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.
1940, like all the other years for Terrytoons, saw a hit and miss batch, though slightly more consistent than previous years despite the best cartoons only being decent. Of which 'Touchdown Demons' is one of the middling ones ranking it in correlation with the rest of the Terrytoons and one of the middling 1940 cartoons. It is an unexceptional, nothing exactly special cartoon and has the same amount of problems as it has the amount of strengths. 'Touchdown Demons' 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.
Some mildly amusing moments, if not particularly imaginative, and there is some zest and natural charm, and parts of it and the basic set up are nicely done. The cats are fun.
Occasionally though the visuals lack polish in drawing and some transitions. The conflict should have been much stronger, considering that it revolved around a football match, and it is not helped by that the cats are far more interesting than the mice, that are bland and very little different from other Terrytoons mice characters. Parts of the cartoon are dull, particularly at the start.
Likewise, the story is paper thin, practically plot-less, with not an awful lot to it (like the cartoon in general), doing little new with a not so original premise. Gags aren't enough, hardly any even, what little there are there are not much especially memorable or particularly amusing and some don't serve much point. The cartoon tends to veer towards being too cute, takes too long to get going and a lot of it is pretty predictable, the ending can be seen from a mile away but it is an outcome that has been seen many times in cartoons.
Overall, definitely not unwatchable but like a lot of Terrytoons from this year it is not great either. 5/10 Bethany Cox