Really enjoy the Popeye cartoon series (running from the early 30s all the way through to the late 50s) on the whole, not all of them are great with the series being more variable in the 50s and the quality not as good. At its best though, the series was excellent and near-classic with the best period for me being the late 30s under Fleischer Studios with the mid-late-50s being quite a lot less impressive.
'Peep in the Deep' is not one of the best Famous Studios Popeyes or near the best of the series overall. It is still well made and is good fun, but there is something missing. The material could have been fresher and there are funnier and more imaginative Popeye cartoons. What also would have made things better is if 'Peep in the Deep' had more of its own touches and not been as too faithful story-wise to the cartoon it's remade from, 1935's 'Dizzy Divers'. Which is a very good cartoon and a superior one to this. It's all executed well, don't get me wrong, there was just too much of the "you've seen it all before" vibe.
Lets start with the good. Popeye has good comic timing and is hard to dislike, while Bluto in the villainous role (which is somewhat of a typecast type of role for him) is the more interesting character in my mind and is even funnier. Love their chemistry and it adds enormously to 'Peep in the Deep'. The gags, of which there are more than enough to keep one satisfied, are not hilarious or particularly original, but are at least well timed and raise amused smiles throughout. The underwater setting is beautifully rendered and made good of, and the ocean inhabitants are similarly good fun.
Moreover, there is enough visual detail in the animation to not make it cluttered or static and lively and smooth movement. The music is also outstanding, lots of merry energy and lush orchestration, adding a lot to the action and making the impact even better without being too cartoonish.
However, as is common with the series Olive has very little to do, and her material and her character are not near as funny or as interesting as Popeye and Bluto. As said, there is too much of the seen it all before vibe, though the ending was unexpected.
Jack Mercer not voicing Popeye takes getting used to and personally never properly did. His temporary replacement Harry Welch is not bad, he does amuse and Popeye is as likeable as ever, but Mercer relished the asides and mumblings (which are hardly unfunny still) more and did more with them. Jackson Beck and Mae Questel fare much better though, especially the ever formidable Beck.
Overall, a nice watch but a little lacking. 7/10
