The Van Beuren Tom and Jerry (as said already not the famous cat and mouse, this is a human duo that lasted for just under 30 cartoons, 29 if memory serves correct, between 1931 and 1933) series was interesting but uneven and not easy to rate as an overall whole. At the series' best, the cartoons were good, very good in a few cases. At its worst, they were really bad.
As far as the Tom and Jerry series goes, 'Rabid Hunters' is a long way from being one the worst, if anything it's something of a middling effort. It's not one of their best either, and after being pleasantly surprised by 'Rocketeers' (by far the best of the series since their debut cartoon 'Wot a Night') it felt like a step or two down. There are good things, the best thing about it is the music score which is the high point of even the worst cartoons and is so beautifully and cleverly orchestrated and full of energy, doing so well with enhancing the action. There is a nicely done setting, some decent attention to detail in a few of the backgrounds and good movement synchronisation with the music.
'Rabid Hunters' highlight scenes are too far and between, but the tree branch hallucinatory gag is deliciously bizarre, which is the style of humour in this particular series of cartoons so this worked perfectly. The supporting characters are fun.
However, once again, most of the animation didn't do it for me. There are worse-looking cartoons in the series, at least the backgrounds and some of the synchronisation was decent, but it is not one of the most visually interesting ones like 'Wot a Night'. Too much of it is crude and simplistic with a fair share of static moments. Tom and Jerry look primitive, and none of the supporting characters are well drawn or look anything like the animals they're meant to be.
It's a paper thin cartoon in story once again and there are not enough gags that work in comic timing or imagination in order to not make that matter. Likewise with any inventive moments or energy, the pace is pretty lacklustre. The absurdist strangeness is certainly here and when it does appear it's good fun, there's just not quite enough. Tom and Jerry are bland.
To conclude, watchable but didn't leave me rabid. 5/10 Bethany Cox