Love animation, it was a big part of my life as a child, particularly Disney, Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry, and still love it whether it's film, television or cartoons. Actually appreciate it even more through young adults eyes, due to having more knowledge of it, various animation styles, studios, directors and how it all works.
'Toy Town Hall' is not one of Friz Freleng's, a director who did many great cartoons and a director held in high admiration by me, best, not being one of his funniest, wittiest or freshest. For relatively early Freleng, 'Toy Town Hall' is watchable though he would do much better later. Freleng's later efforts show more evenness and confidence in directing and the story.
It is quite thin in terms of story, the basic premise is predictable and melodramatic and not executed with enough freshness, and the structure is basically an excuse to string events along.
Content is similarly thin on the ground, lacking freshness and feels more tired than witty, a feeling that is accentuated by the fact that much of the cartoon is recycled from previous cartoons with a few differences, like the characters being made into toys. Laughs are lacking and there is a tendency to be a bit saccharine. Also found that the characters in 'The Lady in Red' part didn't really fit with everything else.
'Toy Town Hall' however has a few amusing and charming moments, as well as a couple of inventive ones. It is not a dull cartoon as such and it starts off well, the jack in the box character is very memorable and the most interesting in terms of personality.
Animation is very good, it's fluid in movement, crisp in shading, vibrant in colour and very meticulous in detail. The music is outstanding, being lovely on the ears, lushly orchestrated, full of lively energy and characterful in rhythm, not only adding to the action but also enhancing it. The title song is very catchy.
Overall, very watchable but other than the animation, music and a few nice elements there is not an awful lot exceptional. 5/10 Bethany Cox