The first film will always be the best film. I personally was disappointed in Secret of the Castle, which wasn't as good as I remembered it when I was a child. The second sequel is deeply flawed, but not at all bad. In terms of quality, the animation is better than the Secret of the Catle with a better drawn Rodgers and more fluidity, though there are a number of noticeable goofs, like Odette's dress being pink then blue within 5 seconds and green to blue in It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This. I liked the incidental music, and the songs, while forgettable after a few days, are pleasant to listen to, the most memorable being Derek's solo Because I Love Her. They're also closer in tone to the first film's score than to the second. The voice acting is at least serviceable especially Michelle Nicastro, Katja Koch and Christy Landers. Brian Nissen as Derek is rather colourless though. The plot, compared to Secret of the Castle is more interesting and fast-paced with a movingly dark climax, though it is admittedly daft and predictable in an adult perspective. Zelda is much better a villain than Clavious, more tolerable and much better voiced(more evil-sounding rather than OTT), and her motives(stealing Rothbart's notes) were clearer, and didn't take such a long time unlike the first sequel to get into it. Uberta and Rogers were hilarious with lines such as "You have the timing of a busted clock" and I loved their tango. I also liked it when Speed and Jean Bob(they and Puffin are decent characters in both sequels but not as funny as in the first) started reprising "For Longer than forever". However there are many things wrong with it. For instance the blue bird Whizzer is very annoying and sometimes pointless, though it was funny when he imitated Jean Bob's voice. Also the absence of John Cleese as Jean Bob is noticeable, and is sorely missed. The dialogue is not always involving, particularly when Derek says "I'm not going to lose Odette." And like the Secret of the Castle, the overall film is too short, and not helped by the silly romance between Rogers and Zelda. In conclusion, a flawed but much better second sequel. 6/10 Bethany Cox.
