1949's 'A Balmy Swami' is most interesting for being a colour remake of Fleischer Studios' 'The Hyp-Nut-Tist' from 1935, a very good cartoon if not a series high point. Also for being the first of three cartoons from 1949 to be colour remakes of past Popeye cartoons. The other two being 'Barking Dogs Don't Fite' (remake of 'Protek the Weakerist') and 'The Fly's Last Flight' (remake of 'Flies Ain't Human'). It is very easy though to see why anybody would ask "was this needed?"
While 'A Balmy Swami' is not a bad cartoon by all means (actually don't consider any Popeye cartoon bad, though there are some significantly weaker than others), in my mind it wasn't needed and what felt fresh in 'The Hyp-Nut-Tist' doesn't feel fresh somehow here. It is well made (mostly) and scored and actually preferred the voice acting here, but it could have done with more spark and felt tired. A few of the colour remakes in the series actually were good, 'Symphony in Spinach' even being excellent, so if done well 'A Balmy Swami' could have worked. It just didn't quite ignite.
'A Balmy Swami' on the most part looks good, apart from some lack of finesse in the character designs, with a lot of very vibrant colours (this is a premise that actually works a good deal better on reflection in colour) and meticulous attention to background detail. The music is also outstanding, lots of merry energy and lush orchestration, adding a lot to the action and making the impact even better without being too cartoonish.
The voice acting to me was even better here, namely because Jack Mercer was a lot better than William Costello as Popeye and gives him so much life. As does Jackson Beck as Bluto. Mae Questel in my mind is the only voice actress for Olive. Really do like the antagonistic chemistry between Popeye and Bluto and both are great characters. Bluto here being funnier and more interesting. There are amusing moments with the hypnosis and the final third while predictable does have energy.
Sadly the humour on the whole does not feel as fresh or as witty, with similar happening more than once in between 'The Hyp-Nut-Tist' and 'A Balmy Swami' it all felt very predictable and slightly old fashioned. The story is little more than the basic Popeye vs Bluto formula with not an awful lot of variety, actually found it very derivative and repetitive. Despite the final third picking up in the pace, the ending can be seen from miles away.
Would have liked more energy, that wasn't quite there in especially the beginning. Olive has very little to do and her material is not really that memorable.
Concluding, watchable but very average and inferior to the very good cartoon it's remade from. 5/10.
While 'A Balmy Swami' is not a bad cartoon by all means (actually don't consider any Popeye cartoon bad, though there are some significantly weaker than others), in my mind it wasn't needed and what felt fresh in 'The Hyp-Nut-Tist' doesn't feel fresh somehow here. It is well made (mostly) and scored and actually preferred the voice acting here, but it could have done with more spark and felt tired. A few of the colour remakes in the series actually were good, 'Symphony in Spinach' even being excellent, so if done well 'A Balmy Swami' could have worked. It just didn't quite ignite.
'A Balmy Swami' on the most part looks good, apart from some lack of finesse in the character designs, with a lot of very vibrant colours (this is a premise that actually works a good deal better on reflection in colour) and meticulous attention to background detail. The music is also outstanding, lots of merry energy and lush orchestration, adding a lot to the action and making the impact even better without being too cartoonish.
The voice acting to me was even better here, namely because Jack Mercer was a lot better than William Costello as Popeye and gives him so much life. As does Jackson Beck as Bluto. Mae Questel in my mind is the only voice actress for Olive. Really do like the antagonistic chemistry between Popeye and Bluto and both are great characters. Bluto here being funnier and more interesting. There are amusing moments with the hypnosis and the final third while predictable does have energy.
Sadly the humour on the whole does not feel as fresh or as witty, with similar happening more than once in between 'The Hyp-Nut-Tist' and 'A Balmy Swami' it all felt very predictable and slightly old fashioned. The story is little more than the basic Popeye vs Bluto formula with not an awful lot of variety, actually found it very derivative and repetitive. Despite the final third picking up in the pace, the ending can be seen from miles away.
Would have liked more energy, that wasn't quite there in especially the beginning. Olive has very little to do and her material is not really that memorable.
Concluding, watchable but very average and inferior to the very good cartoon it's remade from. 5/10.
