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.
Despite the low rating, for me 'House Cleaning Time' is one of the better 1929 Van Beuren cartoons. Is it a great cartoon? No. Is it watchable? Yes, the previous 1929 efforts were average at best, the worst ones even being very weak, but 'House Cleaning Time' struck me as the first above average effort. House cleaning is far from fun, but 'House Cleaning Time' makes it so regardless of its obvious faults.
Starting with the drawbacks, the animation is also not good, in fact it is downright bad most of the time with erratically sloppy character designs in particular while the simplistic background detail and lack of fluidity and crispness are just as difficult to ignore. The story is paper thin and tends to be random.
'House Cleaning Time' would have benefited from being one or two minutes longer, that way it may have made more sense (though in all fairness coherence is rarely a strong suit in Van Beuren cartoons) and felt a little less choppy. The mice were poorly animated, not particularly funny and tried too hard to be cute.
On the other hand, Farmer Al Falfa is a fun presence and thankfully more amusing than annoying. The cat and the washerwoman, although not being well animated, are even stronger in personality and comic timing. The gags are larger in quantity than a good deal of Van Beuren cartoons, and even though predictable the quality doesn't fare too badly.
They at least raise some chuckles, provide more interest than the previous 1929 Van Beuren cartoons and the lively pacing ensures that they are timed well. The sound is not as muffled as the sound can be in the early Van Beuren output. Best of all is the music score, the only properly outstanding asset, 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. Some of the synchronisation is nicely done.
Concluding, above average though imperfect. 6/10 Bethany Cox
Despite the low rating, for me 'House Cleaning Time' is one of the better 1929 Van Beuren cartoons. Is it a great cartoon? No. Is it watchable? Yes, the previous 1929 efforts were average at best, the worst ones even being very weak, but 'House Cleaning Time' struck me as the first above average effort. House cleaning is far from fun, but 'House Cleaning Time' makes it so regardless of its obvious faults.
Starting with the drawbacks, the animation is also not good, in fact it is downright bad most of the time with erratically sloppy character designs in particular while the simplistic background detail and lack of fluidity and crispness are just as difficult to ignore. The story is paper thin and tends to be random.
'House Cleaning Time' would have benefited from being one or two minutes longer, that way it may have made more sense (though in all fairness coherence is rarely a strong suit in Van Beuren cartoons) and felt a little less choppy. The mice were poorly animated, not particularly funny and tried too hard to be cute.
On the other hand, Farmer Al Falfa is a fun presence and thankfully more amusing than annoying. The cat and the washerwoman, although not being well animated, are even stronger in personality and comic timing. The gags are larger in quantity than a good deal of Van Beuren cartoons, and even though predictable the quality doesn't fare too badly.
They at least raise some chuckles, provide more interest than the previous 1929 Van Beuren cartoons and the lively pacing ensures that they are timed well. The sound is not as muffled as the sound can be in the early Van Beuren output. Best of all is the music score, the only properly outstanding asset, 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. Some of the synchronisation is nicely done.
Concluding, above average though imperfect. 6/10 Bethany Cox
