Conditional background and stereotypes about Mexicans The most desperate competition to Disney cartoons during the XX century was created by Warner Brothers studio, whose Looney Tunes, in contrast to Disney, was distinguished by great cruelty and ridicule. Not only Sylvester, but also many other cartoon characters constantly suffer even in everyday life, when they encounter various small bullies. However, the "Package for General Gracias" surprises not with cruelty, but with animation. More precisely, just a drawing. In the 1960s, animators from different countries independently began to save on locations, which for this reason became more two-dimensional, and this is very striking when comparing cartoons of the 1950s and 1960s.
In a very straightforward way, pointing to Mexico as the setting, the cartoon goes to the characters, and... what is the most famous American cat and mouse duo? Tom and Jerry, of course. And then there's Sylvester the cat and Speedy the mouse. So, Speedy’s appearance so clearly parodies stereotypes about Mexicans that fifty years later, artists and directors would have been hounded for this. Brown coat, imitating tanned skin in combination with a sombrero and a typical Spanish accent - well, isn't this a walking stereotype? Other mice around our fast-legged messenger are no better in this regard, and I dare think that even in 1964 critics were shaking their heads negatively at the sight of such a tape.
But again, the main drawback here is visual. Sylvester’s hilarious failures would be a lot more laughable if they didn’t look like pencil drawings. This is especially true of fire, whose stylization goes far beyond any conventionality. A real bright spot against the background of such a hack looks Sylvester himself, the creation of which, apparently, threw the main forces. Keeping the volume, the character looks a little foreign, but it is more pleasant to look at. It is doubly pleasant that, contrary to the custom, the character is practically not mocked - for American cartoons this is really rare.
The Packet echoes the favorite clichés of American cartoons, with characters taking giant objects out of nowhere or balding from explosions or someone's bites. This is a tradition that allows you to create entertaining content for viewers. However, the scene with the hood opening turned out to be unexpected and therefore very funny.
A cartoon to which there are no strong faults, but it is difficult to call it good.
6 out of 10