"Little 'Tinker" is another Tex Avery MGM cartoon and this one is from 1948, so it has its 70th anniversary this year. The protagonist here is a little skunk that is madly in love with basically all the animals from the forest, but his smell makes it fairly hard for them to appreciate his efforts. Like many other times with Avery, it is about a character that really only appears in this one film and never again. The voice cast includes a few fairly well known names that lovers of these old cartoons will immediately recognize. Sadly, the outcome here is a bit on the underwhelming side though. The protagonist is cute in his off-stage scenes and the ending is kinda sweet too, even if it feels a bit forced to be happy, but the weaknesses prevail. The music and coolness factor did almost nothing for me, the plays on words are fairly mediocre and it just wasn't funny or entertaining or sweet enough in my opinion. Avery's films are usually more about coolness really than about emotion, but this one comes short in both fields. It does not live up to the premise in the seven minutes from start to finish. the good animation alone os not really enough for me to give this one a thumbs-up as honestly most cartoon works from this Golden Age of Animation, not just by MGM, look very nice. My suggestion is to skip this one.

OTHER THAN THE central character of a love starved skunk who has no problem with trans-species relationships, there is nothing to distinguish this entry into MGM's animation department. That's no to say that it isn't interesting, enjoyable and full of yuks, for it is. FILLING THE ONE reel of cartoon with such a slim premise is made possible with Director Avery's inclusion of multiple examples of two of his favorite tools. Those would be the sight gag and its literary cousin, the play on words or "pun", if you will. WELL, ANYWAY THE cartoon was not meant to be the main event; but rather a sort of warm up for the movie going public of the day. It was supposed to get the program progressing along to the feature film in a happy, ,receptive mood.AND WE BELIEVE that Mr. Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery did well achieve this end!

Love animation, it was a big part of my life as a child, particularly Disney, Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry, and still love it whether it's film, television or cartoons.Also have much admiration for Tex Avery, an animation genius whose best cartoons are animated masterpieces and some of the best he ever did. 'Little 'Tinker' is a romantic-themed cartoon that is perfect for Valentine's Day and will have anybody in the same position or has been in the same position swooning, at the same it is also very classic Avery, meaning while not violent or deranged it is hilarious, creative and there is a wild wackiness. It's up for debate as to whether 'Little 'Tinker' is one of his all time greats, but the brilliance of its quality is hard to deny.The main character is one that is very easy to root for, there are all the classic jokes of the bad effects skunks leave on others but this is a character where one is happy when he's happy and feel for when he's hated. The romantic element to 'Little 'Tinker' is adorable and very touching.Despite how this may sound, 'Little 'Tinker' is also a hilarious cartoon and has moments of pure Avery lunacy in terms of the wild humour that he is so well known for. It is hard to pick a favourite funny moment, because the cartoon is full of them and everything works.It is no surprise either that the animation is superb, being rich in colour and detail. The character designs are unique, Avery always did have creative character designs, and suitably fluid. The music, courtesy of Scott Bradley, is lushly and cleverly orchestrated, with lively and energetic rhythms and fits very well indeed. The use of pre-existing music, such as the famous 'Lucia Di Lammermoor' sextet (which old-animation fans will recognise straight away regardless of their stance on opera).All in all, a brilliant cartoon and an Avery classic. 10/10 Bethany Cox

This is a wonderful Tex Avery cartoon for MGM and is full of the usual weirdness that make Avery cartoons among the best shorts ever made. This movie is hilarious but also quite endearing and cute--an odd happening in an Avery toon, but the results are still wonderful.An adorable little skunk is sad because he can't find a girlfriend. Every time he comes near any animal, it runs in terror. He's so sad and desperate that he decided to try a book for advice. Most of the film concerns his dressing up as "Frankie" (to the younger crowd, this is a reference to Frank Sinatra and the hysterical reaction women had to him in the 1940s). When he begins to croon, the animals go wild and do crazy stuff--such as kicking themselves in the head, burying themselves and shooting huge kisses across the stage at him (all vintage Avery reactions when someone falls for another person).Later, his disguise is revealed and he is once again hated by all. So, he goes back to the book and is told to try camouflage. He then paints himself up as a fox and meets and cute female box and all seems perfect until they accidentally fall into the lake. His disguise washes off and he is heart-broken,...until it is revealed that she, too, is a skunk disguised as a skunk. And, they live happily ever after.The film is just adorable, well-made and sweet while STILL being funny and not too sappy. A great cartoon.