Fleischer were responsible for some brilliant cartoons, some of them still among my favourites. Their visual style was often stunning and some of the most imaginative and ahead of its time in animation.
The character of Betty Boop, one of their most famous and prolific characters, may not be for all tastes and sadly not as popular now, but her sex appeal was quite daring for the time and to me there is an adorable sensual charm about her. That charm, sensuality and adorable factor is not lost anywhere here, nor her comic timing and she is very well supported by the ever fun Bimbo and Koko. Plus the rest of the show troupe, the animals and the train itself.
Not among the best Betty Boop cartoons by all means, though still a very good one. This said, it has all the elements that make her pre-Code cartoons so worthwhile and does do so much, almost everything, right and little wrong. The weak link is the story, which is basically acts being strung together and not much else.
However, the animation is outstanding, everything is beautifully and meticulously drawn and the whole cartoon is rich in visual detail and imagination. Every bit as good is the music score, which delivers on the energy, lusciousness and infectiousness, great for putting anybody in a good mood.
Loved the acts being shown, not just Betty's singing, Bimbo's juggling and Koko's tap dancing (my favourite) but also even the train itself gets in on the act with some really neat and imaginatively rendered tricks. 'The Betty Boop Limited' is ceaselessly fun, and delivers on the creativity as well as the imaginative surrealism. There are more risqué Betty Boop cartoons around, but there is still evidence of that in 'The Betty Boop Limited'. The voice work is fine.
On the whole, a lot of fun and a great watch visually and in entertainment. 8/10 Bethany Cox
