Good start, but then it gets ruined

Admirable film.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

"Pecos Bill" is an American animated short film from 1948, so this one has its 70th anniversary this year. It says here on imdb 23 minutes, but I think actually it runs for a bit under 20 in fact and here we have another old cartoon about American everyday heroes like Paul Bunyan, Johnny Appleseed etc. Pecos Bill is probably not the most known of the bunch, but his eternal friendship with his horse as well as his romance with Slue Foot Sue. It needs a little while to get going I would say, but at the latest when the previously mentioned ginger redhead character enters the picture, it is really worth seeing, not just looks-wise, but also story-wise. It is a Disney production with the inclusion of Clyde Geronimo and the best way to watch this one is to go for Melody Time, a full feature film that includes other cartoons and also some live action. Maybe just watch the segment if you know the other stuff already or don't care for it. As for this one here, music's nice, animation is nice and the story isn't too bad either. This is really exactly what a western animation film should look like, a pretty daring genre combination that could also go very wrong. But it all worked out fine, even became pretty touching towards the end. See it and with Ferdinand getting his own full feature recently, maybe this one here can at some point too. I'd definitely watch it.

This cartoon was originally part of Melody Time. It's the longest cartoon in that movie and probably the best. It tells the story of Pecos Bill, a cowboy raised by wolves and capable of amazing feats. He meets the love of his life, Slue Foot Sue, and plans to marry her. But his jealous horse Widowmaker isn't happy about it. Great harmonies from Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers, who appear in live-action mixed with the animation. Disney's child stars of the time, Bobby Driscoll and Luana Patten, also appear. Indian part and cigarette smoking will no doubt ruffle politically correct feathers. It's harmless unless you insist on making it otherwise. It's a fun, cute cartoon.

'Pecos Bill' is one of the segments from Disney's 'Melody Time'. In my opinion, it is a cartoon with very little to offer and limited appeal. It is basically just another cartoon. And one that isn't particularly interesting, with a bland plot, poor artwork, characters incapable of captivating the public and literally no charm.The only thing I really liked in this was the live-action sequences, with actors Roy Rogers, Bob Nolan, Bobby Driscoll and Luana Patten. The actors don't portray any characters, they portray themselves (which is fun). Bob Nolan, besides himself, is also cast as The Sons of the Pioneers. And I really like that horse, it's beautiful. These live-action sequences, while not the best Disney has ever made, are nevertheless interesting, charming and fun.If this was an entirely live-action short and these actors portrayed the animated characters (not by voicing them but as live-action) I'm sure it would have been a lot better. Unfortunately the live-action bits are short, way too short.By giving this a 5 rating I am being generous. The 5 is because of the live-action sequences. If I only considered the live-action sequences, I'd rate it much higher than 5. But the animated parts clearly deserve a far lower rating than 5.

My only complaints are the rather tedious beginning(of the animated sequences that is, the live-action sequences were charming and very nicely shot) and there are one or two scenes when the animation is not always as good as it could've been, one or two of the characters looked a tad deflated. Still there is a lot to enjoy, especially the fast pace of the well thought out story and the rousing songs. The animation in general was nice to look at, and the characters were engaging enough. A huge part of what made the cartoon so enjoyable to watch was the voice of Roy Rogers, he was fantastic here, what a voice and the male singing was top notch as well. Overall, has its minor flaws but it is jolly good fun!8/10 Bethany Cox