Homesteader Droopy

In this movie, Droopy moves out west to build a farm. However, when he fences off the water hole, the wolf comes by to shoot him and his wife and baby, because, like everything, it's the law of the west.

I don't think I've ever seen a Tex Avery cartoon that wasn't excellent. As a result, I have to use a completely different scale to evaluate his cartoons. This one is a 10, because the gags keep coming as fast as they can, including one shot that looks like a Gary Larson FAR SIDE cartoon. While the quality of the art has declined from wartime, due to dropping budget and inflation, that matters little. Avery is collaborating with his best writer, Heck Allen. When Allen wasn't coming up with gags for Avery -- and bemusedly noting that Avery didn't need him -- he was writing western novels. He did most of them under pseudonyms because he thought the studio wouldn't like it. After more than fifty novels and eighty screenplays, he died in 1991 at the age of 79.

Droopy leads his family to the wild west. The settlers' wagon faces many difficulties along the trail. Once they arrive, they set up their homestead. Their fence cuts off the water source and the cattle is not happy. Cattle-man Dishonest Dan intends to take it back.

Tex Avery presents a Droopy cartoon. This one is action Droopy. Folding the door is a classic gag. Baby has a funny Bam Bam action highlight. The gags are quick and good. I don't know about Dishonest Dan. He's a basic wolf character although I would like a different name. Dishonest Dan doesn't flow easily. Despite that, this is all fun.

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. 'Homesteader Droopy' just lacks the sparkle of their very finest, but it is one of Droopy's better cartoons and very nearly one of Avery's best. It has all the typical things that make their cartoons so great, while also being different, including Droopy being a family man, a Monument Valley-like setting and being more dialogue-heavy than usual. Even the wolf adversary is in a relatively different role to usual.

Droopy, as usual, is so well established in personality and is high on the humour and charisma scale. The wolf again proves himself to be one of Droopy's best, funniest and most interesting opponents, even more so than Spike, his facial expressions and such are very inventively and expressively done.

Typically, 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.

Once again there is nothing sadistic or repetitious, instead it's imaginative, wonderfully wild and hilarious including a very inspired Custer's Last Stand gag.

It is no surprise either that the animation is superb, being rich in colour and detail and the setting is one of the most memorably rendered of all Droopy cartoons. 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.

Voice acting as always is great, Bill Thompson and Paul Frees were two of the most talented voice actors ever in the voice acting business and both are at the top of their game (nobody since has done Droopy better than Thompson).

All in all, wonderful. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Another uniquely funny Droopy cartoon, where he and his family settle in cattle country as homesteaders, who are not popular there. So sheriff (The Wolf) tries to drive the family out, only met with hilarious resistance, including a funny gunfight.

There are plenty of gags and spoofs to make the cartoon that much more whimsical and entertaining!

Grade A-

"It's the law of the west." That's the theme for this one, but first:

Droopy with a family? A wife and a little baby? Yup, that's the shocker here was we begin with another western saga.

Droopy's out in the great Southwest again with Monument Valley-type scenery We see the wagon train traveling over the tough terrain with little Droopy riding out front with his little pony. He stops to tell us in his deadpan voice, "You know what, folks? I am the hero." He's also called "pa" a couple of seconds later when the Misses, holding a baby dog, asks him to do something. Yes, and the wife is called "Ma" by our dog.

Anyway, some of things I enjoyed in this cartoon were the "Custer's Last Stand" gag; Droopy's method of crossing wide rivers; the prefabricated homestead and "stretch-o-matic fence;" the name "Dishonest Dan, the cattle man;" and a few things that happened to Dan when Droopy was shooting at him! There are lots of other good jokes in here, too. I only mention a few.

All in all, a typical Droopy cartoon which means a lot of humor, great sight gags and an enjoyable seven minutes by one of the all-time greats of animation: Tex Avery.