Scent-imental Over You

I can't stand Pepe LePew. Every cartoon is a carbon copy of the last; some black female cat gets a white stripe painted on her back, and Pepe tries to sexually assault it. There's never any change in themes, just this stupid skunk trying to sexually harass a black cat. No imagination, no creativity, just the same vile garbage. In this day and age I'm surprised these cartoons haven't been banned. There's a TV station in Chicago that shows Saturday morning cartoons from Warner Brothers. I've complained several times to stop showing them. Their reply was that they're trying to appeal to everyone. They didn't care that kids were watching, They're going to keep showing them. I just wish that changing the channel would somehow get their attention.

I have always been a fan of Looney Tunes. Pepe LePew is not one of the best characters in my estimations, but he is amusing and endearing enough. Likewise, I do think there are better Pepe cartoons out there, in terms of gags and story there is not much that could be classified as ground-breaking and while the last 2 minutes or so are great Scent-i-mental Over You for me is only mildly amusing. However, the animation is of elegant simplicity, ideal for the type of cartoon and the setting. The music has a lot of lush charm, and there are some really cute moments throughout. Pepe handles himself very well, and it was refreshing to have a character different to Penelope yet with similar character qualities to her and almost as likable. Mel Blanc excels as usual. All in all, unexceptional but cute and worth the watch. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Scent-imental Over You (1947)

*** (out of 4)

There weren't too many Pepe Le Pew shorts, perhaps because they're all based around a single joke, but that one joke was usually good enough to get some laughs and smiles. This time out a hairless dog puts on some fur, which makes it look like a skunk so needless to say the other dogs stay away from her. She finally gets some unwanted attention when Pepe sets his eyes on her and won't let go. It would be hard for me to watch the Pepe shorts all together since they are one-joke-films but when viewed on their own they aren't too bad. There's nothing ground breaking here, be it animation wise or even comedy wise, but there's still several cute scenes that will put a smile on your face. One of the highlights comes towards the end when Pepe gets the dog trapped inside his apartment where a little twist happens.

A small Mexican hairless dog puts on a fur coat, not realizing it's a skunk pelt. This frightens all the dogs she was trying to impress away. But guess who it attracts? That's right, Pepe Le Pew. Pepe pursues the poor little dog who just doesn't understand what's going on. This is an early Pepe short. If you've seen one, in many ways you've seen them all. Pepe is a very one-note character but it can be an amusing note. This one is pretty good but not great. The animation is nice, the writing is good, and Mel Blanc's voicework is terrific. But it lacks a little something. I think it's due to the object of Pepe's affection being a dog instead of a cat. This is the only time that happened, by the way. Often in the shorts I've seen, the hilarious reactions of the cat to Pepe's romantic overtures are the funniest parts. That's missing here.

Although the laughs are usually based on a single joke, with Pepe relentlessly seeking a mate and finding that he is quite irresistible, these Pepe Le Pew cartoons were stylish fun from the Chuck Jones factory of cartoons.

There's not much to be said for the plot which had been used in countless other Pepe films, but as usual there are chuckles to be had in how Pepe's love struck antics get him caught up in one silly situation after another.

Animation is standard for this type of cartoon. Recommended only for those who succumb to Pepe's Charles Boyer accent and his rascally ways.