User Reviews

Just watched on YouTube this cartoon that, according to IMDb, is the last Warner Bros. Looney Tune one from the series that began with the very first WB animated short, Sinkin' in the Bathtub, in 1930. This is a Merlin the Magic Mouse one with Larry Storch providing the voices of him and his sidekick, Second Banana. They're in a western town whose population is reduced by 2 (as seen on the town sign when the numbers change) after the bad guy shoots them (off screen, of course). After a couple of scenes where Merlin "defeats" this bad guy, he has Second Banana challenge him to a boxing match. To ensure victory, Merlin provides some magic gloves...Director Bob McKimson provides some pretty good timed punches to the bad guy that gave me some chuckles when I watched this. So while the animation is not the greatest, there still are some good movements and poses for whatever limited means the animators had at their disposal. So on that note, Fistic Mystic is worth a look. P.S. The Bill Lava version of "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" that appeared in most of these '60s Warner cartoons is a bit different here and, also according to IMDb, was only used in this particular cartoon.

The Merlin the Magic Mouse cartoons generally were classic examples of how badly Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies declined in the mid-late-60s. 'Fistic Mystic' is one of the better entries of the short-lived series but still contains a lot of the cartoons' faults.

'Fistic Mystic' is compensated by some good voice work by Larry Storch and that there are a few amusing, if never hilarious, moments, and has more energy than in the previous three Merlin the Magic Mouse cartoons.

However, re-iterating all the faults listed in my previous reviews of the previous three Merlin the Magic Mouse cartoons, the animation clearly suffers from smaller budgets and tighter deadlines. Everything looks so flat, scrappy and rushed, none of the colour, liveliness and fluidity seen with Looney Tunes at its best. Have also rarely been a fan of the stock/canned music that Bill Lava adopted, and here it is cheap-sounding, annoying and ill-fitting.

As said, 'Fistic Mystic' has its moments, but the dialogue does lack wit and too many moments are tired and predictable. The story also continues to be repetitive, disjointed and inconsistent in pacing. Looney Tunes at their best are some of the zaniest, wildest, wittiest and liveliest cartoons ever. All the Merlin the Magic Mouse cartoons are an extremely pale shadow of all that, and actually don't feel like Looney Tunes, actually feeling a rejected and very low-budget Hanna-Barbera effort.

While one doesn't expect the iconic Looney Tunes to stick around forever, surely they could have come up with more memorable, interesting, likable and funnier characters than the characters here. Was especially irritated by the sidekick character Second Banana. Merlin generally lacks the charisma or comic timing to be a good lead character.

In conclusion, not great but an improvement over 'Merlin the Magic Mouse', 'Hocus Pocus Powow' and 'Feud with a Dude'. 4/10 Bethany Cox