Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de)
"Pecos Bill" is an American animated short film from 1948, so this one has its 70th anniversary this year. It says here on imdb 23 minutes, but I think actually it runs for a bit under 20 in fact and here we have another old cartoon about American everyday heroes like Paul Bunyan, Johnny Appleseed etc. Pecos Bill is probably not the most known of the bunch, but his eternal friendship with his horse as well as his romance with Slue Foot Sue. It needs a little while to get going I would say, but at the latest when the previously mentioned ginger redhead character enters the picture, it is really worth seeing, not just looks-wise, but also story-wise. It is a Disney production with the inclusion of Clyde Geronimo and the best way to watch this one is to go for Melody Time, a full feature film that includes other cartoons and also some live action. Maybe just watch the segment if you know the other stuff already or don't care for it. As for this one here, music's nice, animation is nice and the story isn't too bad either. This is really exactly what a western animation film should look like, a pretty daring genre combination that could also go very wrong. But it all worked out fine, even became pretty touching towards the end. See it and with Ferdinand getting his own full feature recently, maybe this one here can at some point too. I'd definitely watch it.
MartinHafer
This is a short that was used to make up the full-length film from Disney, "Melody Time". Following WWII, Disney Studio was a mess--a terrible strike and the war (where many of the workers were drafted and many more were assigned to wartime animation work) decimated the studio and many of the old animators were gone. As a result, Disney did not get back to making traditional animated feature films for several years. In the meantime, their 'full-length' films were really odd compilations of shorts--and of a rather lackluster quality compared to earlier and later work."Pecos Bill" is a cartoon that is narrated and sung by Roy Rogers and his regular backup group, The Sons of the Pioneers. It's a country western style cartoon about Pecos Bill--a kid abandoned (accidentally) in the desert and is raised by wolves--much like Mowgli from "The Jungle Book". Once he grows up, Bill has a lot of adventures--all set to country western music and narrated in a pretty funny manner. What I particularly liked was the animation--not the greatest Disney ever did, but better than anything else in "Melody Time"--even a bit better than "Little Toot". Enjoyable throughout, the only reservation I have is for younger audiences--I just can't see little kids enjoying this.
Atreyu_II
'Pecos Bill' is one of the segments from Disney's 'Melody Time'. In my opinion, it is a cartoon with very little to offer and limited appeal. It is basically just another cartoon. And one that isn't particularly interesting, with a bland plot, poor artwork, characters incapable of captivating the public and literally no charm.The only thing I really liked in this was the live-action sequences, with actors Roy Rogers, Bob Nolan, Bobby Driscoll and Luana Patten. The actors don't portray any characters, they portray themselves (which is fun). Bob Nolan, besides himself, is also cast as The Sons of the Pioneers. And I really like that horse, it's beautiful. These live-action sequences, while not the best Disney has ever made, are nevertheless interesting, charming and fun.If this was an entirely live-action short and these actors portrayed the animated characters (not by voicing them but as live-action) I'm sure it would have been a lot better. Unfortunately the live-action bits are short, way too short.By giving this a 5 rating I am being generous. The 5 is because of the live-action sequences. If I only considered the live-action sequences, I'd rate it much higher than 5. But the animated parts clearly deserve a far lower rating than 5.
TheLittleSongbird
My only complaints are the rather tedious beginning(of the animated sequences that is, the live-action sequences were charming and very nicely shot) and there are one or two scenes when the animation is not always as good as it could've been, one or two of the characters looked a tad deflated. Still there is a lot to enjoy, especially the fast pace of the well thought out story and the rousing songs. The animation in general was nice to look at, and the characters were engaging enough. A huge part of what made the cartoon so enjoyable to watch was the voice of Roy Rogers, he was fantastic here, what a voice and the male singing was top notch as well. Overall, has its minor flaws but it is jolly good fun!8/10 Bethany Cox
AD
