2 reviews
Identical clumsiness
Terrytoons' cartoons are oddly interesting, mainly for anybody wanting to see older animation made by lesser known and lower-budget studios. They are a mixed bag in quality, with some better than others, often with outstanding music and with some mild amusement and charm and variable in animation, characterisation and content.
1942, like all the other years for Terrytoons, saw a hit and miss batch, more so than the other years even. Of which 'Ickle Meets Pickle', most interesting for being the last black and white Terrytoon cartoon, is one of the low-middling 1942 cartoons and the same goes for ranking it in Terrytoons' output in general. It is an unexceptional, nothing exactly special cartoon and has the same amount of problems as it has the amount of strengths, which are all similar to those found in many of the previous Terrytoons cartoons. 'Ickle Meets Pickle' is watchable, though completest sake is the main reason to see it but it's not the only reason.
Once again, 'Ickle Meets Pickle's' best asset is the music, which is the one consistent asset that has been hard to find fault with in all the Terrytoons cartoons even in the lesser ones. It is here outstanding, so beautifully and cleverly orchestrated and arranged, is great fun to listen to and full of lively energy, doing so well with enhancing the action. Have also found that by this stage that the animation had come on leaps and bounds, the ambitious, elaborate detail in the backgrounds is still great to see, as is the comparatively improved fluidity of drawing and movement, and it's all neatly synchronised. There is an element of affectionate nostalgia in the animation quality too which was nice.
A few amusing moments, some imaginative and there is some zest and natural charm. Ickle and Pickle aren't too cute or annoying, and they are amusing and have enough presence to make them inoffensive if not particularly individual lead characters, though maybe they would have been more compelling as support.
Occasionally there is a lack of finesse in the drawing visually, though as said the animation for Terrytoons had come on so much.
Likewise, 'Ickle Meets Pickle's' story is paper thin and formulaic with not an awful lot to it (like the cartoon in general), though as that is the case with a lot of Terrytoons cartoon that was not unexpected. Generally there are not enough gags, there is not much especially memorable about some, which also tend to lack surprises and they vary in how funny they are because there is a running out of ideas feel at times. The cartoon tends to veer towards being too cute, particularly in the corny dialogue, and a lot of it is pretty predictable.
Summing up, watchable if nothing leaping out as special. 5/10
1942, like all the other years for Terrytoons, saw a hit and miss batch, more so than the other years even. Of which 'Ickle Meets Pickle', most interesting for being the last black and white Terrytoon cartoon, is one of the low-middling 1942 cartoons and the same goes for ranking it in Terrytoons' output in general. It is an unexceptional, nothing exactly special cartoon and has the same amount of problems as it has the amount of strengths, which are all similar to those found in many of the previous Terrytoons cartoons. 'Ickle Meets Pickle' is watchable, though completest sake is the main reason to see it but it's not the only reason.
Once again, 'Ickle Meets Pickle's' best asset is the music, which is the one consistent asset that has been hard to find fault with in all the Terrytoons cartoons even in the lesser ones. It is here outstanding, so beautifully and cleverly orchestrated and arranged, is great fun to listen to and full of lively energy, doing so well with enhancing the action. Have also found that by this stage that the animation had come on leaps and bounds, the ambitious, elaborate detail in the backgrounds is still great to see, as is the comparatively improved fluidity of drawing and movement, and it's all neatly synchronised. There is an element of affectionate nostalgia in the animation quality too which was nice.
A few amusing moments, some imaginative and there is some zest and natural charm. Ickle and Pickle aren't too cute or annoying, and they are amusing and have enough presence to make them inoffensive if not particularly individual lead characters, though maybe they would have been more compelling as support.
Occasionally there is a lack of finesse in the drawing visually, though as said the animation for Terrytoons had come on so much.
Likewise, 'Ickle Meets Pickle's' story is paper thin and formulaic with not an awful lot to it (like the cartoon in general), though as that is the case with a lot of Terrytoons cartoon that was not unexpected. Generally there are not enough gags, there is not much especially memorable about some, which also tend to lack surprises and they vary in how funny they are because there is a running out of ideas feel at times. The cartoon tends to veer towards being too cute, particularly in the corny dialogue, and a lot of it is pretty predictable.
Summing up, watchable if nothing leaping out as special. 5/10
- TheLittleSongbird
- Mar 8, 2019
- Permalink
End of an Era
Ickle -- or maybe it's Pickle -- bicycles into the woods and begins to snap photos of the wildlife. He runs into Pickle -- or maybe it's Ickle -- who is an identical individual in this, the last Black & White Terrytoon.
It's a bit more deliberately silly than most Terrytoons, emphasized by Philip Scheib's musical score, which pairs piccolos and bicycle horns. Ickle and Pickle are human versions of the semi-identical teams with their matching catchphrases, like Disney's Chip 'n' Dale or Termite Terrace's Goofy Gophers or even Terry's Heckle & Jeckle. Their voices may be different but, like Laurel & Hardy, are two minds with not a single thought between them. They even wear derbies.
It's an amusing cartoon, but with its deliberately old-fashioned look, it is clearly nostalgic. Paul Terry's staff had been making Technicolor cartoons for three years and would make no more black-and-white ones. The studio's future would lay, for the next ten years, with regular series. Mighty Mouse had already been introduced earlier in the year, Heckle & Jeckle were on the horizon and the Terry Bears were in the future... or maybe already in the wings, because a couple of bears run into Ickle and Pickle. Or maybe it's the other way around.
It's a bit more deliberately silly than most Terrytoons, emphasized by Philip Scheib's musical score, which pairs piccolos and bicycle horns. Ickle and Pickle are human versions of the semi-identical teams with their matching catchphrases, like Disney's Chip 'n' Dale or Termite Terrace's Goofy Gophers or even Terry's Heckle & Jeckle. Their voices may be different but, like Laurel & Hardy, are two minds with not a single thought between them. They even wear derbies.
It's an amusing cartoon, but with its deliberately old-fashioned look, it is clearly nostalgic. Paul Terry's staff had been making Technicolor cartoons for three years and would make no more black-and-white ones. The studio's future would lay, for the next ten years, with regular series. Mighty Mouse had already been introduced earlier in the year, Heckle & Jeckle were on the horizon and the Terry Bears were in the future... or maybe already in the wings, because a couple of bears run into Ickle and Pickle. Or maybe it's the other way around.