Hector's Hectic Life

BEWARE OF FALSE REVIEWS & REVIEWERS. SOME REVIEWERS HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW TO THEIR NAME. NOW WHEN ITS A POSITIVE REVIEW THAT TELLS ME THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE MOVIE. IF ITS A NEGATIVE REVIEW THEN THEY MIGHT HAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST THE FILM . NOW I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 200 HOLIDAY FILMS. I HAVE NO AGENDA. I AM HONEST

The short begins with a dog named Hector (called "Princie" in the short) sleeping on a messy bed and then the housekeeper wakes him up with her broom complaining how he always makes a mess in the house. She gives Hector a warning that if he makes one more mess in the house, he will be thrown outside in the snow without a home, but she then tells him that if he became a good dog, Santa Claus might leave him a Christmas present.

As Hector was about to take a nap at the front door, he hears a knock on the door and thinks it might be Santa leaving him a basket full of bones on the doorstep. He opens the door, sees the basket, and takes it inside the house. As he was about to enjoy the basket, he hears a "yelp" coming from inside the basket. He opens it and out popped three puppies who looked exactly like him.

When the puppies start destroying the house Hector knows he will get the blame and Santa will pass him by.

This Animated Short is Cute and adorable

Last week, I reviewed Chips Off the Old Block which concerned a cat who found out about his offspring and kept them away from his female master because he was afraid of being thrown out. That's the same premise here except it's now a dog named Hector with his pups who all wave one of their ears just like dear old dad. Director Bill Tytla-a former Disney animator-provides just the right amount of sentiment with slapstick that makes this one of the more enjoyable one-shots from the Famous Studios factory. There's also Hector's angel and devil fighting it out for his soul after he initially throws his children out that I liked as well. If there's one quibble it's with the obvious stereotypical Swedish (or is it Norwegian) accent that is heard from the female head. It least she's only seen from the waist down like Tom and Jerry's Mammy Two-Shoes. Other than that, Hector's Hectic Life is a fine Christmas cartoon that should by seen by the whole family. P.S. I first saw this public domain short in the late '80s on a bargain basement VHS tape.

This short is average in general. So I give this short only a 6 out of 10.

The animation is still decent as far as we know. Although this reminds me of something but I kinda forgot about it.

The ending is wholesome anyways.

This is a familiar theme but with a different twist to it. I've seen "Tom" and "Sylvester" and other characters in the same predicament as we find Hector the dog here, meaning he has to be nice and keep things under control if he's going to stay in the house. An added incentive: stay in the house AND get a nice present from Santa Claus, according to his Scandanavian- accented owner. Otherwise, he'll be thrown out in the snow with no holiday fun.

The problem is three little puppies are delivered to the front door....and those little guys are not going to be quiet and orderly. They are going to cause havoc and you know who will be blamed. Can Hector keep them in line?.

There's a nice ending to this, as most short stories and cartoons revolving around Christmas are, and that's a good thing. The feel-good ending makes up for a so-so story.

Hector's Hectic Life (1948)

*** (out of 4)

Charming animated film about Hector, a dog whose owner grows tired of him making messes so right before Christmas she tells him that he must remain good or else she's going to put him out in the cold. Hector swears to be good but his secret puppies can't quite stay out of trouble. HECTOR'S HECTIC LIFE isn't going to go down in animation history of being one of the greatest films out there but I think it's charming enough and features enough action to keep people entertained. The highlight of the film is a scene where the puppies knock over a fish bowl, spilling all of the water and Hector having to rush to the scene and get it cleaned up. Another good sequence deals with Hector throwing the pups out of the house but then getting a visit from his good and bad sides. For the most part the animation is quite nice and at just over 7-minutes the thing certainly moves good enough with no slow moments.