Three Brothers may not be one of the very best of the Private Snafu series like Spies and Booby Traps are, but it's in the better half and well worth tracking down. If a Private Snafu entertains while also getting its message across effectively it does its job well, Three Brothers does both well.
For Private Snafu, a series of cartoons that contained some material that was daring and ahead of its time (i.e. The Home Front for instance), it is pretty tame which some may feel on the bland side in comparison to others in the series. The pacing occasionally lacks crispness too and it's a touch routine story-wise.
However, the animation is very good indeed and holds up well. The characters move smoothly, the backgrounds show some meticulous detail without being simplistic or too complicated and the black and white is crisp. Carl Stalling was a remarkably consistent composer whose music always breathed life into any cartoon it appears in, the music in Three Brothers does nothing to change that. It's very vibrantly orchestrated and rhythmically it's very energetic and lively. A music score for a cartoon is even greater when it not only synchronises effectively with the action but also enhances that, the music does that brilliantly and in a way that only Stalling could do.
The cartoon is very funny and wittily written, no surprise seeing as Dr Seuss was at the writing helm, with sharp, playful dialogue that is enough to make one smile and well-timed visual gags. The story structurally is not the most exceptional, which is forgivable as the cartoon is very short even for a short film, but the charm and general energy is infectious, there is a great important message that is handled in a way that makes its point without feeling heavy-handed, and the characters carry Three Brothers beautifully. Snafu is still endearing regardless of how inept he is, his brothers Tarfu and Fubar are nice additions who are no less sweet and amusing, Technical Ferry-First Class is a blast and there's a delightful cameo from Bugs Bunny. Mel Blanc as always does a great job voicing the characters, very few voice actors could voice multiple characters in the same cartoon and give them each an individual personality, something that Blanc was pretty much an unparallelled master at.
All in all, funny, well-made and makes its point just fine. It is pretty tame and not one of the very best of the series, but that certainly does not stop it from being well worth tracking down. 8/10 Bethany Cox
