The Dover Boys Review

The Dover Boys is a 1942 animated short film from the Merry Melodies series. It is a superb short.

It follows the misadventures of a bunch of college men from the 1890s. Although the first half is definitely weaker and much less entertaining, the second half is simply terrific. It features a bunch of unforgettable moments such as the damsel in distress not really being in distress as well as the villain cutting her away from the tree. The scene where he yells that he’s gonna steal the car is hilarious and the most inventive and funniest moment in the movie.

The villain is phenomenal and the reason why the movie works so well as the other characters are nowhere near as great as he is. I loved his design and his voice in particular. The score is also very good and continually fitting the action on screen. Naturally, the animation is the film’s strongest suit as it’s a very original, new kind of animation for Warner Bros. with a particular emphasis on fluid backgrounds and a stylized approach.

The Dover Boys is gorgeously animated, very stylistic and authentic, but also hilarious in its memorable humorous scenes and characters.