Good idea lost in the noise

From my favorite movies..

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

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.Sid Marcus's previous Chilly Willy cartoons, 'Salmon Loafer' and 'Pesky Pelican' were average at best disappointments. 'Deep Freeze Squeeze' is a huge improvement however and one of Chilly's better early 60s cartoons as well as one of Marcus's better Chilly Willy cartoons. After being sorely missed in 'Pesky Pelican', Smedley is back and the cartoon makes the most of his return. 'Deep Freeze Squeeze' is not perfect, a couple of the gags are predictable and, while bright and colourful and much better looking than Marcus's previous efforts, the animation looks a little rushed and rough in places.However, 'Deep Freeze Squeeze' is one of the least formulaic and repetitive Chilly Willy cartoons in a while up to this point, the marooning idea has not been done a lot with Chilly Willy (apart from 'Robinson Gruesome' but that was a tropical island not the wintry setting here) and neither has the desire for Chilly and Smedley to want to eat each other to survive. The ending is a change of pace and a surprising one.The music, with Clarence Wheeler returning with the previous two cartoons being scored by Walter Greene (who still did a decent job but there was a preference with Wheeler) is full of lively bounce and character, with luscious orchestration. It not only adds to the action and visuals but enhances them too.All the gags are rarely less than amusing and beautifully timed. This is particularly the case with the second supply and Chilly's want to eat Smedley. The chemistry between Chilly and Smedley sparkles, and it is always remarkable at what Chilly has up his sleeve and how he does it. Underneath all that irresistible cuteness he is one clever, funny and at times fairly brutal penguin.Chilly is adorable and is also a lot of fun, with his actions speaking far louder than words. 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 is remarkably calm considering the dire situation. He is the slightly funnier and more interesting of the two usually (Chilly has the slight edge here though), there are some very humorous bits of dialogue and Daws Butler (in his characteristic and distinctive Huckleberry Hound southern drawl) does a marvellous job as ever. Narration is nicely done.Overall, very well done and surprisingly good after being disappointed by the previous two cartoons. 8/10 Bethany Cox

This short, a good but not great Chilly Willy cartoon, is from the Lantz Studios later years. Though a complete scene for scene description wouldn't really "spoil the short, herewith is the obligatory spoiler warning:Chilly and Smedley are on a ship trapped in the ice and have run out of food. The supply plane finally shows up late, our heroes think they are saved when disaster strikes and they lose all their supplies save for on can of "Beans". There follows a short bit revolving around the can which is predictable but still mildly funny.When that bit ends, Chilly decides Smedley is on the menu. Smedley is remarkably calm and laid back about Chilly sinking his incisors into various parts of his anatomy.A second supply drop ends up in a rather funny failure (at least for Chilly and Smedley) and the chase is on again, diner chasing dasher.The short is on The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection Volume 2 and is worth a look. The DVD set itself is great.