Video Brinquedo have been branded The Asylum of animation for good reason. Their output is consistently awful (though there is something compulsive about their bad quality, hence the curiosity value in keeping watching them), with the exact same flaws in everything they've done so far with no improvement whatsoever. Nothing of theirs is worthwhile though some are more intelligence-insulting than others.
The good news is that 'A Lebre E A Tataruga' is one of their least bad. It is one of their shorter outings being only 25 minutes rather than just under three quarters of an hour, which is a blessing, and it is nowhere near as much of a shameless rip-off as with the case with their longer CGI features (considered among the worst animations ever for a very good reason).
Unlike most of their output, 'A Lebre E A Tataruga' has a redeeming quality, which is a pretty nice-sounding, and one of their most fitting, music scores. The bad news unfortunately is that 'A Lebre E A Tataruga' is still very bad, the famous story/fable has never been more dully or obnoxiously told.
Once again, it is hardly surprising that the animation in 'A Lebre E A Tataruga' is awful. Everything that makes it so can be found here. Very stiff character designs (the witch is especially poorly drawn), even flatter colours, static and less than fluid backgrounds and lots of times where it repeats itself shows a sign of sheer laziness than budget limitations. Seeing as films/shows/cartoons/episodes have done wonders with low budget before and since, the budget or lack of it is not an excuse.
Writing once again is appalling, and doesn't even have unintentional humour value, with clunky and draggy exposition and the irrelevant chatter and the more senselessly nonsensical parts give a real excessive long-winded quality, that for the parrot commentator character really grates on the nerves. Adults will find it too juvenile and even kids will feel like it went well overboard trying to dumb down to them. Again a big problem when so dialogue-heavy.
Story is thin even for a running time of 25 minutes, 'The Tortoise and the Hare' is a story that better suits from personal opinion a 7-9 minute cartoon and has been done better with far better production values, charm and humour with Disney and Looney Tunes. Here the story is repetitious and dull and the more race-like scenes have no excitement whatsoever.
Characters on top of being hideously animated are both bland and irritating, especially the parrot commentator whose voice is enough to split the eardrums. Neither titular character is interesting or likable. The voice acting is lifeless or unbearably obnoxious, like they didn't even try or even want to be there, it was almost like they were bribed or would do anything to get some quick cash.
All in all, dull and obnoxious but one of Video Brinquedo's least bad efforts due to being shorter than most of their other stuff and not being as big a rip-off, also for being one of few to not have no redeeming qualities at all. 2/10 Bethany Cox
