The Ant and the Aardvark

Gr 1–4—Originally produced in the early 1970s, this animated collection of shorts hasn't aged as well as other TV cartoons from this era, such as The Pink Panther Show. Every episode revolves around Aardvark attempting to eat Ant, with Ant outsmarting Aardvark and causing slapstick-style bodily harm. This format feels like a rehash of the old Tom and Jerry or Road Runner gags, with no real twist. Thrown on top are cringeworthy jokes. For example, when Aardvark's snout gets pulled and goes limp, he states it's hard to keep a "stiff upper lip"…groan. John Byner's vocal impressions of Dean Martin and Jackie Mason, which are the voices for Ant and Aardvark, respectively, will be lost on today's kids. Overall, the artwork seems faded and feels rushed, even for a time when cartoons were purposefully made as cheaply as possible. Among the extras, two documentaries and the audio commentary for select episodes are very well done and will be appreciated by cartoon buffs and collectors.