Hector's Hectic Life (1948) User Reviews

Familiar, But A Nice Holiday Ending

[ccthemovieman-1 · 7/10 · 12 September 2007]

This is a familiar theme but with a different twist to it. I've seen "Tom" and "Sylvester" and other characters in the same predicament as we find Hector the dog here, meaning he has to be nice and keep things under control if he's going to stay in the house. An added incentive: stay in the house AND get a nice present from Santa Claus, according to his Scandanavian- accented owner. Otherwise, he'll be thrown out in the snow with no holiday fun.

The problem is three little puppies are delivered to the front door....and those little guys are not going to be quiet and orderly. They are going to cause havoc and you know who will be blamed. Can Hector keep them in line?.

There's a nice ending to this, as most short stories and cartoons revolving around Christmas are, and that's a good thing. The feel-good ending makes up for a so-so story.

Nice little cartoon, though a bit too predictable in spots

[llltdesq · 7/10 · 14 October 2006]

This is a cute little cartoon, not exceptional, but entertaining enough and quite well suited for kids. I'll be discussing it in a little detail, so this is a slight spoiler warning:

Hector is a dog. Hector apparently makes a lot of messes in the house and is threatened with expulsion from the house, into a very snowy and cold outdoors, if he does anything else to damage the house or the Christmas tree. It's also suggested that if he avoids getting into trouble, Santa Claus might bring him a gift.

As he considers this, there is a knock on the door and he sees a basket outside. Hector thinks this is his gift and brings it inside. In a way, it is-the pups inside look like chips off the old block. The bulk of the short is spent with Hector trying to undo the damage caused by the pups and prevent himself from getting into trouble. There's nothing all that original here-Hanna and Barbera were doing this type of short years before and did it better. But the short is reasonably funny and there's a nice bit where Hector is wrestling with his conscience when he thinks the pups are outside.

The ending is really rather predictable, but it's quite heartwarming and this is a good cartoon for children. It's been on a fair number of VHS releases and has been on at least one public domain DVD. It might take some effort, but it can be found. Worth watching.

Who Doesn't Love Dogs and Puppies

[Christmas-Reviewer · 7/10 · 30 March 2017]

BEWARE OF FALSE REVIEWS & REVIEWERS. SOME REVIEWERS HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW TO THEIR NAME. NOW WHEN ITS A POSITIVE REVIEW THAT TELLS ME THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE MOVIE. IF ITS A NEGATIVE REVIEW THEN THEY MIGHT HAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST THE FILM . NOW I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 200 HOLIDAY FILMS. I HAVE NO AGENDA. I AM HONEST

The short begins with a dog named Hector (called "Princie" in the short) sleeping on a messy bed and then the housekeeper wakes him up with her broom complaining how he always makes a mess in the house. She gives Hector a warning that if he makes one more mess in the house, he will be thrown outside in the snow without a home, but she then tells him that if he became a good dog, Santa Claus might leave him a Christmas present.

As Hector was about to take a nap at the front door, he hears a knock on the door and thinks it might be Santa leaving him a basket full of bones on the doorstep. He opens the door, sees the basket, and takes it inside the house. As he was about to enjoy the basket, he hears a "yelp" coming from inside the basket. He opens it and out popped three puppies who looked exactly like him.

When the puppies start destroying the house Hector knows he will get the blame and Santa will pass him by.

This Animated Short is Cute and adorable

Hectic charm

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 5 August 2020]

Although the story on paper for 'Hector's Hectic Life' is very familiar ground and there was a big trap of it being executed in an over-cute and over-sentimental way, it also did sound charming and there are a lot of great dog/puppy characters in animation. Have always loved animation and that love will never go, and have liked enough of Famous Studios' work to see what had not been seen yet (like this) and re-watch cartoons not seen in a long time.

'Hector's Hectic Life' is not a great or exceptional cartoon, one of Famous Studios' best or a standout of their Noveltoons series (uneven but worth seeing still). It is a very charming and pleasant watch on the whole though and hard to dislike. It is standard fare on the story front, not uncommon for either the studio or the Noveltoons series and in a way to be expected, but there is a huge amount to it that makes it appealing and it is hard to be too hard on it.

Will get the not so good things out of the way. The story is standard and much of what happens can be seen from quite some way off from having seen it before more than once elsewhere, the whole angel vs devil conscience thing is familiar ground.

Did think that at times it does get a little too hectic pace-wise.

There is not an awful lot wrong otherwise with 'Hector's Hectic Life'. The occasional lack of fluidity aside, the animation has a lot of vibrancy and atmosphere and the drawing is suitably fluid mostly but it is the attention to detail in the backgrounds that is particularly impressive in this regard. Even better is the music. Just love its energy, the beautiful and not sugary orchestration and how it adds so much and even enhances the action.

It is never a hilarious cartoon but it has enough amusement to satisfy and in a way that's well timed. The dialogue for the angel puppy and devil puppy is a lot of fun. The irresistible charm shines more and the cartoon is truly adorable without being too sugary sweet. The characters are engaging, with lots of awwing guaranteed over the puppies. Mae Questel may not be at her very best here but she gives her all to the material.

Overall, a pleasant watch even if it didn't wow me. Much better than the rating here suggests though. 7/10

Charming Short

[Michael_Elliott · 30 November 2012]

Hector's Hectic Life (1948)

*** (out of 4)

Charming animated film about Hector, a dog whose owner grows tired of him making messes so right before Christmas she tells him that he must remain good or else she's going to put him out in the cold. Hector swears to be good but his secret puppies can't quite stay out of trouble. HECTOR'S HECTIC LIFE isn't going to go down in animation history of being one of the greatest films out there but I think it's charming enough and features enough action to keep people entertained. The highlight of the film is a scene where the puppies knock over a fish bowl, spilling all of the water and Hector having to rush to the scene and get it cleaned up. Another good sequence deals with Hector throwing the pups out of the house but then getting a visit from his good and bad sides. For the most part the animation is quite nice and at just over 7-minutes the thing certainly moves good enough with no slow moments.

In another cartoon gender bender . . .

[oscaralbert · 7/10 · 14 December 2016]

. . . HECTOR'S HECTIC LIFE concludes with the title mutt's owner calling him\her "Princess." Though Hector doesn't say a word during this animated short, the angelic and devilish mini-Hectors advising the canine during a nap are both distinctly using the Queen's English with male inflections. Since Hector's identical triplets litter seems to be delivered to his\her doorstep by stork (if storks can knock), it appears likely that Hector is a "he" and that his mistress has had too many nips of the eggnog to think straight. Perhaps more disturbing than Hector's sexual ambiguity is his brush with Cannibalism (a term apparently coined by CANDIDE author Voltaire, where his pirates' motto is "Eat the cans first!). When a mysterious picnic basket is left at Hector's Doggie Door shortly after his mistress has raised his hopes for a Christmas present, Hector immediately ties on his bib and prepares to chow down on what he assumes are Dog Treats from Figis. Things just get hectic from there.

ok

[whateverarchive20 · 6/10 · 12 January 2022]

This short is average in general. So I give this short only a 6 out of 10.

The animation is still decent as far as we know. Although this reminds me of something but I kinda forgot about it.

The ending is wholesome anyways.

It's likely that the famous brothers who began what became . . .

[pixrox1 · 7/10 · 23 September 2023]

. . . "Famous Studios" after a Tinsel Town conglomerate swindled them out of their birthright would upchuck at such pablum as HECTOR'S HECTIC LIFE, during which the voice behind Olive Oil is forced to demean herself as a "Swedish housekeeper." What could be next on her downward slope? A role as a Swedish Meatball? Certainly "Famous Studios" did not comply with America's Truth-in-Advertising laws. Among the many more accurate names for this nefarious outfit are Filched Studios, Fabricated Pictures and Flimsy Entertainment. By no stretch of anyone's imagination does Hector qualify as a fetching cartoon character. As depicted here, he is more of a Man's Best Fiend.

A Wonderful Holiday Toon!

[only_an_ocean_away · 10/10 · 17 April 2002]

It's truly a shame that this cartoon, among so many others, has been forgotten over the years. In this heart-warming Christmas joy, a dog named Hector is faced with the task of keeping three mischievous puppies out of trouble so his owner doesn't kick him out into the snow. The light-hearted trouble these playful pups get Hector into will make you laugh and sigh. They don't make Christmas cartoons like this anymore. This is one that will, a rightfully should, be treasured by the whole family for generations to come.

Hector's Hectic Life is a wonderfully funny holiday cartoon from Famous Studios

[tavm · 9/10 · 3 December 2008]

Last week, I reviewed Chips Off the Old Block which concerned a cat who found out about his offspring and kept them away from his female master because he was afraid of being thrown out. That's the same premise here except it's now a dog named Hector with his pups who all wave one of their ears just like dear old dad. Director Bill Tytla-a former Disney animator-provides just the right amount of sentiment with slapstick that makes this one of the more enjoyable one-shots from the Famous Studios factory. There's also Hector's angel and devil fighting it out for his soul after he initially throws his children out that I liked as well. If there's one quibble it's with the obvious stereotypical Swedish (or is it Norwegian) accent that is heard from the female head. It least she's only seen from the waist down like Tom and Jerry's Mammy Two-Shoes. Other than that, Hector's Hectic Life is a fine Christmas cartoon that should by seen by the whole family. P.S. I first saw this public domain short in the late '80s on a bargain basement VHS tape.