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Ant and the Aardvark go to the beach
'The Ant and the Aardvaark' 'Dune Bug' (1969)
Opening thoughts: 'Dune Bug' is one of the best Ant and the Aardvaark cartoons, with the story having a fresher and less slight feel than what tends to be found in an admittedly narratively formulaic, though still immensely entertaining, series. Which is surprising considering cartoons following one formula often went the opposite way. Also think that 'Dune Bug' is one of the funniest Ant and the Aardvark cartoons, especially the dialogue. In a series full of gems for lines and where the verbal humour nearly always made more of an impression on me than the physical/visual comedy.
Bad things: Very little to dislike. While an entertaining foil, the lifeguard does tend to be too much of an idiot. Some strong suspension of disbelief is needed for the number of times he mistakes something for something else, each even stupider than the last.
Good things: Really liked to loved everything else. The rich and varied colours help make the stylised backgrounds further interesting and the animators definitely had fun with the aardvark's expressions and reactions. The finesse in the drawing is not always there but it never looks amateurish, the beach setting so vivid that it makes for one of the series' better looking cartoons. One of the best assets is the music, a joy to listen to and light-hearted with an unforgettable main theme.
'Dune Bug' to me is one of the series' funniest. There are some clever gags like with the anchor, but the funniest moments are dialogue-based. The repeated off the beach line made me smile in alternative to groan (the last one was especially funny), but there are also some real jewels such as "how do you like that, that was my lawyer" and when the cartoon breaks the fourth wall. The story is not the most original but it is more than compensated by the irresistible energy, not a dull moment here, and the on-point material.
Material delivered to bravura effect by John Byner, a strong example of voicing more than one character and not making them sound the same which helps make the characters individual from each other. Despite the aardvark being the funnier and more interesting character here, the ant is not given short shrift.
Concluding thoughts: In summary, great.
9/10.
Opening thoughts: 'Dune Bug' is one of the best Ant and the Aardvaark cartoons, with the story having a fresher and less slight feel than what tends to be found in an admittedly narratively formulaic, though still immensely entertaining, series. Which is surprising considering cartoons following one formula often went the opposite way. Also think that 'Dune Bug' is one of the funniest Ant and the Aardvark cartoons, especially the dialogue. In a series full of gems for lines and where the verbal humour nearly always made more of an impression on me than the physical/visual comedy.
Bad things: Very little to dislike. While an entertaining foil, the lifeguard does tend to be too much of an idiot. Some strong suspension of disbelief is needed for the number of times he mistakes something for something else, each even stupider than the last.
Good things: Really liked to loved everything else. The rich and varied colours help make the stylised backgrounds further interesting and the animators definitely had fun with the aardvark's expressions and reactions. The finesse in the drawing is not always there but it never looks amateurish, the beach setting so vivid that it makes for one of the series' better looking cartoons. One of the best assets is the music, a joy to listen to and light-hearted with an unforgettable main theme.
'Dune Bug' to me is one of the series' funniest. There are some clever gags like with the anchor, but the funniest moments are dialogue-based. The repeated off the beach line made me smile in alternative to groan (the last one was especially funny), but there are also some real jewels such as "how do you like that, that was my lawyer" and when the cartoon breaks the fourth wall. The story is not the most original but it is more than compensated by the irresistible energy, not a dull moment here, and the on-point material.
Material delivered to bravura effect by John Byner, a strong example of voicing more than one character and not making them sound the same which helps make the characters individual from each other. Despite the aardvark being the funnier and more interesting character here, the ant is not given short shrift.
Concluding thoughts: In summary, great.
9/10.
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- TheLittleSongbird
- Dec 13, 2023
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