Cellbound

Spike has been digging for twenty years with a spoon to escape Sing-Sing prison. He finally escapes, but he picks the wrong hiding place. He gets trapped in the TV inside the warden's office.

This is one of the last Tex Avery cartoons at MGM. It's simple fun, but that ground breaking. It takes a familiar character and puts him in a fun location. I would like a different character for the warden. This is fine, but he could be more than fine. I'm imagining Droopy. Now, that would be funnier and more compelling. This is a good solid cartoon although I may be expecting something much more coming from Tex Avery.

Spike has spent twenty years digging an escape tunnel from his prison cell -- you can tell by the pile of dirt outside his window, a pile that dwarfs the prison. Yet when he comes up, it's not outside walls, but inside a television set which is promptly delivered to the warden's office. And because he has torn the guts out of the TV, he has to perform different bits as the warden changes channels.

The budgets were really cramping Tex Avery's style by this point, with UPA-level background work, and ugly -- although still well-animated -- character design. Or maybe he just laid back and had Michael Lah do the work. For Avery fans only.

Love animation, it was a big part of my life as a child, particularly Disney, Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry, and still love it whether it's film, television or cartoons.

Also have much admiration for Tex Avery, an animation genius whose best cartoons are animated masterpieces and some of the best he ever did. 'Cellbound' (with Michael Lah sharing a co-directing credit) is not one of his best, animation limitations show in some of the backgrounds and lack of refinement in some of the drawing and it lacks the imagination, wild wackiness and hilarity of his best work. With this being said, when Avery was not at his best he still fared much better than most other animation directors at their worst, some can only dream of having their best work on the same level as the masterpieces from Avery.

Some limited backgrounds and some unrefined drawing aside, the animation has some colourful and expressive moments. The music from the always never less than dependable Scott Bradley is lushly and cleverly orchestrated, with lively and energetic rhythms and fits very well indeed, a lot of the action is even enhanced by the music.

'Cellbound', while not among the most hilarious or imaginative of Avery's work, is nonetheless very funny still. Spike's disguises and how he acts out the programs on the television are the main source of the humour and they're all cleverly done and very funny. Some witty dialogue too.

Expectedly, Avery fares very strongly in the directing, even if other cartoons show off his unique wild and wacky style more.

George the Warden is a very amusing foil, but Spike is the more interesting character and has the funnier material of the two. He has great comic timing but he's also easy to like and root for. The chemistry between them is dynamite. The voice work is excellent from veteran Paul Frees.

Overall, Avery may not be at his best but 'Cellbound' is still very good. 8/10 Bethany Cox

This cartoon is just average for Tex Avery, which means that it's still as good as the best work of some cartoon directors. Virtually all sight gags, many of the gags are familiar from other shorts and most often worked only moderately well here. Still worh watching (I've never seen a BAD Tex Avery) even if it's not one of his best.