Your typical Flip the Frog cartoon-nice visually, with a few good sight gags, but not all that special or memorable. Flip has all the charm and personality of wet, cut grass. Good musical score and nice animation and background work, but nothing Disney wasn't already doing earlier (granted, it was when Ub Iwerks was animating for The Mouse, so he was competing against himself in a way) and with more flair. Average cartoon worth seeing if you like good animation. Recommended with above caveats.
4 Reviews
Swimming hole Flip
TheLittleSongbird24 May 2018
Ub Iwerks's Flip the Frog series of cartoons was short-lived, only lasting from 1930 to 1933. On the most part the Flip the Frog cartoons are not great or cartoon/animated masterpieces and it is sort of understandable as to why Flip didn't make it bigger. However they are far from terrible ones either and do hold some interest.
The series started off with three watchable but average cartoons in a row with the historically significant 'Fiddlesticks', 'Little Orphan Willie' and 'Flying Fists', before getting stronger with 'The Village Barber' and particularly 'Cuckoo Murder Case', both among the stronger Flip the Frog cartoons. 'Puddle Pranks' sees the series go backwards and back to the not bad but nothing special standard of the first three Flip the Frog cartoons.
Not bad at all by all means. The animation is good enough with beautifully detailed backgrounds, nice shading and characters that aren't drawn too crudely. The music makes even more of an impact, it is lushly and cleverly orchestrated, full of lively energy and not only adds brilliantly to the action it enhances it.
'Puddle Pranks' does mildly amuse and charm in places, with a few nicely engineered gags and has a lively pace at times. Not a dull or completely humourless cartoon. The villain gives a lot of personality, menace and entertainment value. The chemistry between them does have a little charm and tension.
However, Flip doesn't really have a very interesting or compelling personality which is a very big problem in general in the series. Willie Whopper who came later was an even more short-lived character and to me while also limited he was a much better character. Generally there could have been more gags and while there are amusing parts others veer on the childish. With Iwerks, there was the danger of having too much sentiment and, while other Flip the Frog fare worse in this regard, 'Puddle Pranks' is at times too cutesy, which makes things feel a bit bland and forgettable.
Also problematic is the very thinly plotted story, which actually is not much of one at all and is very predictable, taking a fairly familiar premise and doing very little if anything new with it. Structurally, it also feels very cobbled together, like an episodic series of events that's not always cohesive and occasionally it's a bit on the dull side and doesn't have enough laughs.
Overall, average but watchable. 5/10 Bethany Cox
The series started off with three watchable but average cartoons in a row with the historically significant 'Fiddlesticks', 'Little Orphan Willie' and 'Flying Fists', before getting stronger with 'The Village Barber' and particularly 'Cuckoo Murder Case', both among the stronger Flip the Frog cartoons. 'Puddle Pranks' sees the series go backwards and back to the not bad but nothing special standard of the first three Flip the Frog cartoons.
Not bad at all by all means. The animation is good enough with beautifully detailed backgrounds, nice shading and characters that aren't drawn too crudely. The music makes even more of an impact, it is lushly and cleverly orchestrated, full of lively energy and not only adds brilliantly to the action it enhances it.
'Puddle Pranks' does mildly amuse and charm in places, with a few nicely engineered gags and has a lively pace at times. Not a dull or completely humourless cartoon. The villain gives a lot of personality, menace and entertainment value. The chemistry between them does have a little charm and tension.
However, Flip doesn't really have a very interesting or compelling personality which is a very big problem in general in the series. Willie Whopper who came later was an even more short-lived character and to me while also limited he was a much better character. Generally there could have been more gags and while there are amusing parts others veer on the childish. With Iwerks, there was the danger of having too much sentiment and, while other Flip the Frog fare worse in this regard, 'Puddle Pranks' is at times too cutesy, which makes things feel a bit bland and forgettable.
Also problematic is the very thinly plotted story, which actually is not much of one at all and is very predictable, taking a fairly familiar premise and doing very little if anything new with it. Structurally, it also feels very cobbled together, like an episodic series of events that's not always cohesive and occasionally it's a bit on the dull side and doesn't have enough laughs.
Overall, average but watchable. 5/10 Bethany Cox
Pretty dull stuff.
planktonrules8 February 2017
Ub Iwerks left the Disney Studio and started up his own cartoons in 1930. Here he was free to do what he wanted AND get credit for it. Unfortunately, his films were consistently out-performed by Disney's and due to very uneven writing Iwerks was forced to stop production in 1936.
Unfortunately for Iwerks, his first character he created post-Disney was Flip the Frog...a rather unremarkable guy with little in the way of charisma. Often he's just involved in some cutesy adventure--such as in this one. It's clever, it's cute, it's well drawn...and it's also pretty dull. Even when the evil pelican comes this isn't enough to breath energy into this flat cartoon. For a much better Flip cartoon, try "The Music Lesson".
Unfortunately for Iwerks, his first character he created post-Disney was Flip the Frog...a rather unremarkable guy with little in the way of charisma. Often he's just involved in some cutesy adventure--such as in this one. It's clever, it's cute, it's well drawn...and it's also pretty dull. Even when the evil pelican comes this isn't enough to breath energy into this flat cartoon. For a much better Flip cartoon, try "The Music Lesson".
Flip & His Girl Tap Dancing In The Beginning Of The 'Talkie' Age
ccthemovieman-16 May 2008
A huge grasshopper pulling Flip The Frog in his chariot. That's the best thing about cartoons: you never know what crazy sight you'll see next. Artists can draw things you could never have happen in real life. This craziness has always been a part of animated work, as demonstrated in these first years of "talkies," which included cartoons. (There isn't much dialog here, though.)
Anyway, we see Flip taking his girl out for a ride in his new "wheels." He's mad she's late, fiddling around upstairs in front of a mirror as women like to do, and throws a tantrum but quickly behaves as soon as she shows up....a typical male response.Soon, the two of them are traveling down the road singing (him) and playing the harmonica (her).
A shocking thing then happens after a giant pelican enters the scene. I won't say what it is, but it's very unexpected, even in a cartoon.
Actually, most of this cartoon is really just visuals set to tap-dance music.....and if you like to watch tap dancers - even animated frogs - you'll like this old UB Iwerks cartoon.
Anyway, we see Flip taking his girl out for a ride in his new "wheels." He's mad she's late, fiddling around upstairs in front of a mirror as women like to do, and throws a tantrum but quickly behaves as soon as she shows up....a typical male response.Soon, the two of them are traveling down the road singing (him) and playing the harmonica (her).
A shocking thing then happens after a giant pelican enters the scene. I won't say what it is, but it's very unexpected, even in a cartoon.
Actually, most of this cartoon is really just visuals set to tap-dance music.....and if you like to watch tap dancers - even animated frogs - you'll like this old UB Iwerks cartoon.
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