This cartoon is kind of big deal. It marks the return of Porky Pig, the Warner Bros directing debut of none other than Fred “Tex” Avery, and is animated by legends Bob Clampett and Charles “Chuck” Jones. It marks a bit of a turning point for WB cartoons, which had been almost entirely mediocre if not outright bad up until now, into something more sharply written and gag-heavy. The animation is really fluid and and enjoyable to watch, and the plot, about discovering gold and dealing with a robber, moves at a great pace and is entertainingly told. That said, despite all of this praise, there are some major issues with this one. There is of course the fact that Beans is the actual main character, and he’s as boring as ever. There’s also some unfortunate but predictable fat-shaming jokes at Porky’s expense and a boring and sexist ‘woman as prize’ cliche. But most damning, there’s a heaping helping of heinous racism. There’s a pair of gross Chinese caricatures that feature prominently in the first half, and just when I didn’t think it could get worse the characters are covered in dust for a blackface joke. So, yeah, important, historic even, cartoon, but with a gigantic ugly side to it that unfortunately prevents me from being able to recommend it.