Porky's Prize Pony

A clumsy horse with dreams of glory on the track sees Porky Pig as his ticket and is determined to win him over. Like Wile E. Coyote in the later Chuck Jones Roadrunner cartoons, the horse seems to have a high threshold of pain, plus there is little dialog. Lots of horse and horse race gags--and horse racing was quite popular then. It's a mystery as to how or why the horse tumbles out of a barn clad in a floppy hat, a union suit that he must have donned through the trap door, and astride a rocking chair. Inspired by a scene from another movie or something the writer saw on a visit to the countryside perhaps. "The Old Grey Mare" plays in tune with the creaking chair and throughout the short. No Technicolor treatment for this one but we can learn something from the horse who is the real star here: Don't stop striving for excellence. A similar horse turns up in "The Draft Horse" just a few years later, and Chuck made more and better cartoons.

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.

Chuck Jones deserves his status as one of animation's most legendary, greatest and most important directors/animators. He may have lacked the outrageousness and wild wackiness of Bob Clampett and Tex Avery, but the visual imagination, wit and what he did with some of the best-known and most iconic characters ever were just as special. 'Porky's Prize Pony' may not be one of his best cartoons or see him on the most top of forms, but it is not one of the finding-his-feet quality of his earlier cartoons.

Porky is amusing and likeable, if slightly bland. Have always thought that, while a pretty decent lead character he fared better playing it straight paired with characters with funnier material and more interesting personalities, one of the strongest examples being Daffy Duck.

The story is basic and predictable, showing in some, but not all, of the pacing, which is mostly lively but on occasions momentum is lacking.

Mel Blanc's voice acting as ever shows how amazing and multi-talented a voice actor he was, showing a knack for bringing an individuality and different personalities to every character he voiced.

'Porky's Prize Pony' is very amusing and neatly executed, and sometimes very funny indeed, if never quite imaginative enough compared to Jones' later classics. Porky is a bit bland but the horse effortlessly steals the show and is great fun. The two work well together.

Animation is excellent, it's fluid in movement, crisp in shading and very meticulous in detail. Jones does direct very solidly. Ever the master, Carl Stalling's music is typically superb. It is as always lushly orchestrated, full of lively energy and characterful in rhythm, not only adding to the action but also enhancing it.

Overall, pretty good but not great or outstanding. 7/10 Bethany Cox