Having been practically raised on Looney Tunes, several of them still hold up as classics or close. Porky is a good character if not one of my favourites, being more effective when partnered with a stronger character like Daffy.
While not quite one my favourite Looney Tunes cartoons or quite classic Chuck Jones, 'Awful Orphan' is still a wonderful cartoon and one of Porky's best. The only thing for me that didn't work was the stack of mattresses gag, that was very rushed, not very inventive or funny and it was pretty...dumb, actually.
Everything else in 'Awful Orphan' works wonders though. The animation is very good, even though the action is mostly restricted to a room of an apartment it's all beautifully drawn and vibrantly coloured with lavish detailed backgrounds and distinctively Chuck Jones-style character designs. Carl Stalling's music score is outstanding, it's lushly and cleverly orchestrated, very lively rhythmically and full of character and it adds enormously to what's going on and contributes towards the effectiveness actually of some of the gags, the rousing bombastic energy in the Russian Cossack disguise gag in particular.
'Awful Orphan' is incredibly funny and often hilarious. There is the usual sharpness and wit in the dialogue, Charlie has the funniest lines but Porky has the most memorable. The gags, with the sole exception of one, are inventive, brilliantly timed and range from highly amusing to hilarious, the highlights being Charlie's granny and Russian Cossack disguises and the wonderfully bizarre ending. The story is not much new, but with it being so well paced and the chemistry between Porky and Charlie delighting as much as it did that wasn't an issue at all.
Both Porky and Charlie make a great impression here, and their chemistry is a delight. Sure, Porky being nastier than usual (he's quite violent here and quite deranged even at the end) but he's amusing too and it was nice to see him more interesting than usual. Charlie practically steals the show from under him, he's overbearing but that's essential to the two characters' conflict and it works wonderfully well, some of the funniest lines come from him and he relishes it and his physical comedy and disguises are equally great, making one wonder as to why he wasn't more popular. Mel Blanc as always is superb, especially as Charlie.
Overall, wonderful Porky Pig and Charlie Dog cartoon. 9/10 Bethany Cox
While not quite one my favourite Looney Tunes cartoons or quite classic Chuck Jones, 'Awful Orphan' is still a wonderful cartoon and one of Porky's best. The only thing for me that didn't work was the stack of mattresses gag, that was very rushed, not very inventive or funny and it was pretty...dumb, actually.
Everything else in 'Awful Orphan' works wonders though. The animation is very good, even though the action is mostly restricted to a room of an apartment it's all beautifully drawn and vibrantly coloured with lavish detailed backgrounds and distinctively Chuck Jones-style character designs. Carl Stalling's music score is outstanding, it's lushly and cleverly orchestrated, very lively rhythmically and full of character and it adds enormously to what's going on and contributes towards the effectiveness actually of some of the gags, the rousing bombastic energy in the Russian Cossack disguise gag in particular.
'Awful Orphan' is incredibly funny and often hilarious. There is the usual sharpness and wit in the dialogue, Charlie has the funniest lines but Porky has the most memorable. The gags, with the sole exception of one, are inventive, brilliantly timed and range from highly amusing to hilarious, the highlights being Charlie's granny and Russian Cossack disguises and the wonderfully bizarre ending. The story is not much new, but with it being so well paced and the chemistry between Porky and Charlie delighting as much as it did that wasn't an issue at all.
Both Porky and Charlie make a great impression here, and their chemistry is a delight. Sure, Porky being nastier than usual (he's quite violent here and quite deranged even at the end) but he's amusing too and it was nice to see him more interesting than usual. Charlie practically steals the show from under him, he's overbearing but that's essential to the two characters' conflict and it works wonderfully well, some of the funniest lines come from him and he relishes it and his physical comedy and disguises are equally great, making one wonder as to why he wasn't more popular. Mel Blanc as always is superb, especially as Charlie.
Overall, wonderful Porky Pig and Charlie Dog cartoon. 9/10 Bethany Cox