Ace in the Hole (1942)

Ace in the Hole Review

Ace in the Hole is a 1942 animated short film from the Woody Woodpecker series. It is a pretty good flick.

In this short, Woody wants to fly an airplane, but his bulldog sergeant won’t let him. This movie was clearly made to support the war effort, but it is devoid of politics, which was refreshing. It has a war background, but cartoony action is on the forefront, which was a great choice. The highlight is that polished animation and some very memorable action set pieces and clever gags.

The sergeant character was quite amusing. The poor guy did not stand a chance against the deranged Woody and eventually he ended up being in a wheelchair in that very well executed final sequence. The flight scenes were so much fun while Woody was his reliably goofy and manic self. The score is also more pronounced this time around to great results.

Ace in the Hole has a familiar premise, but its execution is mostly quite strong. The highlights are its polished animation and some very solid gags.

My Rating – 4