Droopy chef d'orchestre

First, I should identify that while I know who Droopy is, I don't really know his cartoons. I think that I saw some of them when I was really young, but I didn't take to them (I best remember him from his appearance in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit"). Well, "Dixieland Droopy" just might get me interested in his cartoons. It portrays the deadpan dog as a jazz fan who annoys everyone with his record, until finally the record breaks. But when he comes across some be-bop fleas, things change.

The whole chase scene is a real hoot, although I get the feeling that they may have been aping a Sylvester-Tweety or Wile E. Coyote-Road Runner pursuit. Still, this is a pretty enjoyable cartoon. It appears that Tex Avery made some interesting stuff after he left Termite Terrace (that was where they made the Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies cartoons).

Need a lift? Watch this cartoon. You'll feel a lot better.

This a different kind of Droopy cartoon, right from the opening scene. This is the "true story" of John Pettybone, a jazz player who rose from the junkyard to the Hollywood Bowl. Droopy plays Mr. Pettybone. We get a narrator, the kind I used to hear in film noirs or in short features, explaining the story for us, or at least the background information.

Everywhere Droopy plays his recording - a recording of his Dixieland music - he, and the disc, get thrown out. He runs the gamut from ice cream trucks, jukeboxes, organ grinders, merry-go-rounds, you name it. Nobody wants to hear his jazzy record.

When all seems lost, our musical friend finds a real Dixieland band at the local circus: "The Musical Fleas, featuring Pee Wee Runt and his All-Flea Dixieland Band.

You have to love the creativity of these writers!

What happens after this is even wilder. This is one of the funnier, most original and great- looking (colors are fantastic) and great-sounding cartoons I have ever had the pleasure of watching. The Dixieland music will have your feet jumping: guaranteed.

If you get the opportunity, see this on the Droopy DVD package with the restored picture. It's fantastic.

This short by Avery is somewhat different from his normal approach of firing as many sight gags at the audience as possible as rapidly as possible. There is actually something of a story here and the jokes principally flow from the premise of a dog who loves Dixieland jazz. There are some beautiful scenes hee and the connection of music and animation is great, particularly in one portion of a chase sequence! Most recommended

Droopy takes on a jazzman role, and what results is a narrated dixieland jubilee with a boring plot-line and lesser laughs. There's almost nothing to laugh about and the story is very basic.

Not of the funner or better Droopy cartoons. Below average.

Grade D-

I am a big animation fan, and I like Droopy a fair bit. Dixieland Droopy is one of his best, and also one of his most original and different. The animation is wonderful, very colourful in the colours, slick in the background art and all the characters are well drawn. The music is energetic, rousing and one of the biggest reasons why the cartoon works so well. Something special is made with the story too, it is very well paced without feeling rushed or short changed, is different in that it is based on a true story and the material that forms whether it's physically or verbally is both funny and original. The sound effects are also to be credited, they are authentic-sounding and don't sound out of place. Droopy is a sheer delight and voiced marvellously by Bill Thompson. Overall, Dixieland Droopy is delightful. 10/10 Bethany Cox