Sleep Happy

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. After a refreshing change of pace with the brilliant but sadder and more sombre 'Born to Peck', 'Sleep Happy' is back to formula territory and is one of those premises that isn't exactly the most original. With that being said, that doesn't matter a great deal, because it is a lot of fun and is proof of how well Woody and Wally Walrus (by far his best opponent) work so well together.

Despite sympathising with his plight at the beginning, Woody is amusing enough but is pretty obnoxious. One actually sympathises with Wally and his sleep deprivation much more (especially if you have ever had problems with noisy neighbours), but one is entertained hugely by the lengths Woody and Wally go though to outwit each other to keep each other awake.

As ever, the animation is very good. 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 pacing can get pretty wild but never feels rushed, while the gags are never less than very amusing and are timed very well.

Overall, excellent cartoon, very funny but at the same time relatable. 9/10 Bethany Cox

One of the first Woody shorts produced after Lantz temporarily closed up shop, Sleep Happy is a short with a rather simple premise: Woody and Wally Walrus trying to get a good night's sleep. It's execution, however, proves to be both effective and somewhat charming. Animation at Lantz never really recovered after the shutdown, but his team of Animators still manage to deliver excellently crafted shots, particularly those of Don Patterson, fresh from MGM. His shots of Wally Walrus attempting to close and board up the Drawer Woody keeps emerging from incorporate vast amounts of Dry Brush usage. Story wise, while some of the gags might have been done before (At Lantz or otherwise), they still manage to do a good job of showing the unpredictability as to how Woody will interrupt Wally's sleep time and time again. Overall, a Solid entry in the Woody series, and one of his best shorts in the 1951 season. 8/10.