Porky Chops

Don't get me wrong, this cartoon is good, but Not that good. The Squirrel is highly amusing, and doesn't need any improvement, but porky on the other hand..... Who is he? This just isn't porky, if it was Elmer it would make so much more sense, or even Yosemite Sam in a different Profession, but porky just doesn't work. The Animation is pretty nice though, with nice fluid movements, and Storybeats that are fast-paced and leave you on the edge of your seat at all times.

The problem is, you don't care for porky in this cartoon, quite the opposite when he's with Daffy Duck. He's a bland piece of tofu, In A pig form! The jokes and the squirrel redeem it though, and all in all, kids will find it enormous fun.

7/10.

Porky Pig is clear cutting the North Woods. A squirrel lives in the last tree standing. Porky starts chopping. Well, the squirrel is not surrendering his home yet.

I don't mind Porky Pig as a lumberjack, but maybe there are better choices. The no-name squirrel is fine, but maybe there is a better choice there too. At the end of the day, neither are obviously the perfect choices for the roles. This feels like an extraneous short. There is nothing special about this. Even the bear feels non-special. I don't know the size of this bear, but he ends up in the squirrel's home. Maybe he shrank along the way.

Arthur Davis, who directed "Porky Chops", was most famous as an animator; maybe he just didn't have exactly what it takes to be a director. This cartoon is pretty funny - hell, it looks like "Citizen Kane" compared to some of the cartoons coming out today - but it mostly seems to be a one-joke premise, as Porky Pig tries to chop down a tree but the wise-guy squirrel using it as his vacation home keeps interfering.

So, it's not a great cartoon, but still good for a few laughs...particularly with what happens after the dynamite gag (the Termite Terrace crowd sure had a way with dynamite, didn't they?).

PS: The name "The squirrels of Central Park" originally came from Gary Larson's cartoon "The Far Side". The squirrel here reminded me of that.

A hip squirrel from New York goes to the woods to relax but his vacation is interrupted by lumberjack Porky, who's trying to cut down his tree. Judging by some of the reviews on here, this one seems to set off some Porky Pig fans. I can kind of see why since Porky is little more than an Elmer Fudd-like villain for the squirrel to defeat. But this didn't really bother me as Porky is not high on my list of favorite Looney Tunes characters. The squirrel is clearly the star of this short with all the best lines and gags. I disagree strongly with another reviewer who said this cartoon was ugly. The animation is quite lovely, with beautiful colors and nicely-drawn characters and backgrounds. Lively, whimsical music from Carl Stalling. Great voice work from Mel Blanc. An enjoyable cartoon if all one is expecting is entertainment. If you're a Porky fan looking for an impressive showcase for his character, you might be disappointed.

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.

'Porky Chops' is a long way from being among the best Porky Pig cartoons, he's done better before and since particularly in supporting roles when pitted off against a stronger character, or among the best work of underrated Arthur Davis (being in the shadow of the likes of Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, Tex Avery and Bob Clampett and having nowhere near as long a career, which is sad). It seems to have divided reviewers and it is not hard to see why, it could have been better and needed more to it but it is a long way from a mess.

The story is a pretty slight and obvious one, and doesn't always have the madcap energy of the best cartoons. Porky is likable and amusing enough but somewhat bland in a role that could easily have been filled by Elmer.

In terms of the humour, 'Porky Chops' is more amusing than it is hilarious.

However, the animation is excellent. Beautifully drawn, very detailed and the colours are vibrant, complete with some great expressions and Davis' distinctive style of the characters moving from foreground to background.

Carl Stalling's music score is typically lushly and cleverly orchestrated, with lively and energetic rhythms, it's also beautifully synchronised with the action and gestures/expressions and even enhances the impact.

Although not hilarious, 'Porky Chops' amuses and entertains with some nice wit and good timing. The squirrel is a lot of fun with a personality that's lively, cute and anarchic. The ever versatile Mel Blanc's voice acting is stellar.

Overall, quite good fun though won't blow anybody away. 7/10 Bethany Cox