Van Beuren cartoons are extremely variable, especially in the number of gags and whether the absurdist humour shines through enough (sometimes it does, other times it doesn't), but are strangely interesting. Although they are often poorly animated with barely existent stories and less than compelling lead characters, they are also often outstandingly scored, there can be some fun support characters and some are well-timed and amusing.
1930 saw a few good Van Beuren cartoons, the prime examples being 'The Haunted Ship', 'Gypped in Egypt' and 'Circus Capers'. There were also a handful of lacklustre cartoons and some bad ones, the worst being 'Dixie Days' and 'Laundry Blues'. 'Stone Age Stunts' is not as bad as those cartoons, it at least doesn't have racial stereotypes, but it's towards the weaker Aesop's Fables/Van Beuren cartoons for that year.
It does contain pretty much all of the faults of Van Beuren's worst, or all the faults of many Van Beuren cartoons, while having a few good points. Van Beuren have actually done quite a number of watchable or more cartoons, a few pretty good even though imperfect. So it's not as if they are all being hated on.
Best asset about 'Stone Age Stunts' is the music score, pretty much the best thing consistently of Van Beuren's output. Sometimes even the only good thing. It is so beautifully and cleverly orchestrated, is great fun to listen to and full of lively energy, doing so well with enhancing the action.
There is some nice energy and some neat incorporation of sound effects. That's pretty much it.
Coming onto the numerous criticisms, the animation is not good, in fact it is downright bad most of the time with erratically sloppy character designs in particular while the simplistic background detail and lack of fluidity and crispness are just as difficult to ignore.
Story is very slight to the point of non-existence and suffers from far too hectic pacing a vast majority of the time, something that affects the visuals a lot of the time because most of it is out of sync. It feels aimless and also random and disjointed. If you are looking for sense too, look elsewhere. Likewise with endearing or memorable characters, the characters here are neither, not to mention very poorly animated.
Basically 'Stone Age Stunts' is a stringing along of gags structured in a way that's disorganised and random. Generally it is very low on laughs, actually none of it is remotely amusing. Nothing is inventive, never rising above the forgettable and there is not much absurdist about them. This is a reiteration of a lot of the average and less Aesops Fables/Van Beuren cartoons that have been reviewed by me, but this is due to them having the same strengths and drawbacks.
In summary, weak. 3/10 Bethany Cox
