User Reviews

A traveling salesman offers a magical oil to the animals that lets them fly. The results discombobulate Farmer Al Falfa in this happily absurd Terrytoon.

1935 showed a definite uptick in the quality of cartoons from the Paul Terry studio. Although there were plenty of bread-and-butter cartoons that were no more than slightly polished versions of cartoons that Terry had produced ten years earlier, better efforts, such as this one, showed occasional flights of fancy -- and pigs. The animation is more fluid than in previous years. The overwhelming use of operetta music that had typified much of 1934 was cut back because it wasn't needed. New characters were designed more simply and engagingly; the salesman here had appeared in DOG SHOW as a dog catcher and is clearly intended as a new contract actor who might become a star.

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.

1935, like all the other years for Terrytoons, saw a hit and miss batch, more so than the other years even. Of which 'Flying Oil' is one of the better ones ranking it in correlation with the rest of the Terrytoons and one of the high middling 1935 cartoons. It is an unexceptional, but above average cartoon and has the same amount of problems and strengths that other Terrytoons have. 'Flying Oil' is worth watching as an above average watch with more to it than completest sake.

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 and some synchronisation is neat.

Some amusing moments and there is some zest and natural charm. Also a suitably strange and absurdist quality that was fun and endearing to watch. Farmer Al Falfa is fun to watch and has enough presence as a lead.

Outside of the backgrounds, the animation is primitive at best with a fair bit of crudeness, over-simplicity and choppiness.

Likewise, the story is paper thin and formulaic, once again executing an already fairly tired premise with nothing new. There are not always enough gags and they vary in effectiveness, a couple of stale ones here. The supporting characters generally are also lacking in memorability although they are inoffensive and the conflict is predictable.

Altogether, above average if not exceptional. 6/10 Bethany Cox