Reviews

Pluto had been a supporting role in the Mickey Mouse cartoons since around 1932. He had a small handfull of solo shorts in the 30s, which were released as Silly Symphonies or in one case under his name. These all had a gap of a few years in between.

This is the first official short in the Pluto series that would be released on a regular basis. It also introduced the theme music which would be used in the main titles until 1946.

Some might dismiss the Pluto shorts as uninteresting, but there is a lot if great pantomime acting and comedy. Here, Pluto attempts to steal a bone from his neighbor bulldog, who does not take kindly. A chase through a mirror hall in an amusement park follows.

While somewhat predictable by today's standards, considering that this premise would be utilized again and by rival studios (compare the WB short BONE, SWEET, BONE from 1948), it is still very funny, even though Pluto doesn't exhibit good behavior.

The bulldog design would also be utilized by rival studios. Namely Spike in the Tom & Jerry series at MGM. WB also used the same design all throughout the 40s and 50s, which eventually culminated in Hector in the Tweety and Sylvester series. Another example how all the studios influenced each other at one or another.

A quintessential Pluto short. Available on the Disney Treasures: The Complete Pluto and coming soon to Disney Plus.

Ward Kimball was truly a one of a kind artist. His sensibility, on the surface, looked at odds with the Disney sensibility. Yet, Walt really valued him throughout the course of their lives. Kimball contributed a sense if comic flair and wackiness that no one else did. And it really came out after Disney's death.

Kimball had directed Disney cartoons before and they were highly successful, despite Disney himself not being a fan of the aesthetics. This title, similar to the educational featurettes that were put out earlier in the decade blends satire and irreverent humor. The animation looks like a mesh between the Sesame Street characters and Monty Python (both shows coincidentally premiered the same year). All these elements combined feel like a film produced by a studio other than Disney. The template is still there though. And at the same time, Kimball honors his Disney roots by juxtaposing a few clips from some classic Disney cartoons, with birds, with the absurdism.

Not suprisingly, few Disney executives and veterans were not crazy about this film, but the critics praised it and it won an Oscar. Despite the success, this film has fallen into obscurity, never having seen an official media release of any kind. Perhaps the Disney execs are still put off by it? Or perhaps it's too much a product of the late 60s?

A highly unusual Disney film, but one of Kimball's greatest achievements.

Mintz's Color Rhapsodies strongly evoke Disney's Silly Symphonies. He must have kicked himself for the remainder of his career for double crossing Disney. His never came close to what Disney achieved, but there are quite a few bright spots.

Among these, is this delightful musical revue about Mother Goose put on for a small child; possibly a dream. This was no doubt inspired by the Silly Symphony OLD KING COLE from 1933. While that one had the benefit of three strip Technicolor, this one had to be shot in the limited two strip Technicolor process. Which is a shame, because the last musical number calls for full color.

Despite being derivative of the Silly Symphonies, this really captures the whimsical nature of the series with (what I presume are) original songs and an overall nostalgia for early childhood.

Freleng didn't have a distinctive visual style that his colleagues had. His characters looked stiff and bland at times, especially as the 1950s progressed. However, the comedy was always outstanding.

One of Porky's geese lays a golden egg and unscrupulously credits Daffy, to avoid a grisly fate of a well known goose. The publicity gets the attention of the mob whom buys Daffy with force hoping for golden egg. Daffy attempts to stall them and escape.

This marks the first appearance of the mobster Rocky. I wonder if he was based on anyone (actor or actual mobster). Unlike the Edward G. Robinson caricatures from previous entries, this Rocky is more underplayed, but still entertaining.

The situation and timing are gold (pun intended). Freleng's writer at the time was Ted Pierce, who was/is regarded as the lesser of the mainstay writers. This (and quite a few others) has a well crafted story structure and comedy regardless. Although, Freleng himself probably had a lot to do with how this turned out, if the accounts of Pierce's work issues are anything to go by.

One of Freleng's best from the 50s.

Avery's spot gags tend to be hit or miss. While the idea of coming up with a short with a series of blackout gags centered around a theme without a plot was certainly novel, some of them wear thin after a while. True of any formulaic series.

This energy in this title is really lacking. There are some funny gags, but they come off as too dry. Gil Warren's narration reflects this. Compare to Norman McCabe's WHO'S WHO IN THE ZOO, which is also not a great cartoon, but has much better execution.

There are some interesting pop culture references, which requires the viewer to become well versed in to understand, such as Bank Nite and the bread and butter superstition.

The proto- Elmer again serves as the running gag. As usual, his voice and mannerisms are much different than his other appearances. Here he quotes and sounds like Lou Costello.

I wonder if there were any scenes cut from the blue ribbon release. There's an abrupt cut to black as well as the soundtrack prior to the scene with the rabbits.

Not one of Avery's best shorts. It's public domain status and frequent appearance on unofficial videos in poor quality further reduced its value.

Jack Bunny hosts a beach party at his beach home and spares no expense.

In the tradition of Hollywood parodies, this short spoofs the then popular radio sitcom The Jack Benny Show, with several Hollywood caricatures in attendance, designed by Ben Shenkman.

Jack Lescoulie, another contemporary radio personality, voices Jack Benny (as he often did for cartoons). He kind of sounded like him in real life and nailed the vocal nuances. Other regulars on the show are parodied and given clever similar sounding names, such as Rochester going by Winchester.

The only thing that's missing is a reference to Benny's mock feud with Fred Allen that had been going on on the radio for four years at that point. I find it surprising that it wasn't milked very much, if at all, by the Looney Tunes crew.

An excellent caricature cartoon and a forerunner to Tex Avery's HOLLYWOOD STEPS OUT, which came out a few months later and also used Shenkman's designs.

1937 was a key year for the animation industry. So many important developments took place, but none moreso than the Disney studio.

Gearing up for Snow White's release, Disney put out some promotional films for the public and for their new distributor RKO Radio Pictures. The former would technically be the only feature length film that their old distributor, United Artists would release. This was simply a compilation of every Oscar winning cartoon up to that time, concluding with COUNTRY COUSIN.

There is no real new footage except for bridging material which shows an Oscar statue with narration.

This compilation was reissued in 1966 and added the 1937, 1938, 1939, and 1941 Oscar winners, but without new narration. Curiously, the 1942 snd 1954 winners were not shown, possibly because the former was wartime related or maybe to keep the running time concise.

A true curiosity which only has passing mention in film and Disney encyclopedias. It only had home video releases overseas. The fact that it was made available at all is strange. Because of lack of exposure, it's difficult to know exactly how it was presented in 1937.

Not really a must have, but an interesting footnote in Disney's filmography.

Jack Kinney did what was the closest to zany Warners sensibility at Disney's.

This entry appears to be an over the top parody of the western genre. The set up was also probably inspired by the WB cartoon SWEET SIOUX, which was released in 1937 and reissued when this cartoon was in production. It even has some of the same gags. Although Kinney uses the gags more effectively.

Typical of Native American depictions of the era, the caricatures are stereotypical and offensive. The use of the slur "injun" doesn't help. What takes the edge off, is that the Natives are all Goofy lookalikes. I can easily see this being made in later decades as a satire of the Western cliches much the same way Blazing Saddles was.

Although Kinney may have been going for that angle anyway.

If you can get past the stereotypes, this is a pretty hilarious short.

McKimson tends to be overlooked as a director, despite having done so many important and hilarious cartoons.

He clearly did something right, considering his fourth release was nominated for an Oscar.

The Foghorn character and situation is almost entirely crystalized from the start, save for the voice. His rivalry with the barnyard dog and tricking the naive Henery Hawk became a staple for the series. Foghorn's voice would eventually be set in stone by his fourth appearance.

Having inherited Tashlin's former crew, McKimson's cartoons from 1946 more or less have Tashlin's sense of energy. This entry is the most frantic paced of the series. Art Davis, Cal Dalton, and Dick Bickenbach had a lot to with the zaniness and this was the sole Foghorn that they animated on.

This entry makes a strong case for Robert McKimson as a director.

The bizarre but true events behind the famous photograph of Elvis Presley and President Nixon shaking hands.

The documentary starts out by drawing parallels between both men and where they where and what they did from the early 1950s up to 1970.

There are many hilarious scenes and lines throughout, such as Elvis shooting TVs, making random cross country plane trips, and going to a donut shop in a rough neighborhood in DC.

Although the film chronicles Elvis and Nixon, the main focus is in Elvis. While his antics are highly entertaining and oftentimes questionable, we see someone who is concerned about the direction society is going and having an eagerness to make a difference for the country and individuals.

True to popular culture, Nixon is poked fun at, because of his paranoia and square personality, but he's portrayed as sympathetic and human.

Most of the events depicted in this film, have been told by Elvis' close friend, who was there, in other sources.

Unfortunately, this gem can be difficult to find, but it's an underrated classic worth seeking out.

An overview of Dr. Seuss' life and career done in a Seussian style. A determined, yet affable reporter goes to the home of Dr. Seuss for an inside scoop and unwittingly discovers the magic of his imagination. She meets the various literary characters (portrayed by well known personalities) whom illustrate his life and all the major books he wrote. Some are acted out in very catchy musical numbers while others are illustrated by animated adaptations from years ago (i.e. Clampett's adaptation of Horton Hatches The Egg)

The bio manages to be very informative and fun. Almost as if Seuss himself would have told it (despite that he wasn't really directly in the spotlight much). Matt Frewer's performance as The Cat In The Hat is perfect. He really captured the essence of the mischievous and playful spirit of the character.

While this bio is family oriented, there is plenty of discussion of Seuss' career as a political cartoonist in which he was a vocal critic of the Nazis (and the America's lack of urgency), antisemitism, and America's own racism issues. Also remarkable is a short discussion of the propanganda piece he wrote for WB titled Hitler Lives, to demonstrate his patriotism.

Unfortunately, in light the removal of six classic books from circulation, this wonderful documentary appears to have disappeared from circulation as well. Two of the six books in question, And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street (his first book) and Mcgelliot's Pool are discussed and reenacted (although nothing controversial is seen). Granted, it's impossible to discuss Dr. Seuss' career without mentioning Mulberry Street.

I highly recommend this uplifting and magical look at the world of Dr. Seuss. Hopefully this won't disappear entirely.

Popeye and Olive Oyl drive through the country when a lonesome hillbilly woman tries to make the former her husband. In a twist, Olive has to fight for Popeye.

The hillbilly was named Possum Pearl and was voiced by singer/radio actress Judy Canova, who gave the character a nice strong sounding quality and singing voice. She resembles Olive, but with Bluto's physique.

As with many old comedy situations where a woman pursues a man, Popeye doesn't take to kindly to the situation, but he's more passive than how Olive would be in the situation with Bluto.

An interesting Popeye entry in his later theatrical filmography. Worth seeing for Canova's vocal performance. One of those semi-rare occasions when a celebrity guest stars in a theatrical cartoon short.

During WWII, the birth rate dropped and this obscure cartoon provides a clever explanation, the Stork quit. He recalls getting ambushed by anti-aircraft missiles while making a routine delivery.

This would be George Gordon's only direction screen credit. The five cartoons he directed take a lot of inspiration from the Donald and Pluto shorts from this timeframe. Specifically the basic situations. They have a distinctive style from Avery and Hanna-Barbera, but still maintain the MGM house style.

Disney story veterans Otto Englander and Webb Smith are credited as the writers for this short. The suspenseful mood of Disney's darker films carries over here. The anthropomorphic weapons and military equipment looks reminiscent of some of Disney's propaganda films from the same timeframe. The fact that there's little movement or expression makes them menacing, while still cartoony at the same time. The most clever touches of the film.

While a product of WWII, it's more entertaining and timely nowadays, because of the baby boom that would come just two years later.

A very richly illustrated gem, worth seeking out.

After Harman and Ising lost their contract with MGM, their former colleague/competitor Walt Disney gave them some work to do. He subcontacted a few cartoons that had been in production for a few years, but had not yielded a satisfactory storyline. Merbabies was one of these.

Disney had produced many adaptations of fairy tales for the Silly Symphonies and was underway on translating these for features. One of the stories was Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Disney had been developing the story as a Silly Symphony for most of the 1930s.

Although Harman was not the adept storyteller that Walt was, this short could very well have passed as a Disney cartoon had RKO not intervened with their agreement. The characters do not recite the dialogue from the story word for word. Instead it carries out in a natural flow. The characters are more fleshed out and have unique personalities. The Papa bear is the most entertaining of the four characters. (I wonder who voiced him).

The length however is over ten minutes. Walt would have probably condensed some of the action if his involvement lasted through production. I imagine the Disney personnel had a lot to do with how the picture turned out though, just considering how effective they were with adapting existing stories to screen.

A very engaging and entertaining mood piece.

Harman and Ising were making strides in their cartoons shortly after their arrival at MGM. Disney's exclusive use of 3-strip Technicolor ended in 1935, which allowed other studios to make use of it. Harman and Ising's cartoons really took off once they started to use Technicolor.

Ising, like Harman, fancied atmospheric cartoons, but was better at making his characters relatable. This short opens with elaborate shots of wide eyed bees producing honey in an assembly line factory, singing a catchy original tune. The plot involves a cute romance between two bees and a spider villain.

Some of the plot, and mostly the setting, comes from Ising's earlier short for Warner Bros. YOU'RE TOO CARELESS WITH YOUR KISSES, which also featured bees and a spider. The jump in production quality in less than three years is staggering.

The only criticism viewers may have is the ten minute length (typical for a Happy Harmony) but every moment is a feast for the eyes.

Harman and Ising really succeeded in capturing the visual and musical essence of the Disney cartoons.

The Bookworm and the unnamed crow return for mote hijinks. This time Dr. Jekyll convinces the crow that he needs a brain. He performs an experiment that leaves the crow and the bookworm too big for their britches.

Hugh Harman continued to produce very lush cartoons once he returned to MGM. He never mastered story telling and as a result the continuity of his shorts tend to be very uneven. He also resisted comedy and some have criticized his attempts.

This short however manages to wow with impressive effects animation while containing some nuanced comedy. Mel Blanc's performance and dialogue with the crow, moreso after he gets a brain, is hilarious. And unlike many of Harman's other MGM shorts, this one is solid from start to finish; No uneven conclusions. The crows last line is especially funny how the viewer almost anticipates him swearing.

Some sources arrtibute authorship to Friz Freleng, but he was long gone by the time production started.

The sequence of the bookworm going through the glass tubes is reused from an earlier MGM short titled BOTTLES.

Unfortunately, this has never been released on any video format. We must lobby WB for a complete collection of the Harman-Ising cartoons.