Round Trip to Mars (1957)

Round Trip to Mars Review

Round Trip to Mars is a 1957 animated short film from the Woody Woodpecker series. It is a pretty solid, but problematic short.

Woody’s vacation in the desert is interrupted by a German-accented scientist who thinks he has landed on Mars and wants to take Woody back as a specimen. This flick is just a lot of fun, there is no denying that. Not all of the gags worked, but most did work and were quite amusing. The scientist is a funny creation, Woody is quite conniving here and their dynamic was so good.

But the problem with this movie is one that I’ve had with quite a few of Woody Woodpecker movies from this period – they feel way too similar to Looney Tunes in mayhem, kinetic energy and crazy characters. Woody should have different movies, those that focus more on his darkness and lunacy. Copying Looney Tunes is fine, but it can only take you so far.

Round Trip to Mars is a very well made and funny Woody Woodpecker cartoon, but one that felt a bit too similar to the Looney Tunes style of mayhem.

My Rating – 3.8