The usual Popeye-versus-Bluto fight of almost all the post-Fleischer era. This one has them as knights jousting for the hand of Sleeping Beauty -- Olive Oyl in a long blonde wig. Good backgrounds, good animation and the usual poor scripts with unfunny gags makes this pretty much like all the others of this era. If you've seen one, you've seen them all.
3 Reviews
Fighting for honour
TheLittleSongbird20 July 2020
The Famous Studios, more the earlier ones than the more variable later ones, Popeye cartoons were generally amusing enough and all the 40s efforts were well made (a bit more mixed for the 50s ones). To me though Fleischer's Popeye cartoons were funnier and fresher (even when the stories were formulaic the material was often very inventive) and they looked better, or at least looked better than the later Famous Studios output where time and budget limitations showed.
1947 was not a bad year for the series or even the studio. 'Wotta Knight' really isn't the series at its best and doesn't really represent what it is that makes the Popeye cartoons appealing. One of the weakest Popeye cartoons of 1947, the late-40s (the decade perhaps too) and towards the lower half of the series overall too. Does that mean that 'Wotta Knight' is bad? No it isn't. It is also not particularly great either, while having enough to it to make it worth watching.
'Wotta Knight's' animation is bright and colourful as usual for the late-40s efforts and there is some lovely background detail. Don't have any issue with the music either and never did throughout the series, which is typically merry and sumptuous, adding to and enhancing the action and even gestures and expressions. There are some amusing moments, though nothing here is hilarious or particularly inspired.
Popeye is an enjoyable titular character as always, will never get enough of his asides, while Bluto matches him, betters him even, in comic timing while being a suitably formidable foil. Their chemistry is nice though there is not an awful lot new to it. The voice acting is also fine.
However, 'Wotta Knight' is very predictable and never feels particularly inspired. It could have done with more energy and certainly more gags, what was there never really rises above amusing. The first half can be quite dull and while things do pick up in the second half, the wildness isn't quite there.
Olive is very bland and has very little to do other than being a plot device.
In summary, worth the look but not great. 6/10
1947 was not a bad year for the series or even the studio. 'Wotta Knight' really isn't the series at its best and doesn't really represent what it is that makes the Popeye cartoons appealing. One of the weakest Popeye cartoons of 1947, the late-40s (the decade perhaps too) and towards the lower half of the series overall too. Does that mean that 'Wotta Knight' is bad? No it isn't. It is also not particularly great either, while having enough to it to make it worth watching.
'Wotta Knight's' animation is bright and colourful as usual for the late-40s efforts and there is some lovely background detail. Don't have any issue with the music either and never did throughout the series, which is typically merry and sumptuous, adding to and enhancing the action and even gestures and expressions. There are some amusing moments, though nothing here is hilarious or particularly inspired.
Popeye is an enjoyable titular character as always, will never get enough of his asides, while Bluto matches him, betters him even, in comic timing while being a suitably formidable foil. Their chemistry is nice though there is not an awful lot new to it. The voice acting is also fine.
However, 'Wotta Knight' is very predictable and never feels particularly inspired. It could have done with more energy and certainly more gags, what was there never really rises above amusing. The first half can be quite dull and while things do pick up in the second half, the wildness isn't quite there.
Olive is very bland and has very little to do other than being a plot device.
In summary, worth the look but not great. 6/10
Though, according to the voice cast credits . . .
pixrox128 March 2023
Warning: Spoilers
. . . Olive appears in the Popeye WHAT A KNIGHT episode, this seems to be misinformation. Certainly this paper-thin character is never mentioned by name, and the female "Sleeping Beauty" damsel here bears little resemblance to the Olive we've all come to despise and loathe. For one thing, she appears to be far chunkier than Ms. Pipe Cleaner. This is evidenced by the fact that she snores like a heavyweight, not a normal characteristic of the skeletal set. Furthermore, Sleeping Beauty has at least one corn on her feet, which again would be unexpected among the light-footed micro meter types. Then, when she finally awakens due to Popeye tromping on her corn, her wild passion is totally at odds with Olive's usual Ice Queen behavior. Mae may voice this wanton wench, but she's not stuffed with pimento!
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