One thing you can say about the Disney shorts from the 1930s is that they were artistically the best cartoons available. So, even if the plots were occasionally limp (especially with their all-singing cartoons),the art work is still very, very impressive. "Toby Tortoise Returns" is beautifully animated. The colors are very vibrant and the backgrounds lovely.

The story picks up after the story of "The Tortoise and the Hare" (also a prior Disney cartoon). The same characters are now involved in a boxing match. Toby is fighting against 'Max Hare' (a play on the name of the champion Max Baer). And, while Max cheats and the odds are clearly against Toby, the ending is pretty much what you'd expect. As for the rest, the cartoon is only fair but I did enjoy seeing it for all the Disney character cameos--such as the industrious pig from "The Three Little Pigs", Donald and Goofy. There also are characters that are caricatures of Mae West and Harpo Marx. The cartoon is more interesting than funny but is still worth your time.

I have always loved Disney Silly Symphonies, and I always found The Tortoise and the Hare to be one of their best. Toby Tortoise Returns is just as great. The animation doesn't quite have the stylistic touches of Tortoise and the Hare, but is still of the colourful and fluid quality, and the music has much energy and helps to enhance the action. The story is interesting and constantly entertains whether you are a boxing fan or not, and of the scenes making up Toby Tortoise Returns the standouts were Toby's dream sequence showing Jenny Wren lookalikes, showing what Toby would rather be doing instead, and the gag where Max Hare(still a conceited bully) puts the fireworks in Toby's shell and it backfires. Toby Tortoise Returns is also worth watching not just for Max and Toby's contrasting personalities but also the cameos the Mae West caricature of Jenny Wren(from Who Killed Cock Robin?),the Three Little Pigs and the ambulance driver from Pluto's Judgement Day. The referee reminds me very much of Droopy Dog. Overall, just as good a sequel to one of Disney's best. 9/10 Bethany Cox

This sequel to the Tortoise and the Hare is a little amusing - a very nice throwback to the previous story.

The two animals takes boxing to a whole new level and the cartoon has some special cameos from past Silly Symphony characters. However, I think the Tortoise and the Hare take the sport a little too over-the-top, in the league of the over-imagination of the anti-wolf machines in the Three Little Pigs sequels.

Crazy stuff here, but definitely doesn't surprise the original story.

Grade C+