Dough for the Do-Do

Porky goes in search of the elusive dodo bird in Friz Freleng's excellent remake of "Porky in Wackyland." Much of this is a scene-for-scene remake of the earlier cartoon, which was directed by Bob Clampett. This one's in color, though, which will make a world of difference for many viewers. Remakes are always controversial, even among classic animation fans, but I think there are merits to both versions. Liking the remake doesn't mean you disrespect the original. In this case, I prefer watching the remake because of the rich colors and the fluid animation. The Salvador Dali-inspired visuals are terrific and they really pop more in color than black & white. It's a very fun extension of Bob Clampett's wildly creative and unique classic.

Years before Gus Van Sant's scene-by-scene remake of "Psycho", Friz Freleng made a color remake of Bob Clampett's b/w classic "Porky in Wackyland". For the most part, Freleng took the original soundtrack and animation and added color, thus retaining the looney charm of the original. He did make several changes, cutting some scenes and adding a couple of new ones, including an alternate ending. The best addition is the background styling, a clever pastiche of Salvador Dali paintings. (The original backgrounds were inspired by 1930s comics, particularly Smokey Stover.)As remakes go, it's better than most. Best to see the original, but if you can't, "Dough" will do-do just fine.

Ways in that this is different to "Porky in Wackyland": It has a Salvador Dali style, which is a good touch, there is colour animation, Porky has a more modern animation style to him and some of the jokes are missed out/enhanced, which is both good and bad in different places.

Ways in that this is the same to "Porky in Wackyland": Many of the jokes are exactly the same - even animated in a way which is almost exactly the same.

Overall, this remake was entirely pointless - except there were some jokes that were better improved than in the last episode. Having said that, there are many very good jokes in "Porky in Wackyland" that were cut out completely here.

If you have not watched either "Dough for the Do-do" or "Porky in Wackyland", then I strongly recommend watching the original first, as it is slightly better than this episode. If you have already watched PIW, but not this, then expect a cartoon almost exactly the same but with colour. If you have watched this already, but not PIW, then expect PIW to be a much older cartoon with a different slant on humour.

Enjoy "Porky in Wackyland"! :-)

7 and a half out of ten.

It has been remarked upon in previous reviews that 'Dough for the Do-Do' is a remake of the classic 'Porky in Wackyland', or at least shares many similarities. This comparison is very much warranted, and somewhat inevitable too.

'Porky in Wackyland' is the superior cartoon, incredibly imaginative and a true original in every sense. Being a remake, but with differences, 'Dough for the Do-Do' does lack this originality. And it is understandable for anybody to think that Bob Clampett is more suited to the wacky, insane material and style than Fritz Freleng, something that Clampett is a master in and Freleng is comparatively more subdued visually, though with plenty of great use of expression and colour in his cartoons, but also rapid-fire, razor-sharp and hilariously witty at his best.

On the other hand, 'Dough for the Do-Do' is still so wonderfully weird and wacky that it doesn't feel pointless at all and at no point shows disrespect to the cartoon it takes inspiration from. It is also constantly hilarious, especially the brilliantly characterised dodo bird and the kooky and richly imaginative supporting characters, especially the three-headed monster. Porky is also very fun and likable, and it is true that he has more meat to him than usual. While the other characters are slightly more memorable and funnier, Porky is no less inferior.

The animation is superb, especially in the Dali-inspired stylised backgrounds that are rich in detail and never once look cheap. The rich colours and fluid movement also impress hugely. The music score matches the wild tone of the cartoon with boundless energy and character, while also being lushly and cleverly orchestrated. The impact of the gags are even elevated by the music.

Ever the enormously talented voice actor, with an unparalleled and envious ability to bring individual personalities and completely varied but distinctive voices to multiple characters, Mel Blanc constantly delights.

In conclusion, wonderfully wacky and a fine cartoon even if the cartoon it takes inspiration from is better. 9/10 Bethany Cox

All backgrounds are based on Salvador Dali's paintings !

Very interesting work.