Between 1964 and 1976, DePatie-Freleng Enterprises did several theatrical original cartoon series with various characters. After the most popular one The Pink Panther, the second most prolific theatrical series of theirs was that of The Inspector. Not every one of the thirty four cartoons in the series was great, or good, but on the most part The Inspector series was one of DePatie-Freleng Enterprises' better theatrical series.
1968's 'Le Great Dane Robbery' to me really isn't one of the best The Inspector cartoons. Despite being among the higher rated later The Inspector cartoons, again from personal opinion it's one of the weaker ones. Not that 'Le Great Dane Robbery' is a terrible cartoon, it's not. It s well made, with a few amusing moments, a good opponent and there are some of the great things that makes me like the The Inspector series as an overall whole. Just that there are far funnier and more imaginative outings in the series and there is next to nothing original here.
'Le Great Dane Robbery' is well animated on the whole. There has been more finesse in the drawing elsewhere, but the vibrant colours are still attractive and the backgrounds are simple but never cheap or uninfished looking. The music is appealingly orchestrated and jaunty without sounding stock or being too loud and constant.
There are moments of charm and amusement, though they don't come consistently. The ending being one of the better parts. The Inspector may be one-dimensional but still is amusing and easy to root for. Tiny has a big personality and is actually even funnier and more interesting than The Inspector, reason alone to see the cartoon for. Pat Harrington Jr could not be better for The Inspector.
Sadly, the amusing moments are too few and between. There is very little original here in the story or the gags (physical and verbal), with a lot of familiar ground with significant lesser impact, and it shows in the tired feel in most of 'Le Great Dane Robbery'. Nothing is imaginative and the humour is only mildly amusing at best on the whole, nothing hilarious.
As indicated, the story is very predictable, can lack energy and does nothing new with a premise that is not a new one. The physical comedy could have been sharper, the bumbling at times could have been toned down and the verbal humour lacks wit and irony.
Overall, alright but nothing special. 5/10