Porky the Giant Killer

At this stage, Porky was still Termite Terrace's only star -- although Daffy Duck was pulling up fast and Bugs would be introduced shortly. So he got tossed into every cartoon, including this rather dull retelling of 'Jack the Giant Killer', with a Giant who looks and sounds like Bluto from Popeye but who was, undoubtedly, voiced by Billy Bletcher.

Jokes in this one are thin and rather stretched out. Nor, despite their hand in inventing Bugs, are Dalton and Hardaway real prime Termite Terrace directors. Hardaway would soon go to Lantz, where he would work long, hard and well on Woody Woodpecker. Dalton would continue working through the 1950s.

The wonderful staff that had already built up at Termite Terrace stops this one from being a stinker, but it's certainly no classic. Look at it and then move on.

For the most part, I hate cute cartoons. But there are certainly a few exceptions, such as "Porky the Giant Killer". Another really good film in this same category from Looney Tunes is "Feed the Kitty" and both are worth your time.

When the story begins, the villagers are all banding together to go kill the giant. However, the giant in this fairytale seems like a nice guy...and all he wants if for his little son to go to sleep and be happy....and that's where Porky comes into the story. See the short and you'll see what I mean.

The cartoon has nice animation and provides a story that is NOT what you'd expect. Clever and worth seeing even after all these years.

None of Ben Hardaway/Cal Dalton's work is unwatchable as such, but nothing of it is exceptional either, even when the animation, voice work and especially the music are usually fine. Their best efforts (so 'Hare-Um Scare-Um' and their two Egghead cartoons) being solid if not much more than that. Their work was competently made but the comic timing was not always great, gags weren't enough and blandness and cuteness tended to be present.

Have always really liked Porky Pig, who has always been amusing and likeable if working better as a supporting character playing straight to funnier and more interesting characters than as a lead. 'Porky the Giant Killer', slightly misleading as a title, is not a particularly good representation of him, and is fairly average as a cartoon. Again, Hardaway and Dalton's work is not incompetent but is undistinguished, lacking the visual imagination and consistent humour of the work of superior directors.

Porky is a likeable enough character and plays it straight well enough, at least also he is treated as a lead and used pretty well, but he has been funnier before and his personality stronger. Not sure what my stance is on the baby character, at times cute and amusing at others annoying. A few mildly amusing moments aside, the gags and humour, and there is not enough of them, are not particularly inventive or funny, too much of it is bland and over-stretched with less than sharp timing.

The story is basic and predictable, while the supporting characters are not particularly memorable outside of the baby. Energy was lacking here due to the story and gags being lacking.

However, Mel Blanc is outstanding as always. He always was the infinitely more preferable voice for Porky, Joe Dougherty never clicked with me, and he proves it here. Blanc shows an unequalled versatility and ability to bring an individual personality to every one of his multiple characters in a vast majority of his work, there is no wonder why he was in such high demand as a voice actor. Billy Bletcher excels as a character perfect for him.

Animation is very good. it's fluid in movement, crisp in shading and very meticulous in detail. Even better is Carl Stalling's music, as always lushly orchestrated, full of lively energy and characterful in rhythm, not only adding to the action but also enhancing it.

In summary, has its moments but underwhelming. 5/10