People will have their own opinion of which is the best of Terrytoons' numerous theatrical series. Personally do not think it is that of Mighty Mouse, a watchable series overall but very inconsistent. The Gandy and Sourpuss series was also very hit and miss, but their hits are to me among Terrytoons' best, so they are a stronger contender. My vote though goes to Heckle and Jeckle, like Gandy and Sourpuss their best cartoons are among the studio's best.
1947's 'The Intruders' is one of the best of the Heckle and Jeckle cartoons. It is also one of the standouts of Terrytoons' 1947 batch, being one of the few to rise above good, and evidence that the studio did do good cartoons (if that ever came into doubt, despite their output being wildly inconsistent that was never in doubt with me). 'The Intruders' is one of Terrytoons' darkest (at times) and is one of the best-looking, funniest and darkest Heckle and Jeckle cartoons with one of the studio's most interesting endings.
'The Intruders' by all means is not perfect. The bulldog is one of those targets that is near impossible to feel anything for, as there are too many times where a character's negative characteristics are exaggerated, in film and television animated or not and whether short or feature length, and the bulldog here is too much of a bully.
Occasionally it is a touch too hectic.
Having said that, 'The Intruders' is very successful in every other area. Heckle and Jeckle are highly entertaining characters, their movements, the way they talk (in the use of language and the voices themselves) and their expressions make them quite unique characters for Terrytoons. The story is not novel, but the character interaction, constant entertainment value and eventful content helped always make it interesting. Some may dislike the ending, others will love. Personally did not have a problem with it, usually it is an ending that would be deemed by me as too cruel but there is a wonderful outrageousness and darkly hilarious quality to it that stops it from being overly so, if one actually sees how the bulldog acts in the cartoon there is likely to be a lot of people that are on Heckle and Jeckle's side at the end.
As was said before, 'The Intruders' is one of the best looking Heckle and Jeckle cartoons with some great animation here. Vibrant colours, nice attention to detail, far from static or simplistic backgrounds, the drawing is so much smoother than when the studio first started and the transitions are much more fluid and less choppy, nowhere near as much recycling or cutting corners either. The music never disappointed with Terrytoons, always the best asset of their worst efforts and it is one of the best things here still. It is so lovely to listen to and there is such an uplifting vibe hearing it because of the snappy character it has.
When it comes to the gags, 'The Intruders' has one of the highest gag counts for any Terrytoons cartoon up to this point and perhaps of their entire output. The cartoon is filled with them and they all range from amusing to hilarious. Likewise with the dialogue. The pace is fast and furious and the action and increasing anarchy is wonderfully chaotic, yet remarkably it doesn't feel too much of an overload.
Overall, very well done. 8/10
