Early Merrie Melodies animated short, directed by Rudolf Isling, notable today for being one of the Censored Eleven. For those who don't know, the Censored Eleven are cartoons that were withheld from syndication because they were considered to be too offensive due to their use of racial stereotypes and imagery. As other reviewers have mentioned, this cartoon pretty shamelessly rips off two famous early Disney cartoons, Steamboat Willie and The Skeleton Dance (although that has nothing to do with the cartoon's banning). The short stars Piggy and Fluffy, familiar-looking characters with debatable origins, along with the character of Uncle Tom. The story starts on a steamboat with some characters that look like monkeys in blackface. Piggy is the steamboat captain and his girlfriend Fluffy joins him. Then we cut to a scene of Uncle Tom in a cemetery being scared by singing skeletons. He runs away and tries to make it to the steamboat, but Piggy has to jump into the water to save him. While Piggy is doing this a mustachioed villain shows up out of nowhere to steal Fluffy. Pretty stupid stuff. The black & white animation is good for the time and the music isn't half-bad. Still, it's hard to watch it without cringing at some parts, particularly any scene involving Uncle Tom. It's one of the least offensive of the Censored Eleven but also one of the most banal.
