Love animation, it was a big part of my life as a child, particularly Disney, Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry, and still love it whether it's film, television or cartoons.
Also have much admiration for Tex Avery, an animation genius whose best cartoons are animated masterpieces and some of the best he ever did. 'Porky the Rain-Maker' is fairly early career Avery, but it's a good, very good even, early Avery cartoon. For Avery, 'Porky the Rain-Maker' is fairly tame with his uniquely wacky style being more obvious from the 40s onward, a sense that he was still finding his style. There is evidence of it though, especially when the pills start taking effect on the animals and the cartoon particularly starts picking up. Porky is fun and appealing, but there is a vast personal preference for Mel Blanc voicing Porky than Joe Dougherty, who didn't sound as natural as the character.
However, the animation in 'Porky the Rain-Maker' is characteristically great, crisp, detailed and fluid, the black and white holds up well. The music is energetic and lush, not Carl Stalling or Scott Bradley quality but it fits very well and is well composed.
'Porky the Rain-Maker' is timed beautifully and is very funny and inventive when things get chaotic. The story has shades of 'Jack and the Beanstalk' but with no beanstalk and giant, with the second half centring around the effects that the weather pills have on the animals and the consequences. Things don't get too predictable.
Tedd Pierce does a good job with his voice work. The father is suitably stern and the animals are great fun.
Overall, very well done if not one of Avery's best. 8/10 Bethany Cox
