The Goose Goes South (1941) User Reviews

Walking...or running...south for the winter!

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 18 December 2021]

"The Goose Goes South" is a cute cartoon from MGM and was directed by the team of Hanna-Barbera. In their time at MGM, the team made some great cartoons...most notably some of Tom & Jerry's best. Their style changed dramatically after they left MGM...to the point where it's hard to imagine cartoon characters like Yogi Bear and Dick Dastardly came from the same creative team.

In "The Goose Goes South", a young goose decides to walk south for the winter and the film shows difficulties during his travel. There are a few very good gags (such as that involving revenuers) and a repeated gag that isn't funny...until the very end. Overall, a most pleasing and well animated cartoon.

By the way, the scene with the rotund yellow bird is a homage to Kate Smith...a very popular radio and recording star of the age who was from the southern United States.

Hanna-Barbera go south

[TheLittleSongbird · 5/10 · 10 June 2019]

Still have a lot of affection for Hanna-Barbera, particularly Scooby Doo. With many fond memories garnered from watching Scooby Doo, Tom and Jerry, The Flintstones, Looney Tunes (not Hanna Barbera but a big part of my childhood) etc on especially Boomerang, and the character themed weeks/hours throughout every holiday (etc. Scooby Doo throughout the whole summer). Memories that are only memories now, it's not the same anymore.

'The Goose Goes South' is not Hanna-Barbera at their best though, not a particularly good representation actually. It is certainly watchable and there are things to recommend it, but it is one of those cartoons that will appeal to youngsters and slightly older kids (and as ignorant as this sounds, and sincere apologies if it comes over that way, for mainly ones that don't expect too much). Albeit 'The Goose Goes South' is also one of those cartoons that doesn't have an awful lot for young adults or overall older audiences. Just to say, as cheesy as this sounds, am a young adult (late 20s) but am a child at heart.

Certainly there are good things. Have very rarely seen a cartoon with no redeeming merits, it takes a lot for me to think that with being such a fan of animation. The animation in 'The Goose Goes South' is very good. it is bright and colourful with some nice detail in the backgrounds. The finesse is not always there in the drawing but most of it is smooth enough. The best thing about 'The Goose Goes South' is the music, which is pretty outstanding. It is so beautifully orchestrated, very characterful and adds a lot to the action, in fact it enhances it and a lot of the gestures.

Found the narration quite amusing and the voice acting as well delivered as ever by immensely talented voice actors. Mel Blanc in particular was a legend and very rarely did wrong, it did happen but rarely and it took a lot for it to happen. There are sporadic mildly amusing moments and a few cute ones.

However, the story is not an original one and there is little new, making for no real surprises. 'The Goose Goes South' could have done with more energy and less of a cutesy vibe. Not everybody is going to take too kindly to the portrayal of the south either, it's not very interesting or subtle and doesn't amuse an awful lot either.

Didn't find any of the characters that interesting, including the titular character, found them pretty bland actually. Other than the predictable story, the biggest problem is that there is very little that is funny, with the gags being far too few and they are only mildly amusing level.

In conclusion, watchable but not particularly good. Hanna-Barbera did much better than this. 5/10

Where I live, drivers see migrating geese trying to . . .

[cricket30 · 7/10 · 18 December 2021]

. . . hitchhike all the time. Perhaps when they were goslings some.miscreant screened THE GOOSE GOES SOUTH for them. At any rate, when these pushy birds become adults, they're always loitering on our highway shoulders, causing countless wrecks as weak-minded motorists swerve to avoid getting a coating of benign blood and feathers, as they instead instigate multi-car crack-ups resulting in costly damage at best, and human injuries and death at worse. Certainly it's a hilarious situation.

Traveling By Thumb

[boblipton · 6/10 · 18 December 2021]

While most geese fly south for the winter, one runty specimen hitch-hikes his way thither through the old South.

Hanna and Barbera had already created Tom and Jerry in their very first cartoon, but it took a while for word to get back to MGM. In the meantime, they produced and directed half a dozen other one-shots, including this one. The little goose looks like a clear Harry Langdon character. Saying nothing, he wends his narrated way past hillbillies, Southern gentlemen, and a fast-talking fellow who speaks jive to explain why he can't give the little fellow a lift.

expected more from these legends

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 18 December 2021]

Geese are flying south except for the runt of the group. He's trying to hitch a ride but nobody is willing. A farmer catches him stealing his watermelon. He's speeding through the southern states. On the outskirts of Atlanta, he encounters a songbird and the same car rejects him. Interspersed with the small goose are little snippets of stereotypical southern lives.

It's Joseph Barbera, William Hanna, and Rudolf Ising doing an MGM cartoon. Those are big names but this is not a good one. I would put more into the goose and leave out the scenes that don't have him. It makes this cartoon disjointed. The repetition of the car is the only interesting idea. Everything else is lacking. The little goose isn't filled out until he speaks at the end which isn't that good either.

Not All That Original

[Hitchcoc · 5/10 · 21 December 2021]

A little goose decides to walk south rather than fly. He seems to make decent progress but can't seem to catch a ride from anyone. There are a few bits of humor here and there, but otherwise ordinary.