During the mid-1920s, Walt Disney gained his first taste of fame with his Alice shorts. In these films, Alice (Virginia Davis) interacts with a cartoon world and the pictures are quite charming. However, despite enjoying many of these pictures very much, occasionally Disney had a dud...and "Alice Cans the Cannibals" is a dud in many ways.
The film begins with Alice and a cat that looks pretty much exactly like Felix the Cat. Why? Because Felix was the biggest cartoon star of the day and Disney copying him is akin to studios that copied Mickey Mouse in the late 20s and early 30s. The pair end up in Africa and the natives are all cannibals....and highly politically incorrect ones to boot.
In addition to these problems, the story also reuses a lot of the cels...repeating them many times in order to make the film as cheaply as possible. Overall, a disappointing and particularly enjoyable short....proof that even Walt Disney could make a poor film.
The film begins with Alice and a cat that looks pretty much exactly like Felix the Cat. Why? Because Felix was the biggest cartoon star of the day and Disney copying him is akin to studios that copied Mickey Mouse in the late 20s and early 30s. The pair end up in Africa and the natives are all cannibals....and highly politically incorrect ones to boot.
In addition to these problems, the story also reuses a lot of the cels...repeating them many times in order to make the film as cheaply as possible. Overall, a disappointing and particularly enjoyable short....proof that even Walt Disney could make a poor film.