Porky's Hero Agency

Bob Clampett, director of this cartoon, was one of the great cartoon directors that made Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies so great. His greatest strength was his ability to take images and ideas and stretch them endlessly and his great masterpiece, PORKY IN WACKYLAND is the great exemplar of that.

But here, in this short where Porky dreams of being an ancient Greek hero who fights the gorgon, we see that same sensibility. This is a riotous cartoon, full of puns both verbal and visual, and wild images. This would be, I feel, a great cartoon, except for one small flaw: it is all couched as a dream. But even with that, it is still excellent and a rarely seen cartoon. If you have a chance, don't miss it.

Love animation, it was a big part of my life as a child, particularly Disney, Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry, and still love it whether it's film, television or cartoons.

Another early effort for Bob Clampett and Porky Pig, while not among the best of either 'Porky's Hero Agency' is one of Porky's better early cartoons and it is also testament to Clampett's genius. Am not a fan of the type of ending used here, it often feels especially if the cartoon has so much imagination in the bulk of it somewhat of a cheat. Felt that way with this ending, but knew it was inevitable considering the basic story and its framework.

Mel Blanc is outstanding as always however. He always was the infinitely more preferable voice for Porky, Joe Dougherty never clicked with me, and he proves it in 'Porky's Hero Agency'. Blanc shows an unequalled versatility and ability to bring an individual personality to every one of his multiple characters in a vast majority of his work, there is no wonder why he was in such high demand as a voice actor. Sara Berner and Tedd Pierce are also strong.

The animation is excellent, it's fluid in movement, crisp in shading and very meticulous in detail. The story may be predictable, but it's beautifully paced with never a dull moment and strongly structured.

Clampett's unmistakable humour and style is all over 'Porky's Hero Agency', to highly imaginative and deliciously wild effect. This comes through in both the writing and the sight gags. Porky is likeable and amusing in the hero roles and the gorgon comes close to stealing the show.

Ever the master, Carl Stalling's music is typically superb. It is as always lushly orchestrated, full of lively energy and characterful in rhythm, not only adding to the action but also enhancing it.

In summation, great Clampett/Porky cartoon. 9/10 Bethany Cox