Popeye has always struck me as a likeable character with great comic timing, have always loved his less than amicable chemistry/rivalry with Bluto and how it drives their cartoons in such a funny way. While liking to loving most of his cartoons, will admit to preferring the Fleischer era cartoons, that are generally funnier, more imaginative and of higher quality, though many of the later Famous Studio offerings entertain, just inferior in quality.
Found 'Puppet Love' to be one of the better Famous Studios cartoons and one of the best from this particular period (so the war-time period). Not one of Popeye's very best, or at least not quite, but anybody who loves great animation and music, characters at the top of their game with more than convincing chemistry and comic timing that is at least good will, or at least should, get a kick out of 'Puppet Love', regardless of the state of the story.
Which here is pretty thin and somewhat formulaic if one is familiar with any other Popeye cartoon(s) before and since, but there is not an awful lot to carp about.
The variety stops 'Puppet Love' from being repetitive and the energy is constant and incredibly endearing and fun. Olive doesn't come as underused too much and her material, while not as strong as Popeye and Bluto's, doesn't waste her. The ending is a surprise and is very clever and amusing.
Expectedly, the animation cannot be faulted, the backgrounds have lost none of the meticulous attention to detail, it's fluid, Popeye still looks good and is recognisable in design and the colours are wonderfully vibrant, which really does make the setting come alive. Love the music just as much, it is is the highly characterful and lush music score, that not only fits seamlessly and enhances the action but it is like its own character.
Popeye is amusing and likeable still and Jack Mercer doesn't disappoint with the voice acting. A more muscular in character design Bluto is even funnier and the chemistry between the two sparkles and carries the cartoon brilliantly.
As one would hope, 'Puppet Love' boasts lots of gags that are timed beautifully and are never less than very funny, Popeye's asides and mumblings are something of a hilarious art-form of its own, and the energy never wavers. The use of the puppet is clever. Mercer is not the only one to excel at the voice acting. Cannot imagine anybody else voicing Olive than Mae Questel, the voice actress to voice her the most (she was also voiced in some cartoons by Bonnie Poe and Margie Hines and it wasn't the same). Jackson Beck is very exuberant as Bluto.
Concluding, great Popeye cartoon. 9/10
