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.
Also have much admiration for Tex Avery, an animation genius whose best cartoons are animated masterpieces and some of the best cartoons ever made from any director anywhere. 'Of Fox and Hounds' (a play on title of 'Of Mice and Men' one thinks) is not quite among his masterpieces but to me it's among his best early efforts. Just to reiterate as has been said many times by me, even when Avery was not at his best he fared much better than many directors at their worst, who could only wish to come close to a director with as many very good to classic cartoons and very few misfires as Avery.
It is no surprise that the animation is superb, being rich in colour and detail, the meticulousness is also noticeable. The character designs are fluid and well drawn, if not quite the creative ones of his very best cartoons. Carl Stalling's music is lush and characterful, with clever orchestration and a mastery of not just adding to the action but enhancing it as well (Stalling was a near-unequalled master at this, though Scott Bradley gave him a run for his money).
'Of Fox and Hounds' is great fun and never less than amusing, with enough variety to avoid repetition from creeping in. Willoughby is particularly well done of the characters and the bear encounter is a definite highlight. That the fox sounds like an early version of Bugs Bunny didn't bother me at all. The characters carry the cartoon beautifully and the pace is always lively without being so relentless that it feels rushed.
Mel Blanc shows once again his unrivalled ability to voice multiple characters and give each of them an individuality rather than giving them all the same personality and voice.
In conclusion, excellent cartoon. 10/10 Bethany Cox
