Love animation, it was a big part of my life as a child, particularly Disney, Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry, and still love it whether it's film, television or cartoons.
Also have much admiration for Tex Avery, an animation genius whose best cartoons are animated masterpieces and some of the best he ever did. 'Billy Boy' to me is one of his best, certainly among his funniest and cleverest. The limitations in animation at the time shows at times in some lacking in finesse backgrounds, but Avery still makes the most of these limitations, with so much colour, a lot of visual imagination and characteristically unique character designs that it is easy to overlook. The entertainment value, creativity and clever construction are constant from start to finish.
Characterisation is spot on, the farmer being the slightly funnier character, and the bravura vocal performances do them justice.
Typically, Avery does a wonderful job directing, with his unique, unlike-any-other visual and characteristic and incredibly distinctive wacky humour styles all over it as can be expected.
Once again there is nothing sadistic or repetitious, instead it's imaginative, wonderfully wild and hilarious, as is characteristic of Avery on form. The sarcasm, the on-stage and off-stage comments and the farmer's dialogue are hilariously inspired.
Some limited backgrounds aside, the animation is colourful with some inventive expressive moments. The music, courtesy of Scott Bradley, is lushly and cleverly orchestrated, with lively and energetic rhythms and fits very well indeed, a lot of the action is even enhanced by the music.
Altogether, another Avery classic. 10/10 Bethany Cox
