I Love to Singa (1936)

This animated short was just so unbelievably adorable! The little Owl Jolson was so incredibly cute and likable, being one of the most endearing characters ever made in all the history of animation.The song used in this short was very catchy and pleasant to hear, while the plot of this animation was highly entertaining.The animation is flawless, with very cute and appealing designs, beautiful sceneries, fluid movements and a lovely use of colors."I love to Singa" has all the charming qualities from many of the classic cartoons of the Golden Age of Animation, being a very enjoyable short for all the family.

Tex Avery's 'I Love to Singa' is a cartoon which confounds expectations about both Avery's work and Warner Bros. cartoons in general. At this early stage in their development, the Merrie Melodies series of cartoons were an attempt to rival the prestige colour cartoons of Walt Disney, often by emulating them. Thus 'I Love to Singa' is full of cute, wide-eyed characters and a sweet, slow-moving plot. However, it's what Avery does with these character that makes 'I Love to Singa' a mini-masterpiece. A parody of 'The Jazz Singer', 'I Love to Singa' stars a baby owl named Owl Jolson, a jazz lover born into a family of classical musicians. When an over-zealous Papa Owl throws his son out for insisting on singing jazz, Owl Jolson goes on to win a radio talent contest and, subsequently, the approval of his family. This thinnest of plots is infused with enormous appeal through Avery's mixture of strikingly handsome, warm visuals and hilarious character comedy. The cartoon is nearly stolen by a stammering hillbilly bird and his laboured rendition of Simple Simon but ultimately 'I Love to Singa' belongs to Owl Jolson, a character who manages to be cute without being cloying. Every time he opens his mouth to sing, 'I Love to Singa' positively lights up. While you won't find any of the anarchic humour associated with Warner Bros. or the 100mph pacing and exaggerated reaction shots associated with Avery here, what you will find is an exceptional example of great storytelling and charming character comedy. 'I Love to Singa', while too sweet for some viewers, is a true classic in my eyes and I adore it more ever time I see it.

I discovered this cartoon rather late in life, like at about 50. I had looked for it unsuccessfully based on a description a neighbor girl gave me when I was 23. She said it was the best cartoon in the universe and then did the "I Love to Singa" dance.Thank God for the internet! It was one of my first real search efforts and I found it! At the time, it was viewable on the Warners Brothers site but I am not sure that's still the case. I now have it on a video taped from a Tex Avery marathon years ago.There is nothing so sad in life that Owl Jolson can't make it a little better. Tex, if they have issued you a laptop in heaven, THANKS PAL! I love you!

This cute 1936 cartoon has recently been restored on the Looney Tunes Volume 2 DVD box set. You will find it's original opening titles as opposed to the BLUE RIBBON reissue titles that have been seen for years.By the way, did you know that Tommy "Butch" Bond from the OUR GANG/LITTLE RASCALS did the voice of young Owl Jolson in this cartoon, which can also be heard (in a short audio snippet) in the first episode of SOUTH PARK--the one entitled "Cartman Gets An Anal Probe"? The cartoon itself is sort of a parody of Al Jolson's real life, being put down by his family for choosing to sing a different kind of music than his family; and after all Jolson was still somewhat of a big star at Warner Bros. so he was fair game for a caricature.