The Lyin' Mouse

Early in this Looney Tunes cartoon, a mouse is caught by a cat. The cat is about to eat him and so the desperate mouse tells the cat a story to distract him...the story of the mouse and the lion. It seems the lion caught the mouse but the mouse convinced him not to eat him with the promise that he'd one day return the favor. A short time later, the lion is captured by the Frank Cluck Expedition and is sent to the circus....and the mouse returns to return the favor. What follows is very cynical...and funny.

This is a well drawn and interesting short...a bit better than the average Looney Tunes short of 1937. By the way, the 'Frank Cluck Expedition' is a play on Frank Buck and his 1930s semi-documentary films about his exploits in Africa capturing various wild and dangerous animals.

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.

'The Lyin Mouse s 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, 'The Lyin Mouse' 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 "within a story" parts are more interesting than the beginning. It is not terribly imaginative and occasionally momentum is not always there.

Some of 'The Lyin Mouse' is a bit on the sentimental and cutesy side, particularly at the start.

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