Mouse Trapeze (1955)

movie

(25)

Country: USA
Genres: Animation, Comedy, Short
Release: 1955-08-05
Director: Izzy Sparber
Writers: Carl Meyer
Language: English
Stars: Jack Mercer , Mae Questel , Sid Raymond , Sid Raymond , Cecil Roy , Allen Swift
Runtime: 6 min
Awards: N/A
AKA: Mouse Trapeze (United States of America) , Mouse Trapeze
Plot: None of the Herman and Katnip cartoons are masterpieces(though there are a few great ones), but none of them are abominations either. Mouse Trapeze is somewhere around the solid middle, a cartoon that could have been a little better executed but with a lot of good things to make it worth watching.As with all Herman and Katnip cartoons, the music is the highlight and the one component that's consistently outstanding here. It's very beautifully orchestrated and never loses energy even when the cartoon doesn't have quite as much; it matches the action very well and adds a lot too. The animation is mostly very good, a few drawings lack smoothness here and there but it's very lush and colourful on the whole, a lot of care and detail went into it evidently and the characters move naturally. The sight gags are amusing and sometimes very funny, and the timing is noticeably sharper than a lot of 50s Herman and Katnip cartoons.The story is not exceptional, but is never dull and is paced efficiently. The conflict between Herman and Katnip is convincing, the partnership makes sense, Herman nicely carries the cartoon and Katnip is a funny and menacing threat(giving a better reason than other Herman and Katnip for Herman to outwit him, because he's actually a threat here rather than being picked on for the fun of it). The nephews are sweet, poignant characters. The voice acting is solid mostly, Jack Mercer as ever is dependable and Sid Raymond does a typically fine job as Katnip.Herman is voiced with a lot of energy and enthusiasm but also sounds a little odd and somewhat congested. Arnold Stang is credited here as the voice but it doesn't sound like him, couldn't help being reminded of Jackson Beck's voice work as the character in A Bicep Built for Two. Mouse Trapeze for Herman and Katnip is still very formulaic and the dialogue is repetitive, while a couple of parts are a little mean-spirited(i.e. water coming out of Katnip's body from getting repeatedly shot at).Overall, worthwhile and decent but is never going to be a favourite. 7/10 Bethany Cox
IMDB:tt0151643