The Country Cousin

In all honesty, I have seen better cartoons. The execution of the story while nicely paced is a little bland and occasionally goofy even and the climax has a chaotic and tacked on nature about it. However, while most of the gags are more amusing than hilarious, the sliced bread and Duck Soup-like mirror gags are very effective indeed. The animation is beautiful and fluid, with the character designs especially good, the music is energetic and action-enhancing as is typical of a lot of cartoons around that time and the characters are sweet and likable.

All in all, The Country Cousin is not an outstanding cartoon, but regardless it is still a nice watch. 7/10 Bethany Cox

This film is the Oscar winner for Best Animated Short for 1937 and when seen today you might be tempted, like me, to marvel at it being the pick. It's not that this is a bad cartoon--it isn't. It's just that the story is awfully familiar and the animation style is more akin to a non-Disney production than a film by the greatest animation studio of the day. As for me, I'd much rather see a cartoon featuring the OTHER Disney mouse instead of this one.

The story is from Aesop and has been done a bazillion times before by various cartoon studios--probably because they didn't have to pay royalties and because the story has already written itself! A bumpkin mouse from 'Podunk' comes to visit his supposedly sophisticated cousin in the city. At first, the bumpkin in impressed by all the marvels of big city life. However, by the end of the film he comes to realize that cities suck and he's better off being happy with his lot in life.

The animation quality is good but not exactly inspired or a thing of great beauty. When I think about several other Silly Symphony cartoons from Disney (such as THE FLOWERS AND THE TREES or FERDINAND THE BULL), it comes up very short. In other words, it's awfully ordinary yet took the Oscar. While I am not a huge fan of Popeye, I have seen POPEYE THE SAILOR MEETS SINBAD THE SAILOR (also nominated this same year) and it was significantly prettier and better animated--with finer line drawings and an amazing 3-D sort of look to it. The other nominee was OLD MILL POND by Harmon-Ising but I just can't bring myself to watch any more of these ultra-cutesy cartoons, though I can just about guarantee it was insipid and that THE COUNTRY COUSIN was better!

For those wondering why this would win an Academy Award, consider the year and the level of action animation. The dinner table scene is excellent, with all the possibilities. The mice are really excellent personalities, each with their own beings. Yes, the plot is simple. It's one of those portrayals of the grass always being greener. It's the classic Aesop's Fable of the Country Mouse and the City Mouse.

When his cousin from the sticks decides not to be an hick and come to the slickness of the city to stay with his cousin, "Abner" arrives and is immediately causing chaos as he's let loose on a grand dining table where he quickly discovers that mustard and champagne don't mix! Terrified that he is going to wreck the place, "Monty" tries to reign him in and that just introduces him to a very hungry cat who, as it turns out, isn't immune to large voltages! It's end-to-end stuff with loads of cheekily detailed animation whizzing along and though perhaps it plays a little too much to the country bumpkin stereotype, there's still plenty of enjoyable mischief on display here.

This Disney short is well-executed visually (as you might expect from Disney in the 1930s) but isn't really all that memorable or impressive for all that. I'm frankly somewhat puzzled at its nomination for an Academy Award and more puzzled that it won. Perhaps it was more impressive in 1936 than it is today. It isn't a bad cartoon-there just isn't anything exceptional about it that struck me other than the visuals. It runs from time to time on the Ink and Paint Club.