Ain't Nature Grand!

The Bosko cartoons by Looney Tunes were hardly the sarcastic and edgy cartoons Looney Tunes came to be in the 1940s and 50s. Instead, the stories were minimal and consisted of lots of dancing, cutesy characters and not a lot of definition of our hero's character. When seen today, the cartoons seem very dated and, above all, aren't much fun to watch because there just aren't a lot of laughs.

Here in "Ain't Nature Grand!", Bosko has even less to do than usual. Most of the cartoon he stands around watching animals in the wild sing and dance....and he occasionally does the same. The closest to edginess it got was when some bees decided to attack Bosko but, sadly, by the end he was okay.

Apart from some decent animation for the early 1930s, there isn't a lot to recommend this cartoon. Yes, it is a cartoon...but it's lightyears from the sort of stuff the studio would make a few years later. Worth seeing it you enjoy animation history but otherwise, pretty sappy and forgettable...even for Bosko.

Bosko goes fishing. Since he cannot bring himself to let a worm give up his life, he ventures away from the swimming hole. He encounters numerous creatures. He sings and dances with them. Eventually, however, a couple bees decide to make life miserable for him. Nothing very interesting about this one. Mostly, it shows how, given the chance and the wherewithal, wild creatures could go on the stage.

The Bosko cartoons may not be animation masterpieces, but they are fascinating as examples of Looney Tunes in their early days before the creation of more compelling characters and funnier and more creative cartoons.

None of the previous Bosko cartoons were great, most of them being hit and miss, but they were interesting and mostly quite decent. His eighth cartoon (if one includes his "pilot" cartoon 'The Talk-Ink Kid'), 'Ain't Nature Grand', is one of his weakest, at this point his second weakest after the strange 'The Booze Hangs High'. Certainly watchable but while nature certainly is grand that is the last adjective to describe the cartoon overall.

Certainly there are good things about 'Ain't Nature Grand'. The animation is not bad at all. Not exactly refined but fluid and crisp enough with some nice detail, it is especially good in the meticulous backgrounds and some remarkably flexible yet natural movements for Bosko. The music is one of 'Ain't Nature Grand's' highlight components, its infectious energy, rousing merriment, lush orchestration and how well it fits with the animation is just a joy.

Some parts are fun and intriguing, such as those with the frogs and the spider, with a few ways that nature and insects used being fairly inventive. The climax is entertaining and one is definitely rooting for the insects. The supporting characters are nice and the synchronisation and sound are remarkably good.

Bosko himself is not that endearing, his personality being a bit bland this time around. The story is paper thin with pedestrian pacing at times and a few repetitive bits too. Like 'The Booze Hangs High', the humour is too far and between and generally is not that amusing let alone funny.

Outside of a few moments, 'Ain't Nature Grand' is not that imaginative, and the cartoon is very routine, at times dull and easily forgettable on the whole.

In summary, alright cartoon but without the desire to see it again in a hurry. 5/10 Bethany Cox