The Barber of Seville (1944)

The Barber of Seville Review

The Barber of Seville is a 1944 animated short film from the Woody Woodpecker series. It is an excellent cartoon and one of the best in the series.

This was an extremely important movie for the Woody Woodpecker series for multiple reasons. It was probably the first cartoon to feature music from Rossini’s works, clearly influencing Warner Bros. for their own barbershop-set and Rossini-scored short – ‘Rabbit of Seville’. Although that film is a bit stronger and more iconic, this one also deserves praise for making such a phenomenal use of its music that is synced perfectly with all the mayhem on screen.

The scene with the Native American man is obviously racist and dated, but the rest of the short is fantastic. The highlight is the final two minutes where Woody went crazy and chased that poor man everywhere. Woody being this unhinged barber whom the customers are scared of was a brilliant idea for the series and it really worked. Here, Woody is by far at his most memorable up until this point in the series’ history. It also helps that this was a redesigned Woody that did not have buckled teeth and ugly legs. It’s a cuter, more modern aesthetic that is timeless, but the character still retained his madness, which was great too. It’s the only Woody Woodpecker short included in the 50 Greatest Cartoons list for a reason.

The Barber of Seville is a terrific Woody Woodpecker movie that has a troublesome first half, but a phenomenal second one. This was the point in the series when Woody was redesigned and the movies became more energetic and all the better for it.

My Rating – 4.5