Woody Woodpecker is a stable boy. The stables are located right in an airfield, and the sound of airplanes droning around only fuels his lust to fly. "I want to fly like the birds!" declares the woodpecker. But the only thing the bulldog sergeant on the airfield feels Woody is competent for is clipping the horses with an electric clipper. And considering that Woody accidentally allows the clipper to clip off the sarge's shirt buttons and a long strip of hair off his chin, he may be giving Woody too much credit. Nevertheless, Woody spends his time reading "How to Fly a Plane from the Ground Up." And eventually, he sneaks onto a PU-2.
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Was very fond of Woody Woodpecker and his cartoons as a child. Still get much enjoyment out of them now as a young adult, even if there are more interesting in personality cartoon characters and better overall cartoons.That is in no way knocking Woody, because many of his cartoons are a lot of fun to watch and more and also still like him a lot as a character. To me 'Ace in the Hole' is among his best early cartoons. Not a new idea but done in a way that's hugely entertaining and relatable, even though it's in the flying scenes where 'Ace in the Hole' in particular kicks into gear.While there may be cartoon characters with slightly more interesting personalities, Woody is still at his best incredibly funny, never obnoxious and very lovable self, summing him up in one word it would be wonderfully nuts. His personality traits are still evolving and while a few are different others are unmistakably recognisable. He's also very cute and one does have to feel sorry for the poor guy at the end. The sergeant character is in a way stereotypical, but suitably gruff and provides a good personality contrast and source of conflict.As ever, the animation is great. Woody's character design and physicality have changed/evolved for the better. Even more impressive are the rich and vibrant colours, the meticulously detailed backgrounds and particularly the visuals in the flying scenes which are pretty exhilarating.Another standout quality is the music. It's characterful, lushly orchestrated and is not only dynamic with the action it even enhances it. The writing is suitably witty and raises a number of chuckles, and all the gags are fun. One does feel sorry for Woody at the end and relates to him, especially those who have had their minds set on wanting to have or do something but having to face obstacles to get there.Voice acting is good.Overall, great and one of the best early Woody Woodpecker cartoons. 9/10 Bethany Cox
This cartoon reminds me strongly of the Donald Duck shorts in which DD wants to learn to be a pilot but is stuck peeling potatoes instead. I wasn't clear on whether or not Woody had enlisted in the army, but he is working taking care of horses under a stern sergeant (who reminds me a lot of Disney's Pete of course). Like Donald, Woody longs to become a pilot and ends up getting into an adventure too big to handle. By the time this short was drawn, Woody's physical appearance had evolved a bit. His chin wasn't so receded, his bucked teeth were gone, and he wasn't as crazed as he was when he made his debut in Knock Knock. He was quite adorable, especially at the end when he realizes how many horses he's stuck grooming! Poor Woody :)
I like that old ('40s) expression (see summary headline) which Woody uses frequently in this animated cartoon. He's at a military base (this is World War II, as this cartoon was made in 1942) and he's studying to be a pilot, reading "How To Fly A Plane From the Ground Up."Unfortunately, the only assignments he gets from the stereotypical gruff sergeant are mundane, lower-echelon ones like clipping the horse with some electric shaving razor. Through a series a slapstick occurrences, Woody, predictably, gets to fly "a real plane" and takes off in the "PU-2." The flying scenes were funny and had some very good artwork, too. So far, I thought this was the best of the early Woody Woodpecker cartoons.
