elicopperman
Joined Oct 2017
Badges8
To learn how to earn badges, go to the badges help page.
Ratings1.6K
elicopperman's rating
Reviews844
elicopperman's rating
Imagine an alternate timeline where Harman-Ising's Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies never took off and John McCrory's obscure Buster Bear short went on forever. If that sounds horrific, then be glad this is the only Buster Bear cartoon that's been rediscovered (for now anyway).
Whatever this cartoon was going for in terms of entertainment, it just doesn't stick out from any other variety show styled short at the time compiled with singing, dancing and goofy antics. The animation staff definitely did the most with the limited resources they had, but their talents are wasted on mediocre visual gags, one off characters that appear and vanish within a sequence, and horrendous sound synchronization (seriously, even by 1931 the sound mixing is crudely outdated). This entire endeavor wreaks of what cynics think early 30s animation is, from its broken rubber-hose animation to its flat staging, one off musical numbers and utter lack of personality from anyone and anything on screen.
I can only cut this flick so much slack given its era, and even then nothing in this short is screwed up abysmally beyond the sound mixing. That said, as interesting of an experiment as it is, it certainly wasn't any excuse for McCrory to beat his staff over (allegedly speaking). Buster Bear is more of a curiosity piece than anything else, although it does make one wonder where Warner Bros would have gone had this series taken off instead of their eventual beloved IP.
Whatever this cartoon was going for in terms of entertainment, it just doesn't stick out from any other variety show styled short at the time compiled with singing, dancing and goofy antics. The animation staff definitely did the most with the limited resources they had, but their talents are wasted on mediocre visual gags, one off characters that appear and vanish within a sequence, and horrendous sound synchronization (seriously, even by 1931 the sound mixing is crudely outdated). This entire endeavor wreaks of what cynics think early 30s animation is, from its broken rubber-hose animation to its flat staging, one off musical numbers and utter lack of personality from anyone and anything on screen.
I can only cut this flick so much slack given its era, and even then nothing in this short is screwed up abysmally beyond the sound mixing. That said, as interesting of an experiment as it is, it certainly wasn't any excuse for McCrory to beat his staff over (allegedly speaking). Buster Bear is more of a curiosity piece than anything else, although it does make one wonder where Warner Bros would have gone had this series taken off instead of their eventual beloved IP.
This is easily some of the most unhinged energy from any Clampett cartoon in his early career and this was only one of the very first appearances of Daffy Duck in anything. Clampett clearly saw the duck's potential from the get go (especially having animated his wackiest moments in the duck's debut short "Porky's Duck Hunt) and went all out in showing just how nutty a cartoon character could be at the time.
As for the cartoon itself, it follows a very basic premise as Porky secures a boxing gig for Daffy to fight the champ (a rooster). While very simple in concept, Clampett and his team make the short thoroughly entertaining from Daffy's chaotic energy and madcap mayhem, elevated further by Mel Blanc's delightful performances. While the short's timing isn't quite as punchy or brisk as the cartoons that would follow up in later years, the energy is all there to make the experience fun and exhilarating. In addition, Carl Stalling's score lightens things up with a lot of up beat tempos that add into the insanity on screen. It just goes to show you how much fun you can make of something with the right amount of wackiness on display.
As for the cartoon itself, it follows a very basic premise as Porky secures a boxing gig for Daffy to fight the champ (a rooster). While very simple in concept, Clampett and his team make the short thoroughly entertaining from Daffy's chaotic energy and madcap mayhem, elevated further by Mel Blanc's delightful performances. While the short's timing isn't quite as punchy or brisk as the cartoons that would follow up in later years, the energy is all there to make the experience fun and exhilarating. In addition, Carl Stalling's score lightens things up with a lot of up beat tempos that add into the insanity on screen. It just goes to show you how much fun you can make of something with the right amount of wackiness on display.
If someone were to criticize this movie's story for being simple, I couldn't for the life of me comprehend what they're going through. As much as Avatar's core story sounds familiar on paper, its immaculate world building and impressive fictionalized outer worldly creatures and people pull us into the Pandora universe and the people surrounding it. Jake Sully himself finding genuine value and purpose within his Avatar body could arguably be seen as a spiritual awakening, albeit from viewing a new world rather than a new belief within your own world. Even despite having not seen this film in so long, several eye dropping sequences still hold up for their massive scale alone. James Cameron clearly knew what type of universal anti-authoritarian themes and concepts to utilize for his pet project, and it's no wonder that Avatar is still beloved after all these years.
Insights
elicopperman's rating
Recently taken polls
5 total polls taken
