The Eager Beaver

A wildlife documentary sets out to look at the industrious species of the beaver, looking at them at work in the forest. However one of the beavers is keen but without much ability and only serves to get in the way of the others. He gets sent to a distant tree to keep him out of the way - but little do the others know how important his role will be.

When a Warner Brothers cartoon comes on with no recognisable stars it is often a time to start to worry - but not always. Here the film barely even has a character to focus on, never mind a well known one, but it still manages to be amusing even if it is never out and out funny. The film just uses the various beavers in exaggerated ways and most of the time it made me chuckle a little bit. The second half of this short sees the keen beaver becoming the focus, but the material still looks at the wider `story'.

The characters are colourful enough and have a nice rough acerbic edge to their attitudes and it makes the film that little bit sharper compared to those cartoons with the horrible cutesy characters. Overall this is quite enjoyable without really being laugh out loud funny, but still worth watching.

The Eager Beaver (1946) is a funny 40's cartoon, and Jones's unique style is just beginning to surface.

The use of music is excellent, as the beavers construct the dam with perfect synchronization. A good "Hard at Work" theme.

Dialog is minimal besides the narration, but I like it. It has some clever lines, like when the narrator tells the beavers to dam the river. And the annoying beaver who supervises the construction is just a set-up for the ending.

The plot is simple, but I like the story it tells. The weird tree-felling methods of those beavers never cease to amaze me. The Eager Beaver's attempts at cutting down some trees are good.

The animation is excellent, but typical of the day. It's pre-1948, so it's not exactly like what we're accustomed to.

Overall, just a funny cartoon, with some good jokes and good artistry. It entertains, which is all it needs to do.