Name: Chilly's Cold War
Genre: Family, Animation, Short
Released: 1970-11-02
Duration: 6 min
Rating: 5.3
Cast: Daws Butler

Chilly Willy's best cartoons were perfect examples of how a potentially one-joke character and concept could end up actually being a perfect mix of the cute and the funny with a lot of colour and good comic timing to go with it.

Smedley makes a welcome return after a run of Chilly being paired with Maxie, which were a mix of good and average, but sadly he deserved a much better return than 'Chilly's Cold War'. He and Chilly are good characters and love their chemistry together, but, while he and Chilly come off well and their chemistry stopping the cartoon from being worse, the material is not worthy for them. Generally, 'Chilly's Cold War' is one of the weaker Chilly Willy cartoons, certainly towards the bottom of the Chilly and Smedley pairings. It is hard to believe that this is the same director that was responsible for Chilly's debut cartoon.

Chilly is adorable and is also a lot of fun, with his actions speaking far louder than words. Prefer him when silent but he still makes an impression even when speaking sparingly. He may be a nuisance to his opponents but he wins the viewer over with his cuteness and timing. Smedley shows perfectly why he and Chilly Willy work so well together, and Daws Butler does a good job as to be expected.

Walter Greene's music is lively and rousingly, cleverly and beautifully orchestrated and fits very well. Love the opening title credits music. The ending is very sweet and the colours and backgrounds actually look good at the beginning.

However, the animation is scrappy. Despite some nice colours it's very simplistically detailed and even more carelessly drawn. Smedley also looks odd here. Colonel Pot Shot is reduced to a bland and underused variation of other boss characters of Smedley, and has lost his comic timing and the conflict doesn't register particularly strongly.

Usually in a Chilly Willy cartoon, many of the gags are fun and solidly timed (not in all cases though), some like in the two Tex Avery cartoons (the two best Chilly Willy cartoons) are very inventive in timing and hilarious, even with obviousness and a lack of variety. The gags here are very tired, predictable and repetitive, being re-treads of similar gags done much better, and the timing is pretty dull particularly in the first half.

The story is also one of the thinnest and most formulaic Chilly Willy cartoons, with almost every part of it done before and better in previous cartoons of his. Chilly's voice is still too much of a mismatch.

All in all, the return of Smedley promised a lot but this left me cold. 4/10 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 comedy genre refers to a category of entertainment that aims to amuse and entertain audiences by using humor, wit, and comedic situations. Comedies are created with the primary intention of eliciting laughter and providing lighthearted enjoyment. They encompass a wide range of styles, tones, and themes, appealing to various tastes and audiences.

Will Ferrell, Angela Grillo, and Lap-Gei Cheung in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)

The family genre features stories specifically created to be suitable for a wide range of age groups within a family. Family-oriented content is designed to be enjoyed by both children and adults, often providing entertainment that is wholesome, relatable, and appropriate for all members of a family to watch or experience together.

Drew Barrymore and Pat Welsh in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

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)

Chilly Willy is cold, so he goes to Colonel Pot Shot''s house, where Smedley is a caretaker.

Get a closer look at some of Hollywood's perfect pairs.

Hollywood Power Couples

Get a closer look at some of Hollywood&#39;s perfect pairs.

"The Gentlemen" and "Slow Horses" return this fall, while the "Reacher" spin-off series "Neagley" makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

2026 Fall TV and Streaming Watch Guide

&quot;The Gentlemen&quot; and &quot;Slow Horses&quot; return this fall, while the &quot;Reacher&quot; spin-off series &quot;Neagley&quot; makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

See who dazzled on the red carpet and took home gold at the 78th Primetime Creative Emmy Awards.

Chilly's Cold War

Photos3

Cast1

User reviews1

More like this

Related interests

Storyline

Did you know

Top picks

Details

Tech specs

Contribute to this page

More to explore

Recently viewed