A Bully Frog (1936) User Reviews

Normative Frog Values

[boblipton · 5/10 · 12 February 2015]

The silk-hatted big frog decides he's too good for life in the little pond. However, when he goes to a jazz club in the big city, things get out of hand in this unremarkable Terrytoon.

Mannie Davis and George Gordon had their first credits as co-directors earlier in the year, and their style was a breath of fresh air for Paul Terry's studio. Yet here they were, doing the same sort of cartoon that Terry had been producing since before he had hired Gordon when he had begun his own studio. The year after this cartoon, Fred Quimby came knocking, and Gordon jumped to MGM, where he languished uncredited for half a dozen years. Davis, however, had knocked about a bit and would ne content to remain at the Terry studio for the remainder of his career, the big frog in the small pond.

Frog in the jazz club

[TheLittleSongbird · 5/10 · 14 June 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.

1937, like all the other years for Terrytoons, saw a hit and miss batch, more so than the other years even. Of which 'A Bully Frog' is one of the middling ones ranking it in correlation with the rest of the Terrytoons and one of the middling 1937 cartoons. It is an unexceptional, nothing exactly special cartoon and has the same amount of problems as it has the amount of strengths. 'A Bully Frog' 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.

Some very amusing moments, some imaginative and there is some zest and natural charm, and parts of it and the basic set up are nicely done.

Outside of the backgrounds and more fluidity than seen previously however, the animation is primitive and crude sometimes. None of the characters are properly memorable and the conflict is bland.

Likewise, the story is paper thin and formulaic with not an awful lot to it (like the cartoon in general). Gags aren't enough, they are not always very organised (fairly scattershot), and there is not much especially memorable about some and some don't serve much point. The cartoon tends to veer towards being too cute and a lot of it is pretty predictable, particularly at the start which is dull. It picks up a little towards the end but still doesn't compel in content. Some choppiness too.

Overall, watchable if unexceptional. 5/10 Bethany Cox