Transylvania Mania

. . . toward the end of TRANSYLVANIA MANIA, as his syncopated use of magic words ensures that Man triumphs over Monsters. This picture tackles that age-old question, what if they made a Dracula movie, and Wren-Field did not chow down on any insects? Conversely, MANIA explores the problematic merger of the fanged Caped Invader with Dr. Frankenstein, as well as blending together the personalities of Wren-Field and Frankenstein's monster. Toss in a brain search, a lot of clubbing and a roomful of high explosives, and it's all enough to put anyone on a course to out-jump the cow over the moon. Bomb Voyage.

The Inspector Clouseau cartoons were uneven, but the good ones are very good indeed and this is one of the top three or four in the series. In this one, a vampire and his monumentally dim assistant (I suspect that he's an idiot studying to be a moron and not having much luck with the process) are trying to get the best of Clouseau. Clouseau, not the brightest penny himself, comes off as a Rhodes scholar by comparison. Unusually, the dialogue is as entertaining as the sight gags, a quality the best of the series share in common. If you can only see one Clouseau, make it either this one or Plastered in Paris. Recommended.

The Inspector animated theatrical series, running with thirty four cartoons from 1965 to 1969, is not an even one, but generally it is worth watching and one of DePatie-Freleng Enterprises' better theatrical cartoon series, second perhaps to prime-Pink Panther. It helps that the titular character himself is a good and amusing one, with enough personality (and a likeable and not annoying one) to be worthy of his own series.

Most of the cartoons ranged from above average to very good, with some average ones. There were also a few great ones. 1968's 'Transylvania Mania' is one of them. It is very funny, remarkably atmospheric (in a way that one does not expect from The Inspector from seeing the previous cartoons) and with two of the series' best supporting characters and better and more inventive (for the series) premises.

A little corny occasionally, but there is very, very little to critique here.

Like all The Inspector cartoons, the animation is very good. Fairly simple in terms of drawing but never ugly, while the somewhat abstract backgrounds have nice attention to detail and don't look sparse. But it is the deep and rich colours that stand out in this regard. The music accompanying the action, while not enhancing is not discordant at all with it either. Liked its jazzy slinkiness and it did not sound cheap either. The premise is one of the series' more imaginative and least formulaic, and it's charming and atmospheric without being too silly.

Humour-wise, 'Transylvania Mania' is one of the series' funniest, with not a misfire in the many gags, all beautifully timed and ranging from amusing to hilarious. The physical comedy is never sadistic or vulgar, with enough freshness to stop it from being stale. The verbal humour, with the dialogue here being some of the best of the series in a while, is subtly ironic. A spooky atmosphere is also managed and done in an affectionate and eerie way without being too scary or harming the energy. The Inspector is as funny and amiable as ever, but the vampire scientist and Urg (there was a danger of him being irritating but luckily that's not the case) are every bit his equal. The voice acting is fine.

In a nutshell, great. 9/10