User Reviews

With a series of gags contrasting Post-War standards -- World War Two, that is -- with the idyllic images of middle-class life half a century earlier, this Screen Song offers the title tune to its audience.

The gag sequence that starts this Screen Song is a good one, and the chorus that sings the the song is likewise good, but the series, which had been revived three years earlier -- the original Fleischer series had flourished for a decade, starting in 1926 -- had quickly settled into a cookie-cutter format. It lacked both the wildness of the Pre-Code cartoons, and the name performers -- including Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong and Ethel Merman. Still, for all its comparatively wan effect, it's very pleasant.

Have found a lot to admire about much of Famous Studios' earlier work and while the Noveltoons series is an uneven one it is worthwhile with some very good and even great cartoons when the studio was at its peak. Their best decade being easily the 40s, then by the mid-late-50s it started to feel like a different studio and not for the better. That is not to say that every 40s Noveltoons cartoon was good, there were lacklustre ones. The studio did a number of Screen Song cartoons.

'Strolling Thru the Park' is an above average effort from the Screen Songs series, but it is not much more than that. There are better cartoons in the series, such as 'Little Brown Jug', 'Toys Will Be Toys' and 'The Big Flame Up'. There are also a lot worse, including 'Spring Song', 'The Stork Market' and 'The Ski's the Limit'. 'Strolling Thru the Park' is around the middle category. More could have been done with the pleasant concept, but it is still not wasted at the same time.

Am going to begin with the good. First and foremost, the animation is lovely. The setting is vivid, the colours are bright and colourful and the drawing has some nice expression of a wide variety throughout, but particularly later on. Even better is the music, which makes the cartoon and makes it come alive. It is full of energy and attractive orchestration, while the title song is a great memorable song beautifully arranged and performed.

The cartoon is filled with nostalgic charm and has amusing moments. The first half engages, going at a nice clip and doesn't feel too corny or predictable in the way other Screen Song cartoons are. The characters are not dimensional but engage and charm at least.

By all means, 'Strolling Thru the Park' is a long way from being perfect. For my tastes, the final 2 minutes or so were rather dull and old-fashioned, quite low on gags and what there are are very stale. The story, never a strong suit with the Screen Songs cartoons, is paper thin and that is particularly obvious in the second half.

Where the cartoon runs out of ideas and becomes bland.

In conclusion, above average but nothing exceptional here. 6/10.