User Reviews

Farmer Al Falfa goes tobogganing with chamois. That's how you know this Terrytoon is set in Switzerland and we are going to get a mockumentary on how Swiss Cheese is made.

And mice, of course, because you can't have cheese in a cartoon without mice showing up to eat it. The gags are pretty good, even if they have been done before in Terrytoons, because the handling is accompanied by one of Philip Scheib's lively scores, full of his typical string work and piccolo trills. People remember Carl Stalling's work at Disney, Iwerks and best remembered at Warner Brothers; Scott Brady's work enlivened a lot of MGM cartoons. Scheib worked for the Terry studio for more than thirty years and did a lot of good work. By now he had established his signature style and it certainly helps here.

The Terrytoons are oddly interesting, mainly for anybody wanting to see (generally) older cartoons made by lesser known and lower-budget studios. They are a mixed bag in quality, with some better than others, often with outstanding music and with some mild amusement and charm and variable in animation, characterisation and content.

1936, like all the other years for Terrytoons, saw a hit and miss batch, more so than the other years even. Of which 'Alpine Yodeler' is one of the high middle ones ranking it in correlation with the rest of the Terrytoons and one of the high middle 1936 cartoons. It is an unexceptional but above average cartoon that has the same amount of problems as it has the amount of strengths. 'Alpine Yodeler' is also watchable, completest sake is the main reason to see it but it's not the only reason.

Best asset is the music, which predictably is incredible. It is so beautifully and cleverly orchestrated and arranged, is great fun to listen to and full of lively energy, doing so well with enhancing the action. The ambitious, elaborate detail in the backgrounds is still great to see, as is more fluidity and visual appeal than usual, and some synchronisation is neat.

Enough amusing moments and there is zest and natural charm. The characters, while not terribly distinctive, are not entirely personality deprived and appeal despite being on the stereotypical side.

Outside of the backgrounds however, some of the animation is primitive and a bit crude.

Likewise, the story is paper thin and formulaic, not much new. Gags could have been more and a few better organised. The cartoon tends to veer towards being too cute and a lot of it is pretty predictable.

Altogether, above average. 6/10 Bethany Cox