 batch off, and even twenty one cartoons later it turned out to still be one of that year's best and among Terrytoons' better and most entertaining efforts too.
Again, have nothing to fault the animation for. Vibrant colours, nice attention to detail, far from static or simplistic backgrounds, the drawing is so much smoother than when the studio first started and the transitions are much more fluid and less choppy, nowhere near as much recycling or cutting corners either. The music never disappointed with Terrytoons, always the best asset of their worst efforts and it is one of the best things here still. It is so lovely to listen to and there is such an uplifting vibe hearing it because of the snappy character it has. The magpies (Heckle and Jeckle prototypes rather than them themselves, their first official cartoons being 1946's 'The Uninvited Pests') are great fun and their personalities are very strong, their comic timing on point.
Don't think there were as many gags in a Terrytoons cartoon up to this point than in 'The Talking Magpies'. The cartoon is filled with them and they all range from amusing to hilarious. The pace is fast and furious and the action is wonderfully chaotic, yet remarkably it doesn't feel too much of an overload. The story is not novel, but the character interaction, constant entertainment value and eventful content helped always make it interesting. The parodies are very clever and not randomly timed, they may go over the heads of those unfamiliar but the delivery is so great that they will still be funny.
Here and there though there are a few continuity issues.
Its weak link though for me was Farmer Al Falfa, the old man. He is not an annoying character, he works well with the magpies and he has personality. Like what was said for 1945's 'Swooning Swooners' though, he doesn't really transition well into colour and his character design is pretty primitive.
Otherwise, this was very strong stuff and one of the best first cartoons for any of Terrytoons' individual year batches. 8/10