DePatie-Freleng Enterprises did do some good theatrical series, namely Pink Panther (the 60s output), The Inspector and the Ant and the Aardvark. The Blue Racer series however is one of the ones that never did do much for me, not everything is bad and a few of the cartoons are watchable but most of the cartoons are lacklustre and its worst opponents (i.e. The beetle) are awful. Am not saying this with pleasure, being a big animation fan and seeing as the studio did do some great cartoons.

'Blues Aces Wild' did have some potential. The premise was not one that immediately excited, as it is the sort of premise that could pass for any other theatrical series, but it is always a relief whenever there is a Blue Racer cartoon that does not have the beetle in it. 'Blue Aces Wild' is another Blue Racer cartoon however that proves that not every Blue Racer cartoon that doesn't feature the beetle is automatically better. There's worse in the series, but this is not so ace and is no great shakes really.

Am going to start with the good. Doug Goodwin's music still shines. The music is characterful and upbeat with an infectious main theme and the opening credits are well designed. There are some nice colours and the character animation on Blue Racer is fun, especially his frustrated and angry facial expressions.

Blue Racer has grown in personality as has Larry D. Mann's craftiness voicing him. Some of Blue Racer's lines are amusing and the Wizard has a kooky craftiness that is quite fun, despite the fact that he is not in 'Blue Aces Wild' much. Paul Winchell voices with enthusiasm, the accent is stereotypical but Winchell at least understood what the character is meant to be.

However, quite a lot doesn't work. None of the other characters make much impression. That is including Crazylegs Crane in his first appearance in the Blue Racer series, in fact he is the biggest waste. He is barely in it and has so little to do in a role that feels irrelevant, one questions why was he even in it. While Blue Racer is rootable here, he works a lot better as a crafty sort of character. Not the sort of character that the writers tried to make one feel sorry for by placing him in a scenario where he is treated in a mean spirited way, like here, which dulls his character down a bit.

Story-wise, 'Blue Aces Wild' is very flimsy and merely a loose variation of most of the other Blue Racer cartoons, just with different characters. Although not short-changed when it comes to the gags, which is emphasised more than the story, the gags are quite stale from being used elsewhere many times previous and they are not particularly funny (the amusing parts are in Blue Racer's dialogue). Animation is really not great here, apart from the character animation of Blue Racer. It is very flatly coloured, static and the backgrounds are overly-simple and unfinished looking, even for a purposefully abstract visual style.

Overall, no great shakes. 5/10.

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.

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Feeling down about his reptilian appearance, Blue Racer wonders what it would be like to instead be a bird. Just then, a wizard appears out of thin air in need of some snake sweat for a magical potion. Blue Racer refuses to help, but the wizard entices him by offering to grant him three wishes. Intrigued, Blue Racer wishes he had wings. The wizard obliges, but a little courting escapade, an encounter with Crazylegs Crane, and the rescue of a small chick make Blue Racer realize that life as a winged blue snake isn't all it's cracked up to be.

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