Just a Clown (1934) watch online HD

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.

1934, like all the other years for Terrytoons, saw a hit and miss batch. As cute as it sounded on paper, 'Just a Clown' from personal opinion was one of the worst from that year. There are a few good things sadly outweighed by the bad things that make 'Just a Clown' a weak cartoon to be seen if a Terrytoons completest.

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.

Although a typical Terrytoons antagonist, the lion is a decent character and a couple of gags amuse a little.

'Just a Clown' however has animation that is primitive at best, with the drawing being crude and unlike many Terrytoons it doesn't have ambitious and elaborate backgrounds (they are just as simplistic as the rest of the animation).

Likewise, the story is paper thin and formulaic with a big air of over-familiarity due to doing very little new with a premise that was feeling old well before this was made. The two leads are dull, especially the love interest, which makes the conflict difficult to be interested in, making the waste of a decent villain. The atmosphere is bland, and the danger and excitement of the setting has been done in animation far better.

Gags are too few and generally don't quite have the lustre and cleverness as others, due to too much of the material being stale from being used before, and the cartoon sometimes feels choppy, generally there is not enough charm, the pace is not tight enough and a minute longer wouldn't have hurt it.

Altogether, weak. 3/10 Bethany Cox