A Feud There Was

Love animation, it was a big part of my life as a child, particularly Disney, Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry, and still love it whether it's film, television or cartoons.

Also have much admiration for Tex Avery, an animation genius whose best cartoons are animated masterpieces and some of the best cartoons ever made by anybody. 'A Feud There Was' is not an Avery masterpiece, compared to a lot of Avery cartoons it's fairly tame and lacks somewhat the wild wackiness and ahead-of-its-time edge that can be found in his prime years (the 1940s). Elmer, or Egghead here, is not as appealingly designed and his personality has not fully evolved yet, love his good intentions but he is slightly on the bland side.

Having said that, 'A Feud There Was' is generally a good representation of what Avery is all about and what makes his work so appealing. It's very well made and a lot of fun while also having a seriousness that doesn't jar at all.

The animation is excellent, very rich in colour, the backgrounds have meticulously good detail and the characters are very well drawn and natural in movement. One of the best things about 'A Feud There Was' is the incredibly catchy and infectious music that gives the cartoon so much verve.

Can't fault Avery, whose unmistakable and unlike-any-other style is all over, nor the dynamic voice acting (especially from the peerless Mel Blanc) and the numerous very engaging support characters.

It's well done in the humour and while the story doesn't break new ground it's lively in pace and easy to engage with.

To conclude, very entertaining and well made though Avery is not at his best. 8/10 Bethany Cox