I Wanna Play House

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. Actually appreciate it even more through young adults eyes, due to having more knowledge of it, various animation styles, studios, directors and how it all works.

'I Wanna Play House' (the second cartoon from Warner Brothers made and released in 1936, so there is some historical interest) is not one of Friz Freleng's, a director who did many great cartoons and a director held in high admiration by me, best, not being one of his funniest, wittiest or freshest. For relatively early Freleng, 'I Wanna Play House' is worth watching though he would do much better later. It is never what one would call properly hilarious (but is never unfunny), Freleng's later efforts show more evenness and confidence in directing and the story.

It is quite thin in terms of story and the structure is basically an excuse to string the events along. It is not terribly imaginative and occasionally momentum is not always there.

Some of 'I Wanna Play House' is a bit on the sentimental and cutesy side.

However, the characters are very cute and amusing.

The cartoon has enough very amusing moments, some variety and there is a good deal of liveliness. The conflict is nicely done and there is a good deal of cuteness and charm.

Animation is very good, it's fluid in movement, crisp in shading, vibrant and very meticulous in detail. The music is outstanding, it is lovely on the ears, lushly orchestrated, full of lively energy and characterful in rhythm, not only adding to the action but also enhancing it.

Overall, worth watching. 7/10 Bethany Cox

So it was: the second Warner Bros. cartoon released in 1936 introduced movie audiences to the concentric circles that would open the cartoons for almost thirty years. Friz Freleng's "I Wanna Play House" is clearly a product of their early days, before they'd figured out the zany path that their cartoons would take (it wasn't until the next year that Daffy Duck debuted). Hearing the bear cub singing "I sing because I'm gay," I get the feeling that they really didn't know just how it sounded! Nowadays, they would probably get accused of promoting stereotypes if they put that sort of line in a cartoon or movie.

All in all, an OK cartoon. Worth seeing as a historical reference. Available on YouTube.