Here’s one of a number of perspective scenes in the cartoon where Bugs Hardaway and Milt Schaffer extend the gag where Woody treats Wally like a mail car. A mail bag comes out of nowhere. These are consecutive frames.
Wally chugs in, centre stage, from the distance. Here are some of the frames.
Grim Natwick and Pat Matthews receive the animation credits on this cartoon, directed by Shamus Culhane.
Pat Matthews does some of his best animation here, some of my favorite. His scene of Woody being entranced by the smell of steak is solidly done, but its the part that follows of Woody getting his beak out of the fence and gleefully "taking" at the food is just amazing. The animation is just so cartoony and full of squash and stretch. You can really feel his beak popping out of the fence. Matthews really was an amazing animator; it's a shame he's not as well known as other animators.
ReplyDeleteMention must be made of Calker's wonderful "train" score in the last forty-five seconds that complement these visuals so evocatively. Really ends the cartoon on a high note.
ReplyDeleteGood points, guys. Calker could occasionally sound uninterested in what was happening on the screen, but he did a nice job at the end, as the score builds in intensity.
ReplyDeleteI really like Matthews' work at Lantz; he was a real versatile animator.