Video/DVD Review: Cartoon Crazy's 2

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What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that characters are generally hostile towards one another. Prominent ethnic stereotypes in two cartoons mark this one for mature viewers. Older kids will enjoy the aggressive humor of the Warner Bros. shorts, though they may find the rest of the collection a bit dull. "Fifth Column Mouse" offers a cartoon allegory on some of the factors which led up to World War II. In "King for a Day," a character fears for his life. At the end of "A Day at the Zoo," a character is eaten by a lion. Bugs Bunny spends the first half of "The Wacky Wabbit" with a cow skull on his head, giving him a macabre appearance. This video is for animation buffs only.

Families can talk about how cartoons are different today from back when these cartoons were first produced. How are the images of different racial groups different now? What about the pace and style?

This collection of WWII-era cartoons offers shorts from the major cartoon studios of the day. Alongside such recognizable characters as Bugs Bunny and Felix the Cat, viewers will find little-known Gabby the mailman and Skipper the trolley operator. In "King for a Day," after King Little discovers that he may be murdered, he puts the mailman on the throne in his place. Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd engage in a boxing match in "To Duck or not to Duck." A mouse population agrees to become an evil cat's slaves to avoid being eaten in "Fifth Column Mouse." "The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg" is rescued from Captain Kidd by Felix the Cat. Other cartoons featured in the collection: "Toonerville Trolley," "Doggone Tired," and "The Early Bird Gets the Worm."

This collection of WWII-era cartoons demonstrates why a "golden age" isn't always golden. CARTOON CRAZY'S 2 offers shorts from the major cartoon studios of the dayand will be of far more interest to animation buffs than to the average viewer. This collection's greatest virtue is also its greatest weakness: By gathering cartoons from several different studios into one volume it provides an interesting cross-section of theatrical animation from the '30s and '40s, but in so doing places forgotten gems alongside shorts that we would just as soon forget.

Three cartoons come courtesy of the Van Beuren studio. "Toonerville Trolley," based on a popular comic strip of the time, has little to offer contemporary viewers. "The Goose that Laid the Golden Egg" revives Felix the Cat, though his character here is overly reminiscent of Mickey Mouse. Also included is one cartoon from the Fleischer studio, which stars Gabby, a supporting character from their Gulliver's Travels cartoon feature. It's not bad, but is noticeably lacking in the charm and humor that marked both the Popeye and Betty Boop series. The MGM and Warner Bros. cartoons come off the best, although some are particularly inappropriate for younger viewers. The two Bugs Bunnys date from early in the rabbit's career and showcase him at his most aggressively amoral, making trouble without provocation and bordering on vicious. A few of the cartoons feature prominent ethnic stereotypes, which many will doubtless find offensive.