The Ship of the Ether (1934)
Article 6004 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 9-5-2021
Directed by George Pal
No cast
Country: The Netherlands
What it is: Advertisement

A ship filled with music from all nations floats through the ether.

This was a very early Puppetoon by George Pal designed to promote the Philips Radio of 1934. Though it has recognizable characters, it’s similar to some of the more abstract animation of the time in feel; there’s no plot to speak of, it’s propelled by the music, and it’s mostly trying to impress with atmosphere rather than with laughs or whimsy. It is also very much a product of its time; I’m not exactly sure what’s going on during the sequence where a variety of music performances take place with a label for each one appearing, but I suspect I would know if I lived in that time. It is, however, an interesting curiosity nowadays.