Ain't We Got Fun (1937) User Reviews

Isn't it fun?

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 8 May 2018]

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.

Tex Avery was one of the greatest and most influential animation directors there ever was, with a unique visual and humour style and his best work saw some ahead of its time content. 'Ain't We Got Fun' is not one of his best efforts, it's worth watching, it's well made and it's far from bad, but it is not demonstrative of what made him so great and influential. His work here is competent but it is pretty tame by Avery standards.

'Ain't We Got Fun's' story is predictable and has nothing special and not quite enough to make it all the way through fun and emotionally investable. The cartoon is amusing enough, but there is little hilarious or imaginative.

However, the animation ranges from good to excellent. It's fluid in movement, vibrant in colour and very meticulous in detail. Most of the pace is lively and the content is charming, amusing and well-timed if with not quite enough to go the extra mile.

Carl Stalling's music is typically superb. It is as always lushly orchestrated, full of lively energy and characterful in rhythm, not only adding to the action but also enhancing it. The characters are likeable and their personalities work well individually and together. Mel Blanc and Billy Bletcher provide typically expertly vocal contributions.

In conclusion, worth watching but not great. 7/10 Bethany Cox

"Have a heart. I was only foolin'."

[utgard14 · 7/10 · 3 August 2016]

Fun Tex Avery short about some evil mice that steal a bunch of food and let a cat take the blame, resulting in his mean old owner tossing him out in the snow. Soon the mice have taken over the old man's home and he's begging the cat to help. The title is taken from a song of the same name that was popular in the 1920s. The mice sing it after they've gotten the cat thrown out. This is an enjoyable little cartoon. Not on par with Avery's best work but still it's fun. The animation is great. I love the colors and everything is well-drawn. The music is lively and the aforementioned song is catchy. Love all the little bits with the mice pigging out and giving the old man the business.

A bit better than the average Merrie Melody short of the time but it could sure do without the singing.

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 21 February 2011]

The film begins with a nasty old guy mistreating his poor 'ol cat. When the cat falls asleep, the mice come out and play. When the cat tries to stop them, the owner mistakenly thinks the cat is at fault and tosses it into the snow! Soon, however, the mice REALLY run amok and start singing (NOOOO!!! Not the singing!) and the guy realizes his mistake and invites his expert mouser back--and the film ends on a cute note you'll just have to see for yourself.

In the 1930s, the Looney Tunes folks mostly made cutesy films with lots of singing. It wasn't until the 40s that the cartoons became edgier and funnier---and developed the great characters we know today, such as Bugs Bunny and the Road Runner. Now for a 1930s Merrie Melodies film (the name given to the singing shorts), "Ain't We Got Fun" is better than average. This is because it has a nice sense of humor that helps you forget about the singing portion! But, compared to later cartoons, it comes up a bit short--even if the animation is pretty good.

Avery's earliest masterpieces

[cartoonnewsCP · 9/10 · 22 June 2016]

I love to Singa and this cartoon are some of Avery's good older ones, he would get better as the years progress.

Ain't we got fun released in 1937 and reissued on 4/21/45 with the original closing scrapped out.

There are mice invading a house and the cat has to get rid of them. He fails so the old man kicks him out of the house. When the old man sees the mice he calls the cat back in to get rid of them. He refuses but when one of the mice calls him a fraidy cat, his true colors reveal. He successfully gets the mice out, but he forces the old man to lie on the rug then throwing a book at him.

9/10

Enjoyable if formulaic cartoon

[llltdesq · 8/10 · 6 December 2014]

This is a 1930s Warner Brothers short. There will be spoilers ahead:

This is a fairly standard entry in the "cartoons with cute mice" sub-genre developed in the 1930s. It's a fun cartoon, but there isn't a whole lot of substance here. It's a cute and enjoyable schedule filler.

Basic plot-an old, rather cantankerous old man ill-treats his cat, mice find that the cat's asleep, mice run amok in the kitchen, make a mess, old man wakes up, sees the disaster, blames the cat, tosses cat out, mice run amok redux, old man discovers who truly is to blame, cat saves the day and there's a funny and appropriate ending. That's all there is (except, of course, the obligatory song plug for "Ain't We Got Fun").

There are some nice gags of mice eating the old man out of house and home. The sole standard device missing is the romantic subplot. Everything else is here. The best gag may well be a mouse uncorking a bottle.

This short is available on The Life of Emil Zola DVD release and is worth watching at least once.