Van Beuren cartoons are extremely variable, especially in the number of gags and whether the absurdist humour shines through enough (sometimes it does, other times it doesn't), but are strangely interesting. Although they are often poorly animated with barely existent stories and less than compelling lead characters, they are also often outstandingly scored, there can be some fun support characters and some are well-timed and amusing.

'The Animal Fair' is another one of the weak Aesop's Fables/Van Beuren cartoons and towards the bottom end of their 1931 batch. Considering the setting, it should have been much more exciting than it was, but it was instead a case of having a few good things and a lot of the usual flaws in the Aesop's Fables/Van Beuren series.

Best asset about 'The Animal Fair' is the music score, pretty much the best thing consistently of Van Beuren's output. Sometimes even the only good thing. It is so beautifully and cleverly orchestrated, is great fun to listen to and full of lively energy, doing so well with enhancing the action. 

There is some nice energy and some neat incorporation of sound effects. That's pretty much it.

Coming onto the numerous criticisms, the animation is not good, in fact it is downright bad most of the time with erratically sloppy character designs in particular while the simplistic background detail and lack of fluidity and crispness are just as difficult to ignore.

Story is very slight to the point of non-existence and suffers from far too erratic pacing a vast majority of the time, something that affects the visuals a lot of the time because most of it is out of sync. It feels aimless and also random and disjointed. If you are looking for sense too, look elsewhere. Likewise with endearing or memorable characters, the characters here are neither, not to mention very poorly animated.

Basically 'The Animal Fair' is a stringing along of gags structured in a way that's disorganised and random. Generally it is very low on laughs, actually none of it is remotely amusing. Nothing is inventive, never rising above the forgettable and there is not much absurdist about them, timing is really sluggish too. This is a reiteration of a lot of the average and less Aesops Fables/Van Beuren cartoons that have been reviewed by me, but this is due to them having the same strengths and drawbacks.

Overall, weak and less than exciting. 3/10 Bethany Cox

Animation is a form of visual storytelling that involves creating visual art and motion through the use of various techniques and technologies. In animation, images are manipulated to create the illusion of movement, bringing characters, objects, and environments to life. Animation can encompass a wide range of styles, themes, and intended audiences, making it a diverse and versatile form of storytelling.

Daveigh Chase, Rumi Hiiragi, and Mari Natsuki in Spirited Away (2001)

The short form refers to creative works characterized by their brevity and concise storytelling. Unlike full-length feature films, short films have a running time of less than 45 minutes, while TV shorts have a running time of less than 22 minutes.

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)

A fair for and by animals with some fun sight gags.

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The Animal Fair

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