This film was included in the three DVD set "Saved From the Flames"--a collection of mostly ephemeral movies that have managed to avoid turning to powder, catching fire or melting--something that usually happened with the nitrate film stock used up through the 1950s.
The first thing I noticed was how incredibly vibrant the Cinecolor was with this restored film. Audiences might think it strange to see a color film where two main colors predominate--bluish-green and orange-red. With Cinecolor and Two-Color Technicolor, three strips of film overlapped--black & white, red and green (though the Cinecolor films I have seen look a bit bluer). It's all rather primitive by today's standards, but it's nice to see a film like this with all it's vibrant color.
This is set in Balloon Land--a place where all the creatures are made of balloons. Suddenly, the Pincushion Man (Billy Bletcher) appears with his pins and starts acting like a big jerk--threatening to pop everyone. Naturally, the folks are scared and run and hide. Soon the alarm is sounded and the weird little creatures of Balloon Land go on the attack--though what they can do with the Pincushion Man seems pretty dubious. Yet despite an obvious disadvantage, the balloon folks work together for a common good and save the day. I think there's supposed to be an object lesson here, but it escapes me.
While compared to cartoons of the 1940s and 50s this one seems VERY old fashioned and dull, for the 1930s it's actually pretty exciting and fun. It's no where up to the standards of the stuff being produced over at Disney (where the series director, U.B. Iwerks had once worked), it's pretty good.
The first thing I noticed was how incredibly vibrant the Cinecolor was with this restored film. Audiences might think it strange to see a color film where two main colors predominate--bluish-green and orange-red. With Cinecolor and Two-Color Technicolor, three strips of film overlapped--black & white, red and green (though the Cinecolor films I have seen look a bit bluer). It's all rather primitive by today's standards, but it's nice to see a film like this with all it's vibrant color.
This is set in Balloon Land--a place where all the creatures are made of balloons. Suddenly, the Pincushion Man (Billy Bletcher) appears with his pins and starts acting like a big jerk--threatening to pop everyone. Naturally, the folks are scared and run and hide. Soon the alarm is sounded and the weird little creatures of Balloon Land go on the attack--though what they can do with the Pincushion Man seems pretty dubious. Yet despite an obvious disadvantage, the balloon folks work together for a common good and save the day. I think there's supposed to be an object lesson here, but it escapes me.
While compared to cartoons of the 1940s and 50s this one seems VERY old fashioned and dull, for the 1930s it's actually pretty exciting and fun. It's no where up to the standards of the stuff being produced over at Disney (where the series director, U.B. Iwerks had once worked), it's pretty good.