The Schlesinger crew is now trying to make Buddy the new Looney Tunes star. After a couple of bad entries, new director Earl Duvall managed to make several enjoyable cartoons, even if the main character wasn't the most interesting personality in animation. The first full year of the new gang beckons!

Buddy the Gob
Directed by Isadore Freleng
Friz Freleng's first official credit as a director! Sailor Buddy goes to China where he finds out a girl will be sacrificed to the Sacred Dragon. He has to outwit a guard and save her. I like how Buddy actually has to try more than one thing to succeed and doesn't even escape completely unscathed himself!
7.5

Pettin' in the Park
Directed by Bernard Brown
This is how messy things were at Schlesinger at that point – even the studio composer gets to try his hand at directing cartoons! Romantic scenes involving both people and birds. Then the latter participate in a diving and swimming contest where they use everything from bikes to bathtubs. Things get quite chaotic. For the most part, this is a fun and wacky cartoon. A slight minus for the somewhat ugly scenes with the humans – thankfully there aren't many of them.
8

Honeymoon Hotel
Directed by Earl Duvall
This Merrie Melodies short was the first color cartoon ever released by Warner Bros., though most of their shorts will remain in black and white for now! This one is about a couple from Bugtown who go to the titular hotel. But their honeymoon keeps getting interrupted by other characters peeping on them. At the same time cute and daring for its time, with entirely sung dialogue. One of the very best in the series so far.
9.5

Buddy and Towser
Directed by Isadore Freleng
Buddy tells his dog Towser to guard some chickens for him, and a fox immediately shows up. The fox and the dog end up in a wild chase that Buddy joins soon after. For a character often thought to be the most boring in the entire series, this cartoon truly surprised me. Freleng seems to handle Buddy the best out of all the directors – he's not infallible, and while that was often the case with Bosko too, when Friz's Buddy gets humiliated, that isn't carried out by an extremely unlikable character like Wilbur. He also lets the visuals, sound effects and music do their job – no unnecessary dialogue. Proof that virtually any character can shine in the right hands!
9.5

Beauty and the Beast
Directed by Isadore Freleng
The second color cartoon by the studio. The color scheme is a bit limited (both this and "Honeymoon Hotel" use two-color Cinecolor), but I've definitely seen much worse uses of it. A little girl dreams about going to Toyland where she's welcomed by all the toys, but the "mean and vicious" Beast is lurking. It's a charming little cartoon, more of the cute type than a particularly funny cartoon (though there are still some decent jokes)... and just try to get the title song out of your head!
8

Buddy's Garage
Directed by Earl Duvall
Buddy fixes cars in his garage. One of his customers kidnaps Cookie, and a car chase ensues. This is quite similar to most of the Buddy cartoons (and the Boskos for that matter), including the ending being essentially recycled from that of "Buddy's Show Boat". Sadly, Duvall's last cartoon for the studio wasn't as good as his best ones (which admittedly didn't feature Buddy), but still a solid entry.
7.5

Those Were Wonderful Days
Directed by Bernard Brown
A look at the old days, complete with a song performed by a barbershop quartet. The first half focuses mostly on music and old-fashioned sequences, but the short gets more interesting when a mustache-twirling villain shows up, and surprise, the hero has to save a girl from him. The main difference from the average cartoon of the day is the memorable ending. The second and last cartoon directed by Brown who would continue composing for the cartoons for a couple more years. Interestingly, both of his cartoons feature a diving contest – I can't help but wonder if they were something he particularly enjoyed watching or participating in.
8

Buddy's Trolley Troubles
Directed by Isadore Freleng
Buddy is a trolley driver. He ends up getting in trouble with a rude police officer and a train among other things. Buddy has to save Cookie once again when an escaped criminal takes over the trolley with her on it. Railroad-themed cartoons seem to have been very popular back then – this may not be the best of them, but neither is it the worst.
7.5

Goin' to Heaven on a Mule
Directed by Isadore Freleng
A man on a cotton farm prefers boozing to working. Will a dream where he's thrown out of heaven (or "Pair-o-Dice") change his mind? There are some entertaining moments like the angel vs. devil conscience fight often seen in later cartoons, and the music is very nice. On the other hand, the stereotypical portrayals of the characters make this a very dated one (and have pretty much ensured its obscurity).
7.5

Buddy of the Apes
Directed by Ben Hardaway
Buddy, here in the role of Tarzan, helps the animals in the jungle. First he has to save a little monkey from danger, then the two outwit a group of cannibals. Again, Buddy appears to be at his best when the focus is more on the action (and a little music) instead of having too much dialogue. A good and cartoony first effort from Hardaway who will be another important figure in Looney Tunes history.
8.5

How Do I Know It's Sunday
Directed by Isadore Freleng
Food package mascots come to life in a closed store on Sunday. Then flies try to eat the foods. After they attack a cookie girl, the mascots and flies fight each other. This reminds me of some of the Harman-Ising cartoons, especially "I Like Mountain Music", also with the imaginative use of products as weapons. But it's still a fun short to watch, despite a gross gag involving a popcorn ball near the end!
8

Buddy's Bearcats
Directed by Jack King
Another debuting director – a lot is changing at this point. Including Cookie's design – she's now blonde (and no longer resembles Betty Boop). Buddy's Bearcats are a baseball team, facing the Battling Bruisers. A lot of people are trying to see the game without paying. The game itself is quite a crazy one – I can't say I'm a baseball expert, but surely bug spray and wheels aren't usually used in the game! Wacky but a bit hard to follow at times – a later attempt at the same theme is more to my liking...
7

Why Do I Dream Those Dreams
Directed by Isadore Freleng
Rip Van Winkle and his dog are thrown out by his wife. In the forest, Rip sees some gnomes, drinks their beer and turns as small as they are, which causes him some trouble. I think this is a pretty weak entry especially by Freleng's standards – the animation is fine, but most of the short feels uneventful even for the time (it's pretty much just the first and last minute of it where anything happens).
6

The Girl at the Ironing Board
Directed by Isadore Freleng
This short takes place in a laundry where clothes fall in love, make music and dance just like people. Yes, this is another cartoon where the hero has to save a damsel in distress, but I find this one an interesting take – the clichéd mustache-twirling villain leaves his clothes in the laundry and they proceed to act like he would. Nothing groundbreaking, but a delightfully weird take on the "things come to life" theme that appeals to me! The cartoon starts with a huge MPPDA seal, signifying that they now had to get approved by censors (though not many of the earlier ones would probably have struggled with that anyway).
8.5

The Miller's Daughter
Directed by Isadore Freleng
A china sculpture of the title character is broken and discarded, to the dismay of another sculpture of a shepherd. Thankfully he glues her back together and they dance, until the shepherd's lamb gets chased by a lion. A cartoon that doesn't have many gags – but I think this one is very cute with some interesting animation.
8

Buddy the Detective
Directed by Jack King
A mad musician, who hypnotizes others to play the piano for him (but not jazz!), abducts Cookie. It's up to Buddy (and Cookie's dog) to save her. An entertaining short, the musician steals the show here compared to the still somewhat bland Buddy. Definitely a lot better than King's first effort!
8.5

Shake Your Powder Puff
Directed by Isadore Freleng
The "Powder Puff Revue" in a barn, consisting of several animals performing music. A heckling dog keeps getting thrown out. The highlight is the title song, another memorable one, performed first by a female rabbit trio (and three Donald Duck lookalikes) and later by three male pigs. Another nice one, mixing music with some comedy.
8

Rhythm in the Bow
Directed by Ben Hardaway
A hobo gets kicked off a train but ends up finding the perfect place for him – a retreat where fellow hobos are having a good time. But an angry dog gives him some trouble. This is not a particularly special short for the most part, but I think the ending is a lovely one.
7.5

Buddy the Woodsman
Directed by Jack King
If Buddy has felt like a less interesting version of Bosko, this short does nothing to change that. He's a lumberjack (a role played by Bosko not once but twice), there are scenes of him playing music and Cookie dancing... A bear starts eating the lumberjacks' food and then starts chasing Buddy and Cookie. The problem for me is that Buddy obviously provokes the bear by punching him (he had shown no intent to harm Cookie before that, just licking her like a dog), making the lead unlikable in addition to being bland. Some of the scenes where the leads fight the bear are decent, but otherwise I'm expecting better by now.
6.5

Buddy's Circus
Directed by Jack King
A series of circus acts, rather similar to 1932's "I Love a Parade" (even the rubber man act returns). Many of these acts are performed by African natives whose portrayal hasn't aged very well... A baby from the audience gets caught up in the performance, with Buddy of course having to save Junior. Decent but by no means spectacular.
7

Those Beautiful Dames
Directed by Isadore Freleng
The Merrie Melodies now permanently switch to color, though the Looney Tunes (the Buddy cartoons at this point) will stay in black and white for almost a decade. An orphan girl finds shelter in a cold house. While she's asleep, a bunch of toys arrive to decorate the place and throw a party for her. A cute short that's enjoyable despite a lack of real standout moments – there's a fun gag with a skipping record, though.
7.5

Buddy's Adventures
Directed by Ben Hardaway
Buddy and Cookie get another redesign – the former is now cuter, slightly more childish, while the latter is back to being dark-haired. The duo is traveling on a hot air balloon and lands in Sourtown where laughing, singing and dancing are banned by decree of King Sourpan. Of course, the jolly Buddy breaks these rules and they get arrested. How can they get out of trouble? This is actually a strong contender for the best Buddy cartoon so far – the plot is an interesting one, the "sour" people are depicted entertainingly, and the usually boring lead character ends up being perfect for his role. Possibly the biggest positive surprise for me so far!
9.5

Pop Goes Your Heart
Directed by Isadore Freleng
Various animal gags, many of them musical. Three frogs perform the title song. A bear tries to chase the smaller animals but gets beaten embarrassingly. Rather a cute cartoon than a particularly funny one, but it does have that 30s charm to it.
7.5

Viva Buddy
Directed by Jack King
After "Buddy's Adventures", we get a more average Buddy cartoon, though this is still more eventful than the worst ones. Buddy is in Mexico and goes to the "Cantina El Moocher". Everyone has fun until the evil Pancho shows up. It's pretty much the ordinary plot – Pancho tries to take Cookie with him, then Buddy comes to the rescue. Pancho is a surprisingly funny character with his manic laugh and some fun lines ("I kill you to little pieces"). The ending in this one is a bit strange, I guess the crew was getting tired of doing essentially the same thing over and over.
8

Buddy the Dentist
Directed by Ben Hardaway
Buddy makes some fudge for Cookie, but his dog Bozo ends up eating it all. Bozo gets a toothache, and Buddy has to pull out his tooth, which proves very difficult. Good cartoony antics, with a twist ending that would be reused for another much more popular cartoon later on.
8

And what about our old friend Bosko? He lived on at MGM, appearing in the Happy Harmonies cartoon "Bosko's Parlor Pranks". His first color appearance was a pretty lazy one, as almost a third of it was recycled footage from the earlier WB cartoons. But there was a standout moment – the bratty Wilbur not getting what he wanted for once!

1934 was for the most part a good one for WB cartoons. There were still some weak entries, and obviously the best days were yet to come, but there were more good and even great cartoons than in the earlier years. After a difficult start, the new crew is starting to truly impress, the all-new directors included. On to 1935, which will be the most interesting year for WB cartoons yet!