Chilly Willy's best cartoons were perfect examples of how a potentially one-joke character and concept could end up actually being a perfect mix of the cute and the funny with a lot of colour and good comic timing to go with it.
Paul J. Smith's first Chilly Willy cartoon, the character's debut 'Chilly Willy', was great and among the best Chilly Willy cartoons, but generally his 60s-onward output (there are also cartoons from Alex Lovy, Jack Hannah, Sid Marcus and notably, in terms of being responsible for the two best of the series, Tex Avery) has been nowhere near as good. Some are decent, but generally they're average at best. From personal opinion, 'Chilly and the Looney Gooney' is by far and large one of the best later Chilly Willy cartoons. It shows why Chilly is a great character and has almost all that makes his better cartoons appealing, and it also shows that Smedley is not his only good partner.
As one can expect from the late-60s Chilly Willy cartoons, where budgets were smaller and deadlines tighter with a significant nose-dive in animation quality and the quality of timing and humour more than once slipped too, the animation is scrappy. It starts off decently and the physical interaction between Chilly and Colonel Pot Shot is inventive, but it is rushed-looking and simplicity taken too far stuff and the albatross is fairly unappealingly drawn.
Story-wise, that rarely was a special asset in a Chilly Willy cartoon and it is easy to figure out a lot of the time where 'Chilly and the Looney Gooney' was heading. Structurally, it's formulaic and the two moments that repeat themselves more than once (so Chilly being thrown back into the igloo and the message writing) are not as inspired as the rest of the cartoon. Also thought that Chilly's voice was too much of a mismatch for the character design.
However, Chilly was drawn well and the backgrounds were nice at times. Walter Greene's music is lively and rousingly, cleverly and beautifully orchestrated and fits very well. Love the opening title credits music.
In terms of timing of the gags, 'Chilly and the Looney Gooney' is sharper than most late-60s Chilly Willy cartoons while the gags themselves are funny and have more variety than most Lantz-studio cartoons from this period (particularly when directed by Smith). The physical interaction between Chilly and Colonel Pot Shot is amusing and sees some suitably exaggerated visuals, how Chilly and the albatross foil Colonel Pot Shot constantly entertains hugely.
Other than the character design, the albatross is a good supporting partner, good comic timing and likable enough. Liked the sweet friendship between the two. Colonel Pot Shot is one of the better foils of the late Chilly Willy cartoons, actually serving well as a threat and one who takes the laughs well. Oh and there is some humorous dialogue, namely the gun exchange.
Chilly is adorable and is also a lot of fun, with his actions speaking far louder than words. Prefer him when silent, and Grace Stafford's voice is a much better fit in the cartoons that he does speak in, but he still makes an impression. He may be a nuisance to his opponents but he wins the viewer over with his cuteness and timing, am always amazed too at how quick-thinking and brutal he is here for a character so deceptively cute.
To sum up, not perfect but very nicely done. 8/10 Bethany Cox
Paul J. Smith's first Chilly Willy cartoon, the character's debut 'Chilly Willy', was great and among the best Chilly Willy cartoons, but generally his 60s-onward output (there are also cartoons from Alex Lovy, Jack Hannah, Sid Marcus and notably, in terms of being responsible for the two best of the series, Tex Avery) has been nowhere near as good. Some are decent, but generally they're average at best. From personal opinion, 'Chilly and the Looney Gooney' is by far and large one of the best later Chilly Willy cartoons. It shows why Chilly is a great character and has almost all that makes his better cartoons appealing, and it also shows that Smedley is not his only good partner.
As one can expect from the late-60s Chilly Willy cartoons, where budgets were smaller and deadlines tighter with a significant nose-dive in animation quality and the quality of timing and humour more than once slipped too, the animation is scrappy. It starts off decently and the physical interaction between Chilly and Colonel Pot Shot is inventive, but it is rushed-looking and simplicity taken too far stuff and the albatross is fairly unappealingly drawn.
Story-wise, that rarely was a special asset in a Chilly Willy cartoon and it is easy to figure out a lot of the time where 'Chilly and the Looney Gooney' was heading. Structurally, it's formulaic and the two moments that repeat themselves more than once (so Chilly being thrown back into the igloo and the message writing) are not as inspired as the rest of the cartoon. Also thought that Chilly's voice was too much of a mismatch for the character design.
However, Chilly was drawn well and the backgrounds were nice at times. Walter Greene's music is lively and rousingly, cleverly and beautifully orchestrated and fits very well. Love the opening title credits music.
In terms of timing of the gags, 'Chilly and the Looney Gooney' is sharper than most late-60s Chilly Willy cartoons while the gags themselves are funny and have more variety than most Lantz-studio cartoons from this period (particularly when directed by Smith). The physical interaction between Chilly and Colonel Pot Shot is amusing and sees some suitably exaggerated visuals, how Chilly and the albatross foil Colonel Pot Shot constantly entertains hugely.
Other than the character design, the albatross is a good supporting partner, good comic timing and likable enough. Liked the sweet friendship between the two. Colonel Pot Shot is one of the better foils of the late Chilly Willy cartoons, actually serving well as a threat and one who takes the laughs well. Oh and there is some humorous dialogue, namely the gun exchange.
Chilly is adorable and is also a lot of fun, with his actions speaking far louder than words. Prefer him when silent, and Grace Stafford's voice is a much better fit in the cartoons that he does speak in, but he still makes an impression. He may be a nuisance to his opponents but he wins the viewer over with his cuteness and timing, am always amazed too at how quick-thinking and brutal he is here for a character so deceptively cute.
To sum up, not perfect but very nicely done. 8/10 Bethany Cox
