Dave Fleischer was responsible for many gems. Ones that were amusing and charming, though over-cuteness did come through in some efforts and the stories were always pretty thin, with appealing characters, outstanding music and visuals that were inventive and with innovative animation techniques.
Ko-Ko similarly was an always amiable character to watch and among the better recurring characters in Fleischer's early work. Likewise, his series of Out of the Inkwell cartoons were among the best early efforts of Fleischer and silent cartoons in general. Fleischer may not be at his very finest and there are other cartoons of his that fit the word gem more. It is impossible to dislike 'The Clown's Pups', which put a smile on my face and is very easy to be charmed by.
There is not a lot to fault here. As said many times in other Ko-Ko cartoons, the story is slight and it can get slightly erratic on occasions as a result of being far too short.
Other Ko-Ko cartoons also are consistently funnier and more imaginative, as well as wilder.
A lot is done very well to brilliantly however. The surprisingly well done blend of animation and live action and the delightful interplay are obvious good things, but they're not the only ones.
One expects the animation to be primitive and very low quality, considering that it is very early animation when animation techniques were not as many, as refined, as ambitious and in their infancy. While Fleischer became more refined and inventive later certainly, the drawing is very nicely done.
It all goes at a bright and breezy pace, while there are a fair share of amusing moments, a lot of charm and some nice wild atmosphere. Ko-Ko, here known as The Clown before he became Ko-Ko in the 20s, is likeable and fun to watch. Have always liked Max's involvement in the Ko-Ko cartoons and this isn't an exception.
To conclude, good but not great. 7/10 Bethany Cox