Famous Studios' output is rather inconsistent, some of their early stuff is good but a lot of their later stuff (particularly the later Herman and Katnip cartoons) suffered from lower budgets, slow timing and repetition. Boo Hoo Baby, a reasonably early Casper cartoon but somewhere around early middle in Famous Studios' filmography, leans towards the former while not being a personal favourite.
Like the Casper the Friendly Ghost cartoons in general, Boo Hoo Baby does feel repetitive with it being more of the same story-and-structure-wise, and like The Friendly Ghost perhaps Casper was accepted a little too quickly at the end. However, like the Casper series in general, Boo Hoo Baby is very sweet and touching, as well as being one of the cutest and funniest of the series. The animation on the most part is great, the drawing is not as smooth as in the earlier outings but never does it look scrappy or simplistic (most of it is still quite elegant), but there are some beautiful lush colours (atmospheric at the beginning too) and meticulous attention to detail in the backgrounds. The more Casper cartoons this viewer sees too, the more appreciative she is of how varied the shocked reactions to Casper are and how well they come across in the animation.
As ever Winston Sharples' (his music is nearly always one of the highlights of the cartoons they feature in, and provides a lot of the cartoons' heart, soul and energy) music is outstanding, with its upbeat energy, lush whimsy and sumptuous emotional impact, it's also beautifully orchestrated. Boo Hoo Baby is incredibly cute, not just with Casper, who is a likable and relatable protagonist that represents childhood innocence but the adorable babies also. While the dialogue doesn't completely avoid falling into sentimentality in places, it captures friendship and childhood innocence very well and as ever with Casper there are some moments that tug the heart, like towards the end. The cartoon is also one of the funniest in the series, one does have to love the interplay and chemistry between Casper and the babies, which is adorable and very amusing, and there are some great sight gags (had a good laugh at the long arm of the law).
The characters are all engaging and are very well-voiced, Casper as ever sounds very emotive and charmingly perky. Overall, a lovely cartoon and one of the cutest and funniest of the series. 8/10 Bethany Cox
Like the Casper the Friendly Ghost cartoons in general, Boo Hoo Baby does feel repetitive with it being more of the same story-and-structure-wise, and like The Friendly Ghost perhaps Casper was accepted a little too quickly at the end. However, like the Casper series in general, Boo Hoo Baby is very sweet and touching, as well as being one of the cutest and funniest of the series. The animation on the most part is great, the drawing is not as smooth as in the earlier outings but never does it look scrappy or simplistic (most of it is still quite elegant), but there are some beautiful lush colours (atmospheric at the beginning too) and meticulous attention to detail in the backgrounds. The more Casper cartoons this viewer sees too, the more appreciative she is of how varied the shocked reactions to Casper are and how well they come across in the animation.
As ever Winston Sharples' (his music is nearly always one of the highlights of the cartoons they feature in, and provides a lot of the cartoons' heart, soul and energy) music is outstanding, with its upbeat energy, lush whimsy and sumptuous emotional impact, it's also beautifully orchestrated. Boo Hoo Baby is incredibly cute, not just with Casper, who is a likable and relatable protagonist that represents childhood innocence but the adorable babies also. While the dialogue doesn't completely avoid falling into sentimentality in places, it captures friendship and childhood innocence very well and as ever with Casper there are some moments that tug the heart, like towards the end. The cartoon is also one of the funniest in the series, one does have to love the interplay and chemistry between Casper and the babies, which is adorable and very amusing, and there are some great sight gags (had a good laugh at the long arm of the law).
The characters are all engaging and are very well-voiced, Casper as ever sounds very emotive and charmingly perky. Overall, a lovely cartoon and one of the cutest and funniest of the series. 8/10 Bethany Cox
