Love animation, it was a big part of my life as a child, particularly Disney, Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry, and still love it whether it's film, television or cartoons.
Speedy Gonzales is not a favourite character of mine and his cartoons, whether it's with Daffy Duck, Sylvester or other characters, are extremely variable. Leaning more towards having more average or more misses than hits, even the hits rarely rise above very good. There is the agreement here that 'Pancho's Hideaway' is, as well as a Freleng-DePatie milestone (as said their first cartoon for Warner Brothers, is one of the better faring cartoons when Looney Tunes was starting to decline.
There are serious issues still here in 'Pancho's Hideaway', though fewer than many of the cartoons from 1965 onwards (namely the worst of the Daffy/Speedy series and that for Roadrunner/Wile E. Coyote) certainly and all done far worse in those cartoons. There are also things that are done well.
Budget and time constraints, with the budget being lower, resources being fewer and time constraints tighter, show in the animation. This aspect is very limited, apart from some good flow in how the characters move, especially in the scrappy and incomplete-looking backgrounds. The story is basic and obvious, not an awful lot to it and the predictability factor is high.
Know that comparing Bill Lava unfavourably to Carl Stalling and Milt Franklyn is unfair, but it is difficult not to when the quality difference is so big. Lava did worse later, but the score is not an appealing one in sound, lacks energy and doesn't fit very well with the action.
However, Speedy is not annoying, serves a purpose and actually is in a situation where he is treated sympathetically. Pancho, a Mexican Yosemite Sam as said, is the funnier and more interesting character and steals the show. The chemistry between the two is entertaining, gels well and makes sense with the characters not being mismatched and the pursuit being justified.
The dialogue is not particularly fresh but it is quite sharp-witted and amusing and there is a crisp pace throughout. The gags are nothing innovative but raised still a number of smiles and laughs. The ending is a highlight.
Mel Blanc's vocals as expected are very exuberant and full of vigour, few actors have voiced multiple characters in one cartoon alone and give all of them a different identity with such conviction.
Overall, pretty good for past prime Looney Tunes. 7/10 Bethany Cox