Love animation, it was a big part of my life as a child, particularly Disney, Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry, and still love it whether it's film, television or cartoons.
Also have much admiration for Tex Avery, an animation genius whose best cartoons are animated masterpieces and some of the best he ever did. Generally like the Droopy cartoons and the character himself a lot, his best cartoons are classics and among Avery's best. Avery has done better than 'Wags to Riches' and so has Droopy, but still 'Wags to Riches' is very good and enormously enjoyable with pretty much everything that makes the best Droopy cartoons so good evident.
The central conflict, revolving around a familiar premise in animation, is pretty obvious with the outcome not exactly surprising. There are Droopy cartoons that execute their stories a little more imaginative and are a little more inventive. 'Wags to Riches' does have invention and the entertainment value is enormous, it's just been done better.
Spike is a sadistic, without being stomach-churningly so, foil and also a hilarious one. He works so well with Droopy who still continues to be a well-established personality and high in charisma and humour character.
Avery does a wonderful job directing, with his unique, unlike-any-other visual and characteristic and incredibly distinctive wacky humour style all over it as can be expected.
'Wags to Riches' is clever, beautifully timed and never less than very funny. It doesn't feel repetitious, with enough variety to stop it from being so, the violence is not done distastefully and the energy is fantastic.
It is no surprise either that the animation is superb. The character designs are unique, Avery always did have creative character designs, and suitably fluid. The music, courtesy of Scott Bradley, is lushly and cleverly orchestrated, with lively and energetic rhythms and fits very well indeed.
Can never fault the voice acting in the Droopy cartoons, 'Wags to Riches' is no different.
Overall, very good and enormously enjoyable. 8/10 Bethany Cox
