'Sing or Swim' does not on paper sound like the sort of cartoon people would typically enjoy perhaps. To me in this regard it did sound far too cute and dull and like it would do nothing new with familiar ground. Gave it the benefit of the doubt on rewatch, after a number of years, as while there are average or less cartoons in the Screen Song series others were actually pretty decent. Also do like Famous Studios as a studio, even if their work is inconsistent.
Despite the low rating as of now, my opinion is pretty much the same as those of the previous reviewers (meaning finding it surprisingly not bad at all). One would think that 'Sing or Swim' would be a mediocre at best cartoon, but actually to me it was not near as weak as it sounded. It is far from flawless or among the best of the studio, but as far as the Screen Song series goes it's somewhere around high middle which was actually quite good by the series' standards.
The story is very weak, it is not just slight it is practically non-existent and basically a series of gags revolving around a song and its beach setting. Which actually sums up all the episodes in the Screen Song series. On occasions, the pace is on the dull side with the set up being a little too long.
While there are plenty of gags here, not all of them hit as parts are derivative and lack freshness.
However, some washed out moments aside, the animation is lovely. The beach setting is vivid, the colours are bright and colourful and the drawing has some nice expression. Even better is the music, which makes the cartoon and makes it come alive. It is full of energy and attractive orchestration, while "By the Beautiful Sea" is catchy.
Although not all the gags hit, others are amusing and are well timed. The pacing on the most part is lively, while the characters are thin and come and go they are fun to watch and colourful enough and the beach setting is made the absolute most of. Jackson Beck does a nice job as the Moon, despite having little dialogue in a cartoon that is quite dialogue-light.
Overall, better than expected. 7/10
Despite the low rating as of now, my opinion is pretty much the same as those of the previous reviewers (meaning finding it surprisingly not bad at all). One would think that 'Sing or Swim' would be a mediocre at best cartoon, but actually to me it was not near as weak as it sounded. It is far from flawless or among the best of the studio, but as far as the Screen Song series goes it's somewhere around high middle which was actually quite good by the series' standards.
The story is very weak, it is not just slight it is practically non-existent and basically a series of gags revolving around a song and its beach setting. Which actually sums up all the episodes in the Screen Song series. On occasions, the pace is on the dull side with the set up being a little too long.
While there are plenty of gags here, not all of them hit as parts are derivative and lack freshness.
However, some washed out moments aside, the animation is lovely. The beach setting is vivid, the colours are bright and colourful and the drawing has some nice expression. Even better is the music, which makes the cartoon and makes it come alive. It is full of energy and attractive orchestration, while "By the Beautiful Sea" is catchy.
Although not all the gags hit, others are amusing and are well timed. The pacing on the most part is lively, while the characters are thin and come and go they are fun to watch and colourful enough and the beach setting is made the absolute most of. Jackson Beck does a nice job as the Moon, despite having little dialogue in a cartoon that is quite dialogue-light.
Overall, better than expected. 7/10
