Really enjoy a lot of the work of Friz Freleng, one of the most prolific Warner Brothers animation directors for good reason, and have done for a long time. Being a big fan of animation and of Looney Tunes, a fact that most people will know by now. Much of his work was very well made with outstanding music, very funny writing and one could see why the characters revered so highly now were so influential and appealed so much. Less so early 60s onward, when time and budget constraints showed.
If this review comes over as a little samey (am really and honestly trying to address the reiteration/saminess that somebody seems to be having a problem with, if the on and off downvoting review abuse is to go by) to that of 'Little Blabbermouse', a pretty nice and enjoyable cartoon despite Little Blabbermouse himself, it is because 'Shop, Look and Listen' is very, very similar to that cartoon. The only differences really being the setting (department store instead of a pharmacy) and the inaminate objects come to life being different. Everything else in that cartoon is also here, same main characters and that both are directed by Frleng, both have Carl Stalling as composer, they were made and released in the same year and both have the same voice actors. The same strengths and flaws also remain too, but 'Shop, Look and Listen' is the weaker cartoon because it is too derivative, being basically 'Little Blabbermouse' in a different setting.
Both cartoons were made when Freleng was not yet at his very best and is not going to be for everybody. It is wholly dependent on whether one likes this type of cartoon and whether one can endear to the titular character. Do like this type of cartoon, and there are some great examples out there that are far more imaginative, but have made it clear what my stance on Little Blabbermouse is while still finding much to like about most other components.
As said, whether one likes 'Shop, Look and Listen' is going to be largely dependent on whether Little Blabbermouse appeals as a character to the viewer. Am going to be honest, once again even for a character who was deliberately meant to be annoying that aspect was overdone and outstayed its welcome too early. With the constant over-talkativeness being at first mildly amusing but with each interruptions it became increasingly corny and makes the viewer want to yell stop. It clearly intended to amuse but irritated instead. The cartoon had the opportunity to correct this but didn't
While he was never the most subtle of voice actors, Mel Blanc still deserves being called one of the greatest who ever lived with the unparallelled ability to voice multiple characters and bring so much life and an individual identity to each one, but this is a rare case of me feeling that his voice work grated and that the over-talkativeness was in serious need of a toning down.
The story is paper thin and merely a series of puns and gags. Some a bit hokey by today's standards and a bit heavy on the corn factor.
However, the rest of the characters more than make up for it. The tour guide, a WC Fields caricature, is a far more interesting and entertaining character, and what was said by him amused, educated and intrigued. Cannot fault Tedd Pierce's voice acting here either, his Fields voice spot on. The inaminate objects are all great fun too and throughout. The gags are on the most part very amusing, if not exactly hilarious, some of them are visual when objects live up to their names and that has enough imagination and entertainment value, the artworks sequence is especially good.
Enough energy can be seen here despite the cartoon being less fresh, structurally it flows naturally and never loses coherence and it doesn't get too cute, which is a good thing. The department store setting is made great use of and the ending is satisfying.
Furthermore, the animation is without complaint. It is lush and vibrant in colour and meticulous and beautifully drawn in detail. The character designs are fluid, well drawn and distinctive of Frleeng. Carl Stalling's music is lush and characterful, with clever orchestration and a mastery of not just adding to the action but enhancing it as well, when it comes to animation Stalling was a master and few came close.
In summary, decent enough cartoon but not exceptional. 6/10
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