Phoney Express

Ub Iwerks's Flip the Frog series of cartoons was short-lived, only lasting from 1930 to 1933. On the most part the Flip the Frog cartoons are not great or cartoon/animated masterpieces and it is sort of understandable as to why Flip didn't make it bigger. However they are far from terrible ones either and do hold some interest.

Despite not being historically significant like 'Fiddlesticks' was, 'Phoney Express' for me is an above average Flip the Frog cartoon if not one of the best of the series, far from one of the worst either. It is not a great cartoon, more a decent one, and has faults but there are things here that improve quite a bit and done much better than many other Flip the Frog cartoons.

A lot of good things in 'Phoney Express'. The animation is good, with beautifully detailed backgrounds, nice shading and characters that aren't drawn too crudely. The music makes even more of an impact, it is lushly and cleverly orchestrated, full of lively energy and not only adds brilliantly to the action it enhances it.

There are some nice sight gags, and they are amusing, if not sticking in the head long after. There is a nice natural charm and a zesty pace. Liked the lively and cute support. The cartoon is sweet and easy to like.

However, 'Phoney Express' has faults. Flip is still not a particularly compelling character personality-wise, a general fault with his cartoons. The story is very thin, there are signs of one at the start but it is completely neglected for the rest of the cartoon.

There could have been less sentimentality, sometimes it overshadows the humour, and more gags.

Overall, decent. 6/10 Bethany Cox