User Reviews

In 1936, you could go to Berlin for the Olympics, where you might see Jesse Owens win a lot of Gold medals. Or you could go to the movie theater where you could see the tortoise beat the hare in this Farmer Alfalfa Terrytoon.

This is another competent and decent Terrytoon, clearly intended for a bit of a tie-in to Olympics fever. It is also a little old-fashioned an darkly lit. At this stage, Terrytoons, nominally under the direction of Frank Moser and Paul Terry, were clearly run by two different sets of talent. This one looks like the style that had been developing at the studio for the past five years. The other style, with simpler character designs and more fluid movements, appeals to me far more.

The Terrytoons are oddly interesting, mainly for anybody wanting to see (generally) older cartoons made by lesser known and lower-budget studios. They are a mixed bag in quality, with some better than others, often with outstanding music and with some mild amusement and charm and variable in animation, characterisation and content.

1936, like all the other years for Terrytoons, saw a hit and miss batch, more so than the other years even. Of which 'Home Town Olympics' is one of the middling ones ranking it in correlation with the rest of the Terrytoons and one of the middling 1936 cartoons. It is an unexceptional, nothing exactly special cartoon and has the same amount of problems as it has the amount of strengths. 'Home Town Olympics' is also watchable, completest sake is the main reason to see it but it's not the only reason.

Best asset is the music, which predictably is incredible. It is so beautifully and cleverly orchestrated and arranged, is great fun to listen to and full of lively energy, doing so well with enhancing the action. The ambitious, elaborate detail in the backgrounds is still great to see, as is the comparatively improved fluidity of drawing and movement and some synchronisation is neat.

A few amusing moments and there is some zest and natural charm. The characters, while not terribly distinctive, are not entirely personality deprived and appeal.

Outside of the backgrounds however, the animation is primitive and crude sometimes.

Likewise, the story is paper thin and formulaic, once again with nothing new to a very old and melodramatic premise. Gags aren't enough, they are not very organised (fairly scattershot), and there is not much especially memorable about them, other than amusing Farmer Al Falfa of course. The cartoon tends to veer towards being too cute and a lot of it is pretty predictable. Some choppiness too.

Overall, watchable if unexceptional. 5/10 Bethany Cox