Rover's Rescue (1940) User Reviews

It Ws a Dark and Stormy Cat

[boblipton · 5/10 · 1 March 2015]

A dog rescues a black kitten on a rainy night. The kitten seems unappreciative of the effort in this Terrytoon.

The Dog Formerly Known as Puddy -- redesigned a couple of years earlier -- is called Rover in this cartoon. He was offered to the audience as a competitor to Disney's Pluto. The small kitten had already appeared in a couple of cartoons -- or at least the character design -- and suggests Disney's Figaro (although that character was not introduced until 1943; perhaps Walt's staff had borrowed the idea).

As with all of cartoons of Paul Terry's studio, this is a competent and professionally produced cartoon. It is, like almost all of their cartoons of this period, very sentimental, and because of that unexceptional

Dog versus kitten on a rainy night

[TheLittleSongbird · 5/10 · 20 September 2018]

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.

1940, like all the other years for Terrytoons, saw a hit and miss batch, more so than the other years even. Of which 'Rover's Rescue' is one of the middling ones ranking it in correlation with the rest of the Terrytoons and one of the middling 1940 cartoons. It is an unexceptional, nothing exactly special cartoon and has the same amount of problems as it has the amount of strengths. 'Rover's Rescue' 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. The colour is vibrant.

Some mildly amusing moments, if not particularly imaginative, and there is some zest and natural charm, and parts of it and the basic set up are nicely done. Rover is likeable enough.

Occasionally though the visuals lack polish in drawing and some transitions. The conflict is bland as is the admittedly adorable kitten.

Likewise, the story is paper thin and formulaic with not an awful lot to it (like the cartoon in general), doing little new with a not so original premise. Gags aren't enough, they are not always very organised (fairly scattershot), and there is not much especially memorable or particularly amusing and some don't serve much point. The cartoon tends to veer towards being too cute and sugary and a lot of it is pretty predictable, parts also being rather too sentimental. The ending being one of the biggest examples of both.

Overall, unexceptional but watchable enough. 5/10 Bethany Cox