Fagin’s Freshman Review

Fagin’s Freshman is a 1939 animated short film from the Merry Melodies series. It is an okay short.

This is pretty much a rip-off of Disney’s ‘The Robber Kitten’ as the plot is very similar with just the setting and time period being changed. Again it starts in the same way and ends with the kitten learning his lesson. The framing is very standard here, but definitely the middle section is the highlight.

Those scenes parallel usual gangster fare from the thirties really well which I liked. I really liked Fagin and he is the only memorable character in this film as he pretty much steals the show from everyone else. The score is forgettable, but the animation is actually really nice. The character design is nothing original, but the color palette and the overall look to the film is very strong.

Fagin’s Freshman is very rehashed, but mostly well done and very well animated. The middle section is the highlight here.