Under the Counter Spy

Was very fond of Woody Woodpecker and his cartoons as a child. Still get much enjoyment out of them now as a young adult, even if there are more interesting in personality cartoon characters and better overall cartoons.

That is in no way knocking Woody, because many of his cartoons are a lot of fun to watch and more and also still like him a lot as a character. He is a lot of fun in 'Under the Counter Spy' and never comes over too much of a jerk. "The Bat" is a suitably sinister but entertaining and well-matched opponent and the parody of 'Dragnet' is inspired, with the right amount of wild comedy and criminal suspense.

'Under the Counter Spy's' showdown is a terrific set-piece, suspenseful and lots of fun as one would hope.

As ever, the animation is great. The characters are well drawn, but even better are the rich colours, meticulously detailed backgrounds and smooth backgrounds.

Music is another strength here. It's characterful, lushly orchestrated and is not only dynamic with the action it even enhances it. The whole cartoon goes at a snappy pace, especially in the second half, and there are some very well-timed and extremely funny gags and a great atmosphere.

Overall, wonderful and a huge improvement over the disappointing previous cartoon 'Alley to Bali'. 10/10 Bethany Cox