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, some are actually pretty decent and more.
Despite not being historically significant like 'Fiddlesticks' was, 'What a Life' for me is above average and enjoyable. Not quite one of the best Flip the Frog cartoons but far from being one of the worst. It is not a great cartoon, though a good one, and has faults but there are things here that improve quite a bit and done much better than many other Flip the Frog cartoons.
A lot of good things in 'What a Life'. The animation is very good, 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.
There are more than enough sight gags, and they are surprisingly funny on the most part. There is a nice natural charm, a lot of zesty energy and there are touching parts. Really liked the lively support and there is a discernible story that while slight is engaging and amiable.
However, still don't find Flip the most compelling or personality-filled lead characters.
'What a Life' also doesn't quite escape the trap of falling into sentimentality and a little more variety wouldn't have gone amiss.
All in all, good. 7/10 Bethany Cox
Despite not being historically significant like 'Fiddlesticks' was, 'What a Life' for me is above average and enjoyable. Not quite one of the best Flip the Frog cartoons but far from being one of the worst. It is not a great cartoon, though a good one, and has faults but there are things here that improve quite a bit and done much better than many other Flip the Frog cartoons.
A lot of good things in 'What a Life'. The animation is very good, 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.
There are more than enough sight gags, and they are surprisingly funny on the most part. There is a nice natural charm, a lot of zesty energy and there are touching parts. Really liked the lively support and there is a discernible story that while slight is engaging and amiable.
However, still don't find Flip the most compelling or personality-filled lead characters.
'What a Life' also doesn't quite escape the trap of falling into sentimentality and a little more variety wouldn't have gone amiss.
All in all, good. 7/10 Bethany Cox