Some Cartoons For Saturday Morning #57

Hello my friends and happy Saturday morning. As you all know that means it is time for more classic cartoons. 

What better way to start off this week's selection of classic cartoons than with one of the all time great Tom and Jerry films. So here is Solid Serenade (1946). By the time of this cartoon directors William Hanna and Joseph Barbera had reached perfection with the Tom and Jerry formula. This film is simply as entertaining as a chase cartoon could ever hope to be. So enjoy some cartoon slapstick at its finest.

Next comes a very silly cartoon from Columbia, Mad Hatter (1940). This cartoon is as zany as can be and throws as many jokes as possible at us with a sheer energy that needs to be admired. The film was directed by Sid Marcus who would later become the writer for some excellent cartoons at Warners (including the Tasmanian Devil's debut).




Next comes a typically enjoyable Aesop's Fables cartoon, The Animal Fair (1931).




Now we visit our old friend Scrappy in a cartoon that is even strange for him, The Great Experiment (1934). This film is just as creative and fun as one could ever hope a Scrappy cartoon to be. A review in The Film Daily called the cartoon "Fair" but also stated "animation is quite lively." A review in The Motion Picture Daily stated "A Scrappy cartoon and swell entertainment... His adventures are rib tickling."

  

The Film Daily, 1931

To end this selection of classic cartoons is a fantastic Silly Symphony, The Flying Mouse (1934). A short like this shows just how far the Disney studio had come with their filmmaking abilities by 1934. This is not just a fun cartoon, but an excellent film on so many levels. It is obvious at this time the studio was putting just as much care into making these shorts, as many makers of feature films were doing. This can be seen in not only the simple but extremely effective storytelling but also in the use of color. Today many filmmakers take color for granted, instead of using it to its full potential. However this was not true of makers of color films back in the 1930's. Here color is used perfectly to set up and put emphasis on the mood of each scene, affecting our emotional response in very subtle but extremely effective ways. The animation itself is also excellent with a master team of Disney animators of this era. One of the main Mickey animators, Fred Moore, animates couple scenes with this film's less cartoony mouse (including him at the pond and meeting the fairy). Cy Young who is best known for working on effects animation gets to do some character animation here with the mouse imagining himself with wings. Future Disney directors Ham Luske and Ben Sharpsteen also get to do some animation here. Ben Sharpsteen animated the mouse leaving the cave and Ham Luske animated such scenes as our hero getting spanked, seeing the butterfly and in his famous scene with the bats. An exhibitors review in The Motion Picture Herald stated " Clever cartoon in the 'Silly Symphonies' series. Of all the cartoons in color, these are the best in subject matter and coloring." A Review in The Film Daily said this cartoon was "Running close to the best of Disney's Silly Symphonies."

 

Come back next week for more animated goodies. Until then peace, love and cartoons.

-Michael J. Ruhland