While not one of my favourite cartoon characters, Barney Bear was a very funny and likable character where his sluggishness was a huge part of his charm. He was also interesting for being modelled on both his creator Rudolf Ising (who also was his first voice actor until 1941) and the mannerisms of Wallace Beery.
To me, the early Barney Bear cartoons are among Ising's better cartoons. The same goes to Barney's ninth cartoon (of 26), and nine of ten for Ising, 'Bah Wilderness', which may not be one of Barney's funniest efforts but it is very hard to dislike and is among his better ones. It may be slight and anybody familiar with the "struggle for peace and quiet" concept will know where it is going. 'Bah Wilderness' doesn't blow the mind or have much that is hilarious or innovative. But it's well made, cute and entertaining and executes all its components very well and not making without completely wowing.
As to be expected, Barney's personality again is very well established and he proves again why he was deserving of his own series and it was sad he didn't last longer. He is a fun and adorable character and easy to root for, one can really understand his frustration. The animation is colourful and beautifully drawn with fluid movements and meticulous attention to detail. The amount of detail given to Barney's character design was incredibly nuanced and it was a shame that it became simplified later on and lost its special uniqueness.
Music, courtesy of Scott Bradley, is lushly and cleverly orchestrated, with lively and energetic rhythms and fits very well indeed, even enhancing the impact of actions and gestures.
'Bah Wilderness' is charming, has some silly chuckles, has enough that is amusing, centring around Barney's struggles with his conflict with the great outdoors, and is paced beautifully. The opening sequence is great and particularly beautifully animated.
In conclusion, very well done. 8/10 Bethany Cox
