User Reviews

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 'Barnyard Amateurs' is one of the middling ones ranking it in correlation with the rest of the Terrytoons and one of the middling 1936 cartoons. It is an unexceptional, nothing exactly special cartoon and has the same amount of problems as it has the amount of strengths. 'Barnyard Amateurs' 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 the comparatively improved fluidity of drawing and movement and some synchronisation is neat.

A few amusing moments and there is a little zest (here and there) and natural charm.

Outside of the backgrounds however, the animation is primitive and crude sometimes. Likewise, the story is paper thin and formulaic, once again with nothing new with a concept that is not very original. Gags aren't enough, they are not very organised (fairly scattershot), and there is not much especially memorable about the characters, other than amusing Farmer Al Falfa of course.

'Barnyard Amateurs' tends to veer towards being too cute and a lot of it is pretty predictable. The caricatures are recognisable but are rather tired, as are the attempts to be bizarre due to the lack of freshness, and anybody unfamiliar with them will be completely at sea. Pacing tends to be dull due to padding.

Overall, watchable if unexceptional. 5/10 Bethany Cox

Farmer Al Falfa shows up to run a radio amateur show with the usual assortment of bad and bizarre acts. There are a couple of celebrity voice impersonations and a baby sings "On the Good Ship Lollipop".... manageable now Paul Terry was now distributing directly through 20th Century-Fox.

It's a typically competent Terrytoon, but it does show signs of having been padded or possibly such bits as the two dogs listening to the show over their radio was cut down to a single iteration... which weakens the structure of the joke. Perhaps it was cut for a reissue or perhaps this way why Frank Moser would be gone as director of cartoons in a year.