User Reviews

OK, I admit that Frank Tashlin's "Little Pancho Vanilla" totally stereotypes Mexico as the land of handsome bullfighters and jolly senoritas. But you can't deny that it's actually a pretty clever cartoon. Whether the most famous bullfighter in the world - well, at least in Mexico - resembles Clark Gable, or the bull apparently has a thing for pool, there are more than a few gags here.

What we need to understand about these cartoons is that the Termite Terrace crowd wasn't badmouthing blacks, Hispanics, etc.; in fact, many of the cartoons display admiration of these various cultures. The rather unpleasant portrayals of non-white people was done innocently. So I do recommend this cartoon, both for its cleverness and as a look at Warner Bros. animation's early days.

One more thing. I would hope that nowadays, we're less tempted to use Pancho Villa for humor. You must realize that he fought for the rights of the oppressed people in Mexico, so it seems inappropriate to mock him. One of his greatest quotes was "I want to die a slave to principles and not to men."

Frank Tashlin's 'Little Pancho Vanilla' is a slow-moving, joke-bereft cartoon about a little Mexican boy who wants to become a bull fighter. Presented in eye-catching bright colours, the characters are conspicuously Disney-esquire with their wide eyes and pudgy cheeks. The pacing of the cartoon is also similar to a Disney short, inviting the audience to drink in the visuals and consider the plot as a secondary concern. Unfortunately, at this early stage the Warner cartoons were not always as sumptuous to look at as Disney's intricate works and 'Little Pancho Vanilla' is an example of this, coming across as a weak imitation rather than a work of originality. The Warner Bros. cartoons have always and will always be my favourite cartoons of animation's golden age and it's always disappointing to run across one of the early works that aimed to ape Disney, resulting in ambitious but not always successful designs and not many gags. 'Little Pancho Vanilla' is clearly an example of such a cartoon, offering zero laughs and very little to recommend it other than its minor historical significance.

Not one of Frank Tashlin's best and has never been a personal favourite. That doesn't mean that Little Pancho Vanilla is bad, far from, while it is predictable and at times stereotypical it is fun, clever stuff. The best thing was definitely the camera work/angles, the overlays, panning and shots are really striking and cleverly composed, the standout being the shot of Pancho's sisters when they are first introduced. Tashlin was very young when he did this cartoon and the skill in his directing here and in any of his cartoons are nothing short of remarkable. The animation itself is crisply drawn and colourful, a good example being when the bull reloads its tail and charges around like a sports car. Carl Stalling's music is lush and characterful, and it's a great match to the visuals too, actually not just matching them but enhancing them too. The sisters' singing is very childish-sounding but that was the intent and it's part of the character of the music. The gags are humorous and the action between Pancho and the bull is intense and exciting(especially at the end, even if you do have a strong inkling of how the cartoon is going to end). The two characters carry the cartoon and play off one another very well, and the supporting characters while not as prominent are convincing in some shape and form. Mel Blanc's voice work is good and well suited to the titular character, but he has been much better before admittedly with a kind of settling in vibe(this was done very early in his career as a voice actor). In conclusion, predictable and with some stereotypical elements, but funny, intense, well-animated and characterfully scored with some truly impressive camera work. 8/10 Bethany Cox