The Terrytoons are oddly interesting, mainly for anybody wanting to see (generally) older cartoons made by lesser known and lower-budget studios. They are a mixed bag in quality, with some better than others, often with outstanding music and with some mild amusement and charm and variable in animation, characterisation and content.
1933 was again a hit and miss year for Terrytoons, but 'Jealous Lover' (which has been listed on Wikipedia as the first one of the batch) is one of the best and above average ones. It does not blow the mind, but one has come to expect that from Terrytoons except that 'Jealous Lover' has more to it than just Terrytoons completest sake.
Best asset is the music, which predictably is incredible. It is so beautifully and cleverly orchestrated and arranged, is great fun to listen to and full of lively energy, doing so well with enhancing the action. Some of the backgrounds are detailed and ambitious enough and it's suitably elaborate. Synchronisation is pretty neat.
There is, like the best Terrytoons, a natural and never unforced natural charm, there are amusing and sharp moments, it rarely gets dull and while the gags are standard they are fun and well-timed. Also admired how racy and ahead of its time some of the material was, being a pre-production code cartoon where more could be gotten away with.
'Jealous Lover's' animation however is still, outside of the backgrounds, primitive at best with a fair bit of crudeness, over-simplicity and choppiness.
Story is not much of time at all and doesn't really go anywhere with a lot of predictability, an old premise executed in a not exactly stale but not much new way. It at least doesn't feel as disjointed or choppy as some previous and proceeding Terrytoons, and it doesn't feel too short this time. The characters are not particularly memorable, the leads are not that much different from similar leads in other Terrytoons.
Overall, above average and one of the better 1933 cartoons. 6/10 Bethany Cox
1933 was again a hit and miss year for Terrytoons, but 'Jealous Lover' (which has been listed on Wikipedia as the first one of the batch) is one of the best and above average ones. It does not blow the mind, but one has come to expect that from Terrytoons except that 'Jealous Lover' has more to it than just Terrytoons completest sake.
Best asset is the music, which predictably is incredible. It is so beautifully and cleverly orchestrated and arranged, is great fun to listen to and full of lively energy, doing so well with enhancing the action. Some of the backgrounds are detailed and ambitious enough and it's suitably elaborate. Synchronisation is pretty neat.
There is, like the best Terrytoons, a natural and never unforced natural charm, there are amusing and sharp moments, it rarely gets dull and while the gags are standard they are fun and well-timed. Also admired how racy and ahead of its time some of the material was, being a pre-production code cartoon where more could be gotten away with.
'Jealous Lover's' animation however is still, outside of the backgrounds, primitive at best with a fair bit of crudeness, over-simplicity and choppiness.
Story is not much of time at all and doesn't really go anywhere with a lot of predictability, an old premise executed in a not exactly stale but not much new way. It at least doesn't feel as disjointed or choppy as some previous and proceeding Terrytoons, and it doesn't feel too short this time. The characters are not particularly memorable, the leads are not that much different from similar leads in other Terrytoons.
Overall, above average and one of the better 1933 cartoons. 6/10 Bethany Cox
