The animated medium frees this lesser-known G&S comic-opera from the limitations of the theatrical setting to successfully emphasize the supernatural and Gothic elements of the narrative.
All these talk about handing out pardon to sneaks, swindlers, ciphers, scums, snakes, scoundrels, scalawags, zeroes, scorpions, scapegraces, psychopaths, sociopaths, and sissies as easy as giving away candies to kids... (Spooky!)
It's the
Animaniacs (1993) series that introduced me to the music of G&S (Animaniacs reboot, btw, woohoo!) and yes,
Los Simpson (1989), who could forget that
Cape Feare (1993) episode. This movie, on the other hand, is animation artistry that showcases, yet again, the genius of that well-beloved British duo to the public.
The Halas-Batchelor production company's animation, notable for their adaptation of Orwell's
Rebelión en la granja (1954)), successfully manages to cram the whole operetta in barely an hour running time which makes for a very effective appetizer if one is to start devouring the G&S repertoire. Splendid earworm-ish tunes. The 2D-animation gives a lighter tone to a work that explores grim themes. It does hold well with the current 21st-century animation output that's known for having their own oblique and grotesque style. A worthy watch during the Halloween season, complete with a whole gallery of ghosts and all.
In all the appeal the animation genre brings to this work comes a bit of caveat (that is, of course, only for those unacquainted with the material). The problem with this musical is for it being animated, it does explore the logic (or non-logic) surrounding the issue of suicide. Some people's sensibilities might find this distressing. (But it's Gilbert and Sullivan!) And having Richard Dauntless getting into a seven-to-one ratio action with the bridesmaids:
Such lopsided pairing...
:-J
or (>_<)
or :(
Definitely not with the #metoo and #timesup movement going around these days and all.
But I'm confident kids who are matured enough would manage to pull through such talk by themselves. So, this is definitely a PG-rated cartoon that's sort of a sugar-coated bitter pill, a bitter medication that any human needs to consume, regardless of age.
"This particularly vapid talk from an irrelevant rater
Isn't much consequential, if it is it really doesn't matter.
If it is it really doesn't matter
If it is it really doesn't matter
If it is it really doesn't matter, matter, matter, matter, matter--" (Basingstoke!)
B-plus, it is.
