'Tijuana Toads': "Tijuana Toads" (1969)
Opening thoughts: Don't take pleasure in giving a low rating or negative review. DePatie-Freleng Enterprises actually did quite a lot of things that are worth watching, namely Pink Panther, The Inspector and Ant and the Aardvaark. 'Tijuana Toads' is most notable for being the first of the Tijuana Toads cartoons and first impressions are not very promising. Personally did not care on the whole for the series (though actually it's not the worst of DePatie-Freleng Enterprises' theatrical series), and while there are actually worse cartoons in it 'Tijuana Toads' is a good example as to why. It has its moments and is not a completely terrible cartoon, but a lot doesn't work and the overall execution in my view is mediocre at best.
Good things: Doug Goodwin's music fares best here, which was the case throughout the series. Complete with another winner of a main theme tune that really rouses the spirits. It is infectiously jazzy and it is sad that the cartoon's pacing doesn't match the energy in the music. Best character by far is the John Wayne-influenced grasshopper, the only character to have any kind of appealing personality, the only rootable one and the only one to not be a stereotype.
John Byner is a lot of fun as the grasshopper with voice work that is as good as his terrific voice work for the Ant and the Aardvark. One amusing gag, the red hot chilli-peppers one.
Bad things: Everything else. The rest of the voice work is pretty poor. Don Diamond and Tom Holland are both too broad for their characters, especially Diamond. Plus their stereotypical accents grate (Holland fares a little worse here) and don't sound authentic. Neither of the two lead characters are either interesting, amusing or easy to like. Pancho is particularly annoying and is pretty useless actually in the cartoon. There is very little that is remotely amusing, the best gag is the red hot chilli-peppers one and even that felt recycled. A lot of them are re-used, yet what made them work so well before come over as tired here.
Furthermore, the story is pretty much a non event, basically recycled gags strung along, and is quite slow. Also very repetitive, with about a minute of the cartoon's duration involving El Toro being repeatedly punched. There is also a lot of at best mundane and stilted dialogue and the corniness induces a lot of cringing. The animation is not good either, with all the backgrounds being sparse and simplistic. It also basically consists of three flat colours that make one feel sick and two unattractively drawn lead characters. Only the grasshopper appeals visually.
Closing thoughts: Overall, very mediocre.
4/10.
Opening thoughts: Don't take pleasure in giving a low rating or negative review. DePatie-Freleng Enterprises actually did quite a lot of things that are worth watching, namely Pink Panther, The Inspector and Ant and the Aardvaark. 'Tijuana Toads' is most notable for being the first of the Tijuana Toads cartoons and first impressions are not very promising. Personally did not care on the whole for the series (though actually it's not the worst of DePatie-Freleng Enterprises' theatrical series), and while there are actually worse cartoons in it 'Tijuana Toads' is a good example as to why. It has its moments and is not a completely terrible cartoon, but a lot doesn't work and the overall execution in my view is mediocre at best.
Good things: Doug Goodwin's music fares best here, which was the case throughout the series. Complete with another winner of a main theme tune that really rouses the spirits. It is infectiously jazzy and it is sad that the cartoon's pacing doesn't match the energy in the music. Best character by far is the John Wayne-influenced grasshopper, the only character to have any kind of appealing personality, the only rootable one and the only one to not be a stereotype.
John Byner is a lot of fun as the grasshopper with voice work that is as good as his terrific voice work for the Ant and the Aardvark. One amusing gag, the red hot chilli-peppers one.
Bad things: Everything else. The rest of the voice work is pretty poor. Don Diamond and Tom Holland are both too broad for their characters, especially Diamond. Plus their stereotypical accents grate (Holland fares a little worse here) and don't sound authentic. Neither of the two lead characters are either interesting, amusing or easy to like. Pancho is particularly annoying and is pretty useless actually in the cartoon. There is very little that is remotely amusing, the best gag is the red hot chilli-peppers one and even that felt recycled. A lot of them are re-used, yet what made them work so well before come over as tired here.
Furthermore, the story is pretty much a non event, basically recycled gags strung along, and is quite slow. Also very repetitive, with about a minute of the cartoon's duration involving El Toro being repeatedly punched. There is also a lot of at best mundane and stilted dialogue and the corniness induces a lot of cringing. The animation is not good either, with all the backgrounds being sparse and simplistic. It also basically consists of three flat colours that make one feel sick and two unattractively drawn lead characters. Only the grasshopper appeals visually.
Closing thoughts: Overall, very mediocre.
4/10.