'Flight to the Finish' is the seventeenth and final cartoon in the Tijuana Toads, which left me largely indifferent apart from two exceptions, series. It is also Crazylegs Crane's sixth and last cartoon in it before he went on to starring in the Blue Racer and his own series, neither of which he fared particularly well as a character. There was the hope that the series would end with some sort of a bang or at least be average, carrying on from the improvement seen in 'Frog Jog'.
But no. 'Flight to the Finish' instead went back to disappointment, ending the Tijuana Toads series on a whimper and being yet another mediocre cartoon in it. None of the characters are served well, with Crazylegs being no improvement over his previous outing 'A Leap in the Deep' and El Toro sadly being back to the annoying character he usually was than the sympathetic one he was in 'Frog Jog'. It also has all the usual flaws, again doing the worst aspects badly, while having its moments.
One of those moments/good things being the music score, the most consistent of the good things and the one aspect that was continually great. Absolutely love its upbeat light energy and it never sounded stock or cheap. It was nice to see Crazylegs' crafty side again, rather than him being too much of a dimwit.
The last minute is quite funny as are a few of Crazylegs' lines, such as when he talks about what he knows will happen next.
However, a lot works against 'Flight to the Finish'. El Toro, as said gone backwards in characterisation, and Pancho neither interest or appeal as lead characters and the way they act and what they do has not much variation on what was already seen before in their previous cartoons, which made everything very predictable. Crazylegs fares a little better but like the toads his behaviour was also feeling too samey and it was already beginning to feel too one joke, which already began to grate in his previous cartoon. A far cry from the too short lived potential he showed in his first two cartoons.
Voice acting is too broad and caricaturish once again, Bob Holt's (not Larry D Mann this time) voice work doesn't fit Crazylegs' personality enough, though he is not quite as dim-sounding as Mann. The gags are again too few and are all too stale apart from a few moments and most of the dialogue doesn't sound natural. The story is too much of a bland retread of an already over-familiar scenario. The animation lacks vibrancy and is too simplistic, time and budget constraints showed throughout the series.
Concluding, a not good way to end a mediocre to middling series of cartoons. 4/10.
But no. 'Flight to the Finish' instead went back to disappointment, ending the Tijuana Toads series on a whimper and being yet another mediocre cartoon in it. None of the characters are served well, with Crazylegs being no improvement over his previous outing 'A Leap in the Deep' and El Toro sadly being back to the annoying character he usually was than the sympathetic one he was in 'Frog Jog'. It also has all the usual flaws, again doing the worst aspects badly, while having its moments.
One of those moments/good things being the music score, the most consistent of the good things and the one aspect that was continually great. Absolutely love its upbeat light energy and it never sounded stock or cheap. It was nice to see Crazylegs' crafty side again, rather than him being too much of a dimwit.
The last minute is quite funny as are a few of Crazylegs' lines, such as when he talks about what he knows will happen next.
However, a lot works against 'Flight to the Finish'. El Toro, as said gone backwards in characterisation, and Pancho neither interest or appeal as lead characters and the way they act and what they do has not much variation on what was already seen before in their previous cartoons, which made everything very predictable. Crazylegs fares a little better but like the toads his behaviour was also feeling too samey and it was already beginning to feel too one joke, which already began to grate in his previous cartoon. A far cry from the too short lived potential he showed in his first two cartoons.
Voice acting is too broad and caricaturish once again, Bob Holt's (not Larry D Mann this time) voice work doesn't fit Crazylegs' personality enough, though he is not quite as dim-sounding as Mann. The gags are again too few and are all too stale apart from a few moments and most of the dialogue doesn't sound natural. The story is too much of a bland retread of an already over-familiar scenario. The animation lacks vibrancy and is too simplistic, time and budget constraints showed throughout the series.
Concluding, a not good way to end a mediocre to middling series of cartoons. 4/10.
