The Froze Nose Knows

Although not everything made/produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises was good, the studio were responsible for a lot of good cartoons, some even great. Their numerous theatrical series varied in quality and their overall effectiveness was largely dependent on how the lead/titular characters fared, whether they entertained, endeared and compelled or whether they bored, annoyed and had presence. They more or less made or broke their respective series.

Luckily the Ant and the Aardvark are examples of the former category and regardless of the series' predictability (and it was a predictable one because most followed the same formula) their weakest cartoons were better than the weakest cartoons of most of the studio's series. Up until the ending, 'The Froze Nose Knows' was this close to being one of the top three Ant and the Aardvark cartoons. It still is one of the best though due to the rest of it being so good, loved almost everything about it.

Have always never really cared for the ending, one of my least favourite endings for any of the Ant and the Aardvark cartoons, a clumsily executed attempt at a change of pace and one of not many things of the series overall that does not sit well with me. Just find it far too cruel and mean-spirited in a way that doesn't fit within the cartoon or the series, and one's sympathy is completely with the aardvark whereas any kind of empathy for the other characters diminishes. Am aware this is just one component of a cartoon, but it did bring 'The Froze Nose Knows' down by quite a bit.

The animation though is fine, simple but never cheap. The attention to detail in the backgrounds and the wintry detail make for one of the series' most vivid settings where one actually feels the winter as much as the aardvark. The music was always one of the best things about the Ant and the Aardvark cartoons, it is in 'The Froze Nose Knows', the jazzy rhythms and infectious light-heartedness difficult to resist. The main theme alone makes one want to do the jitterbug.

On the comedic front, 'The Froze Nose Knows' excels. There are some very well timed and amusing gags, one of my favourites being the aardvark finding the bear in his bed and the consequences of that. It is the dialogue, as seems to be the case for the Ant and the Aardvark series overall, that shines more. All the best lines coming from the aardvark, whose witticisms and breaking the fourth wall are often hilariously irreverent. The story is, apart from the setting and the ending, obvious but the energy is constant and it never feels dull.

Did feel that the ant was a little underused, though his dialogue is very nice at the beginning. The bear very nearly became one of the series' best supporting characters and was very funny in his first appearance, wish that promise was maintained to the very end where he became too mean. The aardvark is the funniest and most interesting character here, also the only one the viewer sympathises with. John Byner's one-man show voice acting is nothing short of stellar, even that strong adjective doesn't do it justice.

In conclusion, very, very good and great actually until the too cruel ending dampened it a bit. 8/10