Dog Gone South

'Dog Gone South' is a refreshing departure for Charlie Dog from his partnership with Porky Pig, his cartoons with Porky are still great (am especially fond of 'Awful Orphan') but it is nice to have something different in a while.

It is a real shame that 'Dog Gone South' was banned due to the Southern stereotyping, which is not that insensitive, it may have been strong at the time but it's pretty tame now and actually adds to the impact of the humour.

Because it is one of Charlie Dog's better cartoons, once again a perfect demonstration of Charlie being a charismatic and funny character (who in his outings with Porky always stole the show from under him) and begs the question of why his stint as a character was so short-lived. He is brilliantly supported by the characters of Colonel Shuffle and especially Belvedere. Mel Blanc as always does a fantastic job with the voice work.

Animation is as always bright and colourful, with lots of smooth movement, imaginative detail in the gags and rich and meticulous detail in the backgrounds. Carl Stalling's music score is as ever high in energy, liveliness, character, lushness and whimsy, and not only is dynamic and fits effortlessly with the action but enhances everything.

What's more, 'Dog Gone South' is enormously entertaining, with the typical wild looniness, razor-sharp wit and sardonic bite constantly shining in the dialogue. Plus there are some beautifully timed and animated and imaginative sight gags, that contain enough surprises. The highlights are the classic and often quoted "Oh Belvedere, come here boy" (which has as much to do as how it is said as it is a funny line) and the hilarious ending.

All in all, wonderful and under-appreciated cartoon that got unfair treatment. 10/10 Bethany Cox