User Reviews

Farmer Al Falfa is asleep in bed when an enormous storm blows his house to pieces -- don't worry, it will be fine for the next cartoon -- and knocks him into spring in this Terrytoon.

I think Paul Terry aimed this one at Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies, particularly the four "Seasons" episode produced just before Carl Stalling fled with Ub Iwerks. Terry had been working in cartoons since 1915 and he wanted to get a little of his own back against this upstart. Of course, this lacks the sophistication and budget that Walt Disney lavished -- Walt spent every dime he had earned or could borrow on the next big idea, while Paul worried about his budgets and contracts. Still, the bit of spite evinced here adds enough to make this a good 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.

Like with the Terrytoons from 1930 and 1931, the 1932 batch has been very mixed, the best being above average if not mindblowing and the worst being weak. 'Spring is Here' is one of the watchable and above average ones a welcome change after a string of mediocre at best (a couple pretty bad) previous efforts, but not one that would be watched over and over by me. As said a few times already in my previous reviews for the Terrytoons, the main reason for viewing is mainly for anybody striving to see every Terrytoons available like me but has more to it than that.

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. Some of the backgrounds are detailed and ambitious enough and yes it's a little more elaborate looking than the previous 1932 cartoons.

There is a charm that is natural and never forced, the gags are mostly amusing and reasonably timed and there is not as big an issue with the pace as other Terrytoons. Farmer Al Falfa feels like a lead and is nice to watch.

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

'Spring is Here' is very flimsy in terms of story with very little to it, not as formulaic as some of the previous 1932 cartoons but there is not much new or innovative here, and some of it is on to the too cute and sweet side.

Overall, above average if not great. 6/10 Bethany Cox