User Reviews

A cat and a mouse go to Ireland to, it turns out, rescue the lady mouse from being sawed to death in this poor Terrytoon.

Although there are technical advances over the similar product that Terry's studio had turned out two years earlier -- the back ground work is better -- most of the technical work is unchanged from Terry's late silent Aesop's Fables for Van Beuren and the gags seem to have been inserted randomly to fill up a reel; the soundtrack is composed of the usual Irish songs and "Those Endearing Young Charms" when Philip Scheib ran out of other ideas.

The release date of Christmas Day in 1932 makes this look like it was done purely to fill up the schedule. Even fans of Terrytoons can and should skip this one.

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.

Of a variable 1932 batch of Terrytoons, with the best being above average if not mind-blowing and the worst being weak, 'Ireland or Bust' ties with 'Cocky Cockroach' as the worst. The latter is slightly worse, at least 'Ireland or Bust' didn't leave a bad taste in my mouth, that doesn't stop 'Ireland or Bust' from being incredibly lazy stuff with next to nothing to recommend.

'Ireland or Bust' is not completely irredeemable, but it is close. Its best asset is the music, which 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.

However, the animation is not good. It's stiff and crude with choppy transitions, static drawing and even the overly-simplistic backgrounds underwhelm.

Very little is fun or interesting. The story is flimsy and formulaic, with a premise done to death long before this cartoon and it shows badly in its very stale execution and disjointed feel. The pace is dull often, and the gags are too bland and random. The characters have little personality that makes them memorable or likeable.

Overall, it is agreed that this is a bust. For Terrytoons completests only. 2/10 Bethany Cox