Past Perfumance

Another very enjoyable Pepe cartoon, without it being one of his best. The animation at the start feels a little rushed and flat, but quickly improve into the colourful elegance that you find in Pepe's cartoons. The music once again sounds beautiful and energetic, also succeeding brilliantly in enhancing the gags. The gags are neat and funny(ie. the brief but very amusing musketeer moment), but the best of the humour comes verbally, not just in Pepe's asides and amorous and risqué(for the time) dialogue but also for one of the most effective butcherings of Shakespeare ever in a cartoon- see above- and when the lion shuts up after the director shouts for him to be quiet. The story is simple and you know where its going to go and how it's going to end- true of most Pepe cartoons- but crisply paced and entertaining. Pepe is lots of fun, a character that I appreciate much more as an adult(as a child I think a lot of his humour went over my head), and Mel Blanc, sounding like a combination of Charles Boyer and especially Maurice Chevalier, as always voices him wonderfully. All in all, very enjoyable. 8/10 Bethany Cox