1949 was a fairly unimpressive year in my view for Terrytoons, with a few exceptions. It was namely made up of the theatrical series of Mighty Mouse, with the five cartoons of his from that year ranging between mediocre and pretty good, and of Heckle and Jeckle (most of which weren't as good generally as those from the previous years). 1949 had about six cartoons or so to not feature a recurring character and they weren't that inspiring to say the least.
Inspiring is the last word to describe one of the weaker 1949 Terrytoons cartoons 'The Lyin Lion'. Which was mainly a dull and bland cartoon, with everything content one has seen before many times in animation and even with Terrytoons. The studio did the circus setting a number of times and 'The Lyin Lion' is very little different to what was seen in those. It definitely has its moments and good things, so it is not a disastrous cartoon by all means.
The good things will be mentioned first. Music is fantastic and as ever with Terrytoons the best thing about this cartoon. It is beautifully and cleverly orchestrated and arranged, is terrific fun to listen to and the lively energy is present throughout, doing so well with adding to the action. Close behind was the animation, as said more than once this component has come on considerably since the Terrytoons Studio first started. Overall, it is nicely detailed, lively and colourful, with nice attention to detail and vibrant colours that don't look garish.
When it comes to the content that 'The Lyin Lion' is made up of, the ending is the best part. It is amusing and the most inventive the cartoon gets.
Sadly, there is not much else good to say. It is very low on the gag count and few of the ones present are amusing or imaginative, the ending is the one standout. A vast majority of the material is a stringing along of recycled ideas that felt tired long before 'The Lyin Lion' was made. The circus setting is always nice to see but very little is done with it. The conflict is not used enough and lacks tension, not helped by that none of the characters have enough personality. Looey is pretty bland and the circus master is too on the cruel side.
Regarding the story, that is very slight (not uncommon for Terrytoons) but most of it doesn't really go anywhere and only towards the end is there signs of a plot. The pace is less than lively, pretty dull actually, and the structure is as said a cobbling along of done to death ideas.
Concluding, mediocre. 4/10.