Love animation, it was a big part of my life as a child, particularly Disney, Looney Tunes, Hanna Barbera, Studio Ghibli and Tom and Jerry, and still love it whether it's film, television or cartoons. With significantly broader knowledge of different directors, animation styles and studios, actually appreciate and love it even more now. Rudolf Ising was very hit and miss, some of his cartoons were very charming and engaging, others despite great animation and music were bland.
1937's 'Little Buck Cheeser' is fairly typical of Ising and a good deal of the Happy Harmonies cartoons, leaning towards the cute kind of cartoon with a lot of sentiment in alternative to the laugh a minute and hilarious kind, the latter being the one that a lot seem to prefer (understandably, though am hardly biased against the former). This approach has varied with Ising. In some instances it has been very sweet and charming, in others it can be cloying and too cutesy. Some fit in the former category, others in the latter category. 'Little Buck Cheeser' is one of too many Happy Harmonies cartoons (a very uneven series of cartoons) to be in the latter and not do it. It is marginally better than the very mediocre previous Little Cheeser cartoon, but it is very easy to see why he didn't last long.
It is not all bad by all means. Its best asset is the animation, it's vibrantly and atmospherically coloured and shaded, beautifully drawn and rich in meticulous background detail. The lunar visuals are very eye catching. The music is another big plus, it's lushly orchestrated, full of charm and character and fits with the visuals beautifully.
Despite being too far and between, there are moments of endearing charm and a few mildly amusing moments.
However, 'Little Buck Cheeser' has a lot working against it. It is significantly undone by Little Cheeser, don't be fooled by the cute exterior because he is anything but in personality. Instead he is very bland, too cloying and later on also too much of an annoying brat. Have nothing against Bernice Hanson, but she voices him with too much of a shrill voice and it is not pleasant on the eardrums. The story is barely existent and there are times when it drags.
Too much of the cartoon is too saccharine and cloying and there are very few laughs. Much of what there is is not funny and isn't really amusing either. The ending is very rushed and felt like the cartoon had run out of gas.
Concluding, watchable but not really recommended other than as an animation completest sake or if one wants to see more of Ising. 5/10.
