Wacky-Bye Baby

Was very fond of Woody Woodpecker and his cartoons as a child. Still get much enjoyment out of them now as a young adult, even if there are more interesting in personality cartoon characters and better overall cartoons.

That is in no way knocking Woody, because many of his cartoons are a lot of fun to watch and more and also still like him a lot as a character. Always have gotten much enjoyment out of Woody and Wally Walrus' cartoons and their chemistry together. They have done better cartoons like 'Ski for Two', 'Chew-Chew Baby', 'Smoked Hams' and 'Well Oiled', but 'Wacky-Bye Baby' is still enjoyable and has enough that make the duo and their cartoons as appealing as they mostly are.

'Wacky-Bye Baby' is an uneven cartoon. It does take a bit of time to get going and it is really once Wally is introduced when the cartoon gets going, and once it does it's wildly wacky and entertaining. Albeit rather typical for a Woody and Wally cartoon, with a very familiar basic premise that has been done before and since and in a way that's been funnier and more imaginative. There is not an awful lot wrong with 'Wacky-Bye Baby', it just doesn't have the wow factor.

Both Woody and Wally are a lot of fun. Love their contrasting personalities, with Woody mischievous and suitably annoying without being intolerable and Wally being one of those butt of the jokes foils that provides some genuinely funny moments but one also roots for him in some way. Have always loved their inspired chemistry.

As ever, the animation is great. The characters are well drawn, but even better are the rich colours, meticulously detailed backgrounds and smooth backgrounds.

Music is another strength here. It's characterful, lushly orchestrated and is not only dynamic with the action it even enhances it. The writing is amusing and chuckle-worthy enough and the gags are well-timed and often hilarious in the second half. Before one forgets, the cartoon is worth watching for the sight of Woody as a baby alone.

On the whole, very enjoyable but lacks the wow factor. 7/10 Bethany Cox

. . . endemic to the Axis of Evil, just defeated by our American Heroes at the time WHACK THE BABY was released. Therefore, it unfolds as no surprise that torturing youngsters comes as second nature to Wally. Obviously, this woeful walrus would have fit right in as the commander of an Axis "work" camp, with his penchant for giving small fry toys designed to belittle, demean and humiliate them. As a reputed billionaire, "Blubber Gum" money miser Wally wallows in his ill-gotten wealth, thinking that it will allow him to buy offspring whom he can then torment with his concentration-camp style of child-rearing.

This short is funny and entertaining and is thus worth watching, but really isn't one of the studio's crowning glories. But then, the Lantz studios turned out almost 600 cartoons for theatrical release in roughly 50 years, so not everything could be a jewel. Worth watching, particularly for fans of Woody. Recommended.