Van Beuren cartoons are extremely variable, especially in the number of gags and whether the absurdist humour shines through enough (sometimes it does, other times it doesn't), but are strangely interesting. Although they are often poorly animated with barely existent stories and less than compelling lead characters, they are also often outstandingly scored, there can be some fun support characters and some are well-timed and amusing.
'The Haunted Ship' is one of the best Aesop's Fables cartoons and also to me one of Van Beuren's best overall. It may not be a masterpiece or a cartoon classic, but it is so much more entertaining than most Aesop's Fables/Van Beuren cartoons and it is one of the few in the series to do almost everything right and not suffer from all, or most of, the usual flaws.
As what tends to be the case with Van Beuren, while it is actually one of the better looking cartoons in the series, the animation is less than brilliant. It is more detailed and more imaginative than most Aesop's Fables cartoons, but there is a lack of finesse and overdose of over-simplicity.
While still fun, the last third of 'The Haunted Ship' doesn't quite have the energy of the other two thirds and tonally it jars ever so slightly.
However, 'The Haunted Ship' goes at a snappy pace and not only manages to be one of Van Beuren's strangest and absurdist, a good thing as that's their style of humour when they do it right, but also one of their overall funniest. There are a lot of gags, all of them well timed and funny, as well as wonderfully insane.
Don't expect it to make sense, it doesn't. The difference is that so much is executed so well it is much easier to forgive than with most of their efforts that don't excel anywhere near as much. Likewise with minding as to whether the story is flimsy, you're just having too much fun to care. It is also one of their scariest, there is a real creepiness to the atmosphere and some deliciously kooky characters.
Best of all is the music score, it is typically peppy and great fun to listen to. It is so beautifully and cleverly orchestrated and full of lively energy, doing so well with enhancing the action. Synchronisation is nicely done.
Overall, lots of haunting fun. 8/10 Bethany Cox