On the whole, while not masterpieces or milestones, the Casper the Friendly Ghost cartoons are nice and enjoyable. Casper Takes a Bow Wow is not one of the best of the series, but it's still pretty good, especially for a filmography as inconsistent as Famous Studios and their Noveltoons, somewhere around the middle in ranking.
In terms of story, Casper Takes a Bow Wow is rather more of the same and a bit rushed, anybody familiar with the previous Casper cartoons will be disappointed by the lack of variety and heavy repetition story-wise. The dialogue is not particularly memorable either and occasionally becomes a bit mawkish and as repetitive as the story. And while the cartoon is mostly well- animated (especially for a 50s Famous Studios cartoon), one or two of the backgrounds are not as smooth as those of the earlier Casper outings and the dog catcher is a touch stiffly drawn in places.
However, Casper Takes a Bow Wow is animated beautifully, being lusciously coloured with very detailed and picturesque backgrounds (both spooky and colourful) and mostly smooth drawing. The reactions to Casper from the other characters are nicely varied and very funny, especially the cow. Winston Sharples' score as ever is a highlight, there is a real sense of mood and atmosphere, it has plenty of lively energy, orchestrally it's mellow and whimsical without dissolving into syrup and it complements the action wonderfully, enhancing it even at times.
Casper Takes a Bow Wow is not as funny as some of the other Casper cartoons, like Boo Hoo Baby or Once Upon a Rhyme, but it is regardless amusing (again mostly with the reactions, but the opening as well as being atmospheric is very humorous too), it starts atmospherically and the charming and sweet moments in the friendship between Casper and his adorable puppy friend Pal avoid being too sentimentalised, though perhaps a little more time could have been spent on their friendship. The climax generates some tension, but while admittedly one of the more tense climaxes in a Casper cartoon never feels too much or too intense, nothing traumatising here so younger audiences shouldn't find it too upsetting. The story is paced swiftly, but also has a nice gentle feel and captures the essence of childhood innocence beautifully.
The friendship between Casper and Pal is very charmingly done, and both characters, and the dog catcher succeeds in generating some tension into the climax. The voice acting is appropriate and as dependable as ever, with Jack Mercer having the lion's share though Alan Shay is a very emotive Casper, showing more steel than usual as well.
To conclude, pretty good but not great. 7/10 Bethany Cox
In terms of story, Casper Takes a Bow Wow is rather more of the same and a bit rushed, anybody familiar with the previous Casper cartoons will be disappointed by the lack of variety and heavy repetition story-wise. The dialogue is not particularly memorable either and occasionally becomes a bit mawkish and as repetitive as the story. And while the cartoon is mostly well- animated (especially for a 50s Famous Studios cartoon), one or two of the backgrounds are not as smooth as those of the earlier Casper outings and the dog catcher is a touch stiffly drawn in places.
However, Casper Takes a Bow Wow is animated beautifully, being lusciously coloured with very detailed and picturesque backgrounds (both spooky and colourful) and mostly smooth drawing. The reactions to Casper from the other characters are nicely varied and very funny, especially the cow. Winston Sharples' score as ever is a highlight, there is a real sense of mood and atmosphere, it has plenty of lively energy, orchestrally it's mellow and whimsical without dissolving into syrup and it complements the action wonderfully, enhancing it even at times.
Casper Takes a Bow Wow is not as funny as some of the other Casper cartoons, like Boo Hoo Baby or Once Upon a Rhyme, but it is regardless amusing (again mostly with the reactions, but the opening as well as being atmospheric is very humorous too), it starts atmospherically and the charming and sweet moments in the friendship between Casper and his adorable puppy friend Pal avoid being too sentimentalised, though perhaps a little more time could have been spent on their friendship. The climax generates some tension, but while admittedly one of the more tense climaxes in a Casper cartoon never feels too much or too intense, nothing traumatising here so younger audiences shouldn't find it too upsetting. The story is paced swiftly, but also has a nice gentle feel and captures the essence of childhood innocence beautifully.
The friendship between Casper and Pal is very charmingly done, and both characters, and the dog catcher succeeds in generating some tension into the climax. The voice acting is appropriate and as dependable as ever, with Jack Mercer having the lion's share though Alan Shay is a very emotive Casper, showing more steel than usual as well.
To conclude, pretty good but not great. 7/10 Bethany Cox
