Uncensored Bosko #1

Rating:
Summary: For Animation Historians Only
Review: This compilation of cartoons isn't going to appeal to everyone. In the early 30's, sound was still a novelty for animation, so most of these pictures could be considered musical novelties. "The Talk-ink Kid" was the pilot film Harman and Ising used to sell the series to Leon Schlesinger, and may be one of the earliest cartoons to synchronize the images to actual speech, which is of historical interest. Harman and Ising then proceeded to make Bosko seem as much like Mickey Mouse as possible (although he tends to look more like a blackface caricature, and even spoke in such a voice in "The Talk-ink Kid and "Sinkin' in the Bathtub"). If you can put them into their proper historical perspective, Bosko's cartoons are entertaining, yet derivative. As for their appeal to today's audiences, I doubt many people would make it to the end of this collection. It should also be noted that since these are public domain prints of these shorts, the picture and sound quality is not very good.

Rating:
Summary: For Animation Historians Only
Review: This compilation of cartoons isn't going to appeal to everyone. In the early 30's, sound was still a novelty for animation, so most of these pictures could be considered musical novelties. "The Talk-ink Kid" was the pilot film Harman and Ising used to sell the series to Leon Schlesinger, and may be one of the earliest cartoons to synchronize the images to actual speech, which is of historical interest. Harman and Ising then proceeded to make Bosko seem as much like Mickey Mouse as possible (although he tends to look more like a blackface caricature, and even spoke in such a voice in "The Talk-ink Kid and "Sinkin' in the Bathtub"). If you can put them into their proper historical perspective, Bosko's cartoons are entertaining, yet derivative. As for their appeal to today's audiences, I doubt many people would make it to the end of this collection. It should also be noted that since these are public domain prints of these shorts, the picture and sound quality is not very good.

Rating:
Summary: Decent collection of early Warner Bros. cartoons
Review: This compilation of early Looney Tunes featuring Bosko the Talk-Ink Kid is pretty decent. Not neccessarily the best, however. While this collection does contain both "Bosko the Talk-Ink Kid" and "Sinkin' in the Bathtub" (the first two Warner cartoons ever produced), it utilizes the dreaded "window-boxing" technique, a process which mats over at least three fields of the picture.

However, if you can simply ignore that flaw, you'll enjoy this otherwise fine collection of early sound Warner Bros. cartoons. Highlights include: "Congo Jazz" (a jazzy short featuring Bosko as a hunter), "Big Man From the North" (Bosko as a Canadian Mountie), "Ups 'N Downs" (a wacky horse race where Bosko uses a mechanical horse to help him win), and "Bosko the Doughboy" (a graphic depiction of World War I).

Rating:
Summary: What's the big deal?
Review: Warner Bros. has all the Bosko cartoons and won't let anybody show them on telivision! Why? Because they think Bosko is a offensive to black people! He isn't even in the least bit offensive, he looks like a coconut with a body and a face carved on him! Bosko the Talk-ink kid may be offensive, but the other cartoons have him sounding like Mickey Mouse! There isn't one thing half wrong with him and Warner Bros. is just too darn picky! Do they really think this stuff is going to offend people? Bosko is one of the greatest cartoon characters ever made! Some people claim he is a rip-off of Mickey Mouse, in a way, the resemblance is clear, but in another, pretty much any cartoon that you watch made in the early 30s is going to be like a Mickey Mouse sort of premise! Besides, Harman and Ising (Bosko's creators) learned to draw the exact same way Walt Disney did along with everybody in his staff! Bosko is a great character and he should be shown on cartoon network. Period!