Deputy Droopy

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. 'Deputy Droopy' is one of the funniest Droopy cartoons and contains some of Avery's funniest material, at the same time it does lack the imagination of their very best cartoons (with much of it being a remake of 'Rock a Bye Bear' and also the premise is a formulaic one) and visually it doesn't always look as refined as usual.

Droopy, as usual, is so well established in personality and is high on the humour and charisma scale. The bandits are hilariously dumb, when it comes to bandits in animation or anywhere they are among the funniest and their dumbness is actually endearing as well.

Typically, Avery does a very nice job directing, with his unique, unlike-any-other visual and characteristic and incredibly distinctive wacky humour style all over it as can be expected. Michael Lah co-directs but his contribution isn't as inspired.

Once again there is nothing sadistic or repetitious, instead it's wonderfully wild and hilarious with some inventive moments.

Animation has been more imaginative and refined before than in 'Deputy Droopy', with some of the drawing lacking smoothness. Avery's distinctive wackiness and creative designing of characters though can be seen and there are some lovely vibrant colours and detailed backgrounds. 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 sees Bill Thompson, Daws Butler and Avery himself on top form.

Overall, very good and hilarious but Droopy and Avery have done better quality-wise. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Every time I see this cartoon I laugh until it hurts. Two villains are trying to steal a safe, but they can't wake up the sheriff. Droopy gives the bad guys hell like he always does. Droopy keeps inflicting them with pain and they have to constantly run up a mountain to scream so the sheriff wont hear them. The best part is when they swap heads because one of the villains stepped in glue. Try to catch this one on the Tex Avery Show on Cartoon Network sometime.

Tex Avery used a plot device here that he used in several cartoons: A character or characters want to avoid being heard by another character. Another character does their level best to cause them to disturb the character, setting the stage for his much-beloved sight gags fired rapidly at the audience. Cartoons are an artform and animated shorts have differing limitations and requirements from longer works. Conventions, plot devices and gimmicks have been developed over the years. Tex Avery developed and/or refined many of these over the years and is, in my view, the most seminal creative force in the history of the animated short. He was an extraordinary artist. This is a funny, engaging, delightful short with a hysterical ending and one of his better efforts. Well worth watching. Recommended.

Much the same as Rabbit Rampage was to Duck Amuck, this is an inferior, yet somewhat enjoyable, remake of Rock-a-Bye Bear, made by the same animator as the original. Still, this one has Droopy, who is one of my favorite characters of all time.

Sad little deputy Droopy with his quiet ways makes an amusing counterpart to the heavily armed sheriff, who's all set to come in with guns blazing if anyone tries to steal the money they have in the safe. Two bad guys try to silently get at the safe, but again and again are forced to make noise and then run off to a nearby hilltop to let it out. The gag is repeated but there are lots of clever variations, e.g. Droopy whacking one with a board with a nail in it, and because he's stuck to the floor with glue, having to swap his head with his partner and having the latter run off. This was one of the last original cartoons from Tex Avery, who was nearing the end of his brilliant 20 year run in animation, and unfortunately disillusioned by it all. To honor his final Droopy toon, he provided Droopy's voice as well, so listen for that.