We, the Animals - Squeak!

One of Bob Clampett's last works before he started making his cartoons really wacky (see "Eatin' on the Cuff" and "Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid"), "We, the Animals - Squeak!" sure came out of left field. But this is also one where I notice that they gave Porky Pig a more interesting role than most of those that the stuttering swine had had during his first few years. Here he hosts a radio show and one of his guests is Irish cat Kansas City Kitty, who tells her life story. Specifically, the time that a group of gangster mice kidnapped her son. These rodents are some real thugs...but there's more in the works than meets the eye.

So while this may not have had the lasting cultural impact that Clampett's later cartoons "A Corny Concerto" and "The Great Piggy Bank Robbery" had, I still consider it worth seeing. If nothing else, it offers some neat entertainment. Like I said, better than most of Porky's cartoons during his first few years.

Love animation, it was a big part of my life as a child, particularly Disney, Looney Tunes, Hanna and Barbera and Tom and Jerry, and still love it whether it's film, television or cartoons. Actually appreciate it even more now through young adult eyes, thanks to broader knowledge and taste and more interest in animation styles and various studios and directors.

Have a lot of appreciation and admiration for Bob Clampett, with a visual and humour style so distinctive and easily recognisable. His early work was very variable but when on top form and in his prime the best of his work was great and even more. 'We, the Animals-Squeak!' is not one of Clampett's best. It is a very good cartoon though, even if there are funnier, wittier and fresher cartoons from him, and saw Clampett's unique style all over it and being at ease with the material.

'We, the Animals-Squeak!' may be slight and while Porky's more substantial role is appreciated he is not as interesting as the supporting characters and is a touch bland.

Supporting characters are far from forgettable and provide a lot of fun, it is amazing that animals often characterised as cute in cartoons are actually quite tough. Mel Blanc as always does a fantastic job with the voice work, showing an unparalleled ability to bring individuality to multiple characters.

The animation is as always bright and colourful, with lots of smooth movement, imaginative detail in the gags and rich and meticulous detail in the backgrounds. Carl Stalling's music score is as ever high in energy, liveliness, character, lushness and whimsy, and not only is dynamic and fits effortlessly with the action but enhances everything.

What's more, 'We, the Animals-Squeak!' is enormously entertaining, with some amusing wildness, wit and bite starting to show at this point in the dialogue. Plus there are some beautifully timed and animated and imaginative sight gags, that contain some surprises and a lively pace.

Overall, very good. 8/10 Bethany Cox