Am not the biggest of fans of Mighty Mouse, just to get that out of the way. Pleasant enough if limited and not always used very well. His cartoons, 80 between 1942 and 1961 (though he was first named Super Mouse for the first seven, until 'The Lion and the Mouse'), were quite mixed and followed a formula that tended to be on the repetitive side. Some were pretty good, others were very weak. Most of them were in between of those, mostly of the watchable but average distinction.
1946 was a big year for Mighty Mouse, very like it was a big year for the Gandy/Sourpuss series and interesting for introducing us to one of Terrytoons' best theatrical series, that for Heckle and Jeckle. 1946 for Terrytoons was also a very mixed year, with decent cartoons like 'The Wicked Wolf' and weak ones like 'My Old Kentucky Home', the latter being one of his worst overall too. 'The Trojan Horse' is one of the better 1946 Mighty Mouse cartoons and in the better half of that year's batch for Terrytoons in my view too.
Despite how it sounds on paper, parodying Greek mythology and the Trojan War actually sounded like quite a unique concept for the Mighty Mouse series, the execution of what sounded like a unique concept was pretty ordinary. Meaning with the odd embellishment here and there, it was just another typical Mighty Mouse versus cats battle. Very watchable certainly but very formaulaic stuff.
Mighty Mouse himself is likeable and resourceful enough, but this is another case of being in two minds as to whether he served a point to this story when the cats versus cats battle was not too badly executed without him there. When he does turn up, it became a different cartoon so it did feel a little like two cartoons in one. An entertaining different cartoon no doubt but there was a bit of a disjointed feel.
'The Trojan Horse's' music however is the usual lush and characterful self for the studio's output. Also excelling in enhancing everything going on between the cats and mice and especially in the final third. The animation is equally great in quality, especially the backgrounds and landscapes where the atmosphere evoked is to be admired greatly.
Gags are quite a lot and they are amusing. There is also a genuine sense of threat, without being too dark or too sinister. The story may be slight and predictable, but it engages and charms at least. While the mice are hardly devoid of personality, the most interesting characters by far are the cats, both entertaining and menacing. The final third is exciting.
Altogether, nicely done and one of the better 1946 Mighty Mouse cartoons. 7/10
1946 was a big year for Mighty Mouse, very like it was a big year for the Gandy/Sourpuss series and interesting for introducing us to one of Terrytoons' best theatrical series, that for Heckle and Jeckle. 1946 for Terrytoons was also a very mixed year, with decent cartoons like 'The Wicked Wolf' and weak ones like 'My Old Kentucky Home', the latter being one of his worst overall too. 'The Trojan Horse' is one of the better 1946 Mighty Mouse cartoons and in the better half of that year's batch for Terrytoons in my view too.
Despite how it sounds on paper, parodying Greek mythology and the Trojan War actually sounded like quite a unique concept for the Mighty Mouse series, the execution of what sounded like a unique concept was pretty ordinary. Meaning with the odd embellishment here and there, it was just another typical Mighty Mouse versus cats battle. Very watchable certainly but very formaulaic stuff.
Mighty Mouse himself is likeable and resourceful enough, but this is another case of being in two minds as to whether he served a point to this story when the cats versus cats battle was not too badly executed without him there. When he does turn up, it became a different cartoon so it did feel a little like two cartoons in one. An entertaining different cartoon no doubt but there was a bit of a disjointed feel.
'The Trojan Horse's' music however is the usual lush and characterful self for the studio's output. Also excelling in enhancing everything going on between the cats and mice and especially in the final third. The animation is equally great in quality, especially the backgrounds and landscapes where the atmosphere evoked is to be admired greatly.
Gags are quite a lot and they are amusing. There is also a genuine sense of threat, without being too dark or too sinister. The story may be slight and predictable, but it engages and charms at least. While the mice are hardly devoid of personality, the most interesting characters by far are the cats, both entertaining and menacing. The final third is exciting.
Altogether, nicely done and one of the better 1946 Mighty Mouse cartoons. 7/10
