Libros Famosos

I love both Have You Got Any Castles? and Book Revue, both are very colourful and clever literary takes, but if I had a preference I have to go with Book Revue. The animation here is wonderful, very colourful and vibrant, and the music is superb, especially liked the use of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata at the beginning. The singing is top notch, and the references are recognisable and a delight to watch. And the main reason why I prefer Book Revue is because of Daffy Duck, he is absolutely hilarious, whether this is his best cartoon overall is up for debate as there are so many exceptional ones, but this is for me one of his funnier performances. Out of the supporting characters, the rapacious Big Bad Wolf is my favourite. The cartoon moves really quickly, the humour is spot on and Sara Berner and Mel Blanc's voice work is outstanding. Overall, superb cartoon and although I loved Have You Got Any Castles, I prefer this one but only marginally, probably the fact that Daffy's in it is to do with it. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Of all the cartoons where books, magazines etc. come to life, Bob Clampett's 'Book Revue' is by far the finest. The problem with many of these kind of cartoons is that they rely on cultural references that have been long forgotten, inescapably dating the picture. Although there are many references to popular books of the day in 'Book Revue', it manages to sidestep the detrimental dating effect thanks to Clampett's typically engaging speedy pacing and the inclusion of Daffy Duck as a character. Daffy emerges from the cover of a Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies comic and proceeds to completely steal the cartoon away from all the witty book parodies. Ever the showman, Daffy opens with a Danny Kaye impersonation followed by the highlight of the cartoon, a phenomenal scat version of the Little Red Riding Hood Story. Mel Blanc must be given enormous credit for pulling this off so brilliantly but Clampett makes it all the better by matching this brilliant vocal performance with stunning visual, including the infamous moment in which Daffy turns into a giant eyeball. This is the sort of joke no other director would even attempt and Clampett pulls it off with grotesque glee, 'Book Revue' is so much better than all other cartoons of its kind because it doesn't get hung up on visual pun after visual pun. Instead, Clampett uses these books as the backdrop against which to stage a high speed chase. Unlike some of these reference heavy shorts, 'Book Revue' can be enjoyed whether you get the reference points or not. It's a classic cartoon bursting with energy and ideas.

The books on bookshelves are coming to life. One book is Looney Tunes Merrie Melodies comics with Daffy Duck walking off the cover. While Daffy does make an appearance, it is not a long one. A lot of this is non-specific books or classics. I don't recognize a lot of these and I am not that invested in them. That is probably my main issue. Quite frankly, the Daffy Duck appearance is basically a cameo or fan service for Looney Tunes fans. I would rather have him be the store owner or late night janitor or a magician. This could be Daffy Duck's Fantasia. Instead, it is all rather random and non-specific.

When it strike midnight at the book shop, things go crazy. The characters in the various books of the time begin to cavort. However, what could have been a very clever cartoon becomes a study in the pop culture of post World War II. Frank Sinatra appears and all the female characters go into hysterics. When a thinly clad young Indian maid appears, there is a chorus of wolves (some are actually wolves but most are just male characters). Eventually, Daffy Duck gets on the scene. There is a lot of jazz and he doesn't respond well to it. I just didn't find this one very gratifying. Daffy howls and screams and his encounter with the Red Riding Hood wolf is lame at best.

Young Man with a Horn: Harry James; The Voice in the Wilderness: Frank Sinatra; Brass: Tommy Dorsey- Sinatra worked for him; Drums Along the Mohawk: Gene Krupa; The Pie-eyed Piper: Benny Goodman; Arkansas Traveler: Arkansas-born Bob Burns (with his so-called "bazooka"); So Big: James Durante; Daffy Duck dressed up as Danny Kaye.

The line "... so round, so firm, so fully packed... so (free and) easy on the draw" was in reference to a Lucky Strike cigarette commercial- in coincidence, the Sportsman Quartet (also in this cartoon) used to do commercials for Lucky Strike on the Jack Benny Radio Program.