The Milkman

Ub Iwerks's Flip the Frog series of cartoons was short-lived, only lasting from 1930 to 1933. On the most part the Flip the Frog cartoons are not great or cartoon/animated masterpieces and it is sort of understandable as to why Flip didn't make it bigger. However they are far from terrible ones either and do hold some interest.

Despite not being historically significant like 'Fiddlesticks' was, 'The Milkman' for me is an above average Flip the Frog cartoon if not one of the best of the series, far from one of the worst either. It is not a great cartoon, more a decent one, and has faults but there are things here that improve quite a bit and done much better than many other Flip the Frog cartoons.

A lot of good things in 'The Milkman'. The animation is decent enough, with beautifully detailed backgrounds, nice shading and characters that aren't drawn too crudely. The music makes even more of an impact, it is lushly and cleverly orchestrated, full of lively energy and not only adds brilliantly to the action it enhances it.

There are more sight gags than the previous Flip the Frog cartoons, and they are surprisingly funny. There is a nice natural charm and a zesty pace. Liked the lively support. There is a scene with Flip delivering milk and it's extraordinary to look at.

However, 'The Milkman' has faults. Flip is still not a particularly compelling character personality-wise, a general fault with his cartoons. The story is very thin, there are signs of one at the start but it is completely neglected for the rest of the cartoon.

There could have been less sentimentality, sometimes it overshadows the humour, and the kid character is an annoying brat, am aware that was the approach that was intended but it was taken to extremes.

Overall, decent and above average. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Very funny sight gags and beautiful presentation overcome the limitations of Flip's almost non-existent personality. There is a pesky little kid who at moments seems like the evil twin of Dennis the Menace and in the end a happy ending (well, I guess it depends on point of view as to happy or not). It's a wonder Flip has any customers left, though, as his delivery methods remind one of Cy Young. Visually stunning in spots, it's a good thing this is available on DVD. Well worth watching and recommended.