What Happens at Night

The Terrytoons are oddly interesting, mainly for anybody wanting to see (generally) older cartoons made by lesser known and lower-budget studios. They are a mixed bag in quality, with some better than others, often with outstanding music and with some mild amusement and charm and variable in animation, characterisation and content.

1939, like all the other years for Terrytoons, saw a hit and miss batch, more so than the other years even. Of which 'What Happens at Night' is one of the better ones ranking it in correlation with the rest of the Terrytoons and one of the best 1939 cartoons. There are flaws but also a lot of strengths, and a few things done better than what was seen before. 'What Happens at Night' is well worth watching as an above average watch with more to it than completest sake.

Best asset is the music, which predictably is incredible. It is so beautifully and cleverly orchestrated and arranged, is great fun to listen to and full of lively energy, doing so well with enhancing the action. The ambitious, elaborate detail in the backgrounds is still great to see, the Terrytoons at this point showed more fluidity in design than in previous years and some synchronisation is neat. The drawing is more fluid generally and the shading crisp. The sound has also gotten much sharper and clearer.

A fair share of amusing moments, with more gags than there can be usually found and they are all beautifully timed and funny (not always the case with Terrytoons), and there is a lot of zest and natural charm. Also a suitably strange and absurdist quality that was fun and endearing to watch. The characters are amusing and interesting and that the cartoon doesn't get saccharine is appreciated. There are imaginative visuals and moments, some nice touches and it was difficult to not have fun with the creepy atmosphere of most of the cartoon.

On the other hand, there are occasions where transitions and drawings are not as smooth as they could have been.

'What Happens at Night' also to me lost steam in the last third, where the creepiness and imagination dwindles a bit and it instead becomes standard familiar Terrytoons territory. The story is barely existent and carried along by the atmosphere and gags.

All in all, above average and worth a watch. 7/10 Bethany Cox

The sun sets. The windmills stop turning. The weathercock on the steeple crows on the coming night and the scarecrow bestirs himself to go to...where? Connie Rasinski starts out this early Technicolor very well, with a nice, creepy look, with hints of Arte Moderne by the background artist and a better than usual score by Paul Terry's musical director, Philip Scheib. Once it hits the halfway mark, it turns into the usual collection of Terrytoon comedy gags, well in prosaically offered. Scheib's score becomes less ominous and thus less interesting. What need to fear night? Still, at this stage, Terry's staff is feeling out how to deal with Technicolor and the larger budgets that went wit it. Half a very good movie is worth watching, even the sections that are simply decent.