Begone Dull Care (1949)
Article 5734 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 4-4-2020
Directed by Evelyn Lambart and Norman McLaren
No voice cast
Country: Canada
What it is: Abstract animation

Abstract animation is displayed over three musical pieces by the Oscar Petersen Trio.

I knew I was going to be reviewing this before I even started watching it due to its presence in the Walt Lee guide, though I pretty much suspected it would turn out to be another entry in the “abstract animation” category. Yet, ultimately, I didn’t mind it at all; I found this one thoroughly delightful. On the DVD on which I have this one, the introductory screen has a quote from Norman McLaren in which he is quoted as saying that abstract animation is at its most delightful when it becomes the visual equivalent of music, and here, with the way the visuals play off the musical motifs, he shows he has a sound understanding of both music and animation. He even has fun with the credits, introducing the short in seven different languages and incorporating the final credits into the music. After all I’ve seen of abstract animation so far, I’m willing now to claim Norman McLaren as my favorite practitioner of the form.

Beer Parade (1933)
Article 5733 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 4-4-2020
Directed by Dick Huemer
Voice cast unknown
Country: USA
What it is: Inebriated Animation

Scrappy and his little brother Oopie serve beer to a gang of thirsty gnomes, but an enraged prohibitionist chops up their kegs. Will they seek revenge?

For the record, Scrappy was an animated character for the Columbia cartoons of the thirties, and he and his little brother are little kids. This cartoon does not have them imbibing in the alcoholic beverages; they only serve it to a gang of thirsty gnomes (which I suspect are borrowed from the story of Rip Van Winkle). Make no mistake about it; this cartoon is not about responsible drinking. It’s a celebration of excess and inebriation; not one of these gnomes could be called a designated driver. It’s the presence of the gnomes that makes this one qualify as fantastic cinema, and even though the cartoon doesn’t explicitly call them gnomes (or, for that matter, anything), I feel I can safely say that an assortment of big-nosed bearded humanoids which are shorter than the little kids in the cartoon can safely classified as some sort of fantastically-themed breed. This is obviously a celebration of the lifting of prohibition. It’s also one of the better Scrappy cartoons I’ve seen, though it could definitely be described as politically incorrect; it’s energetic and has its funny moments. It’s certainly one of the funnier cartoons I’ve seen from Columbia in this era.

Bear Shooters (1930)
Article 5732 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 4-2-2020
Directed by Robert F. McGowan
Featuring Norman ‘Chubby’ Chaney, Jackie Cooper, Allen ‘Farina’ Hoskins
Country: USA
What it is: Our Gang short

The kids go on a camping trip, ostensibly to shoot bears. Poachers try to scare them off.

I debated reviewing this one, but decided that since gorillas were de facto monsters in this cinematic era, and the fact that this short uses the gorilla for its fear value, this short can be classified as comic borderline horror. Granted, it’s just a man in a gorilla suit, but that’s not the first time that’s happened. I haven’t seen many of the Our Gang shorts from this era, so I don’t have much I can compare it to, but I gather this wasn’t one of the better ones. It certainly feels a bit thin in the comedy department, and cuteness and whimsy only goes so far with me. Still, at only 20 minutes, it doesn’t have time to get really dull.

Bambi (1942)
Article 5729 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 3-27-2020
Directed by James Algar, Samuel Armstrong, David Hand et. al
Featuring the voices of Hardie Albright, Stan Alexander, Bobette Audrey
Country: USA
What it is: Nature slice of life – animated style

The story of the life of a deer from birth to adulthood.

In terms of its fantastic content, I could rightfully skip reviewing this one, as its sole fantastic content is that it features talking animals (and the inevitable anthropomorphic exaggerations that derive from it), and since I’ve argued that if that alone is the fantastic content of a cartoon, it’s more of a tradition of the form rather than an element of fantasy. However, since this is listed in the Walt Lee guide (and probably a few others as well), I’ll review it anyway.

Perhaps even more to the point, I wanted to review this one, as it remained the only major Disney animated feature from its first couple of decades that I had yet to see; today was the first time. One of the most striking things about this one is that it is so different from so many of their other early features; despite the anthropomorphism, it is mostly a realistic slice of life, and the style of animation recalls that of FANTASIA rather than of their more linear classics. In fact, there is arguably more charm in the scenes that set the moods of the changes of the season than in those scenes that actually contribute to the story; the use of color is simply stunning throughout. Also, the simple slice-of-life train of events that takes place here makes some of the more plot-oriented offerings of other animated films seem rather contrived. I have to say this one won me over completely; I was captivated for its whole 70 minute running time. And, yes, the most famous scene (the one known to traumatize kids) is as effective as its reputation suggests.

Boundin’ (2003)
Article 5700 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 10-5-2019
Directed by Bud Luckey
Featuring the voice of Bud Luckey
Country: USA
What it is: Attitude adjustment

A sheep loves to dance until he gets sheared, and then he gets depressed. Can someone help him solve his attitude problem?

To be honest, part of me didn’t want to review this one, and since my memory mostly remembered it as a compendium of talking and dancing animals, I thought I could skip it using the excuse that animals of this sort were merely a cartoon convention, and not real fantastic content. However, the presence of the mythical jackalope did nudge it into fantastic territory, so here’s the review.

Why didn’t I want to review this one? It’s because I’m a 1) big Pixar fan, and this short is in the unenviable position of being 2) the first work of theirs that did not blow me away. This is not to say that the animation and production values aren’t up to scratch; they are. It’s just that the story (such as it is) does nothing for me. It’s basically a story about a character who becomes dispirited and is then cheered up and regains his spirit. Now, stories like this can work (and often have), but there’s not enough time here to develop any sort of real empathy with the sheep, and the short ends up being no more inspirational than your average inspirational poster; sadly, the latter leave me cold. Pixar has much better shorts out there, and I look forward to covering them in the future.

Birth of the Pearl (1901)
Article 5640 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 2-26-2019
Directed by F.S. Armitage
Cast unknown
Country: USA
What it is: Early adult film

On a stage, a woman rises from the shell of an oyster.

This is classified as a fantasy on IMDB, and insofar as women don’t grow in oyster shells, I suppose it is. But obviously the fantastic content isn’t the selling point here; the fact that the woman is wearing a skintight leotard that makes it look like she might be naked is. I suppose this is called “erotica”, which I usually take to mean it’s like sexploitation, only artier. It may have been hot back then; today it’s just a curio.

Barnyard Bunk (1932)
Article 5608 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 12-26-2018
Directed by John Foster and George Rufle
Country: USA
What it is: A Dick and Larry cartoon

A failing farm is about to be taken over by mice. Can Dick and Larry turn things about with their magic saxophones?

What’s the difference between a Dick and Larry cartoon and a (not cat and mouse) Tom and Jerry cartoon? The answer is – a title card; otherwise the characters are the same, and since no one mentions their names, the difference is of no consequence. I almost skipped reviewing this one until I realized that the saxophones were supposed to be magical. I almost didn’t notice this because I was expecting it to turn into a variation of “The Pied Piper”, with Dick and Larry leading the mice away with their toodling; this doesn’t happen, though the appearance of a walking skeleton emerging from an outhouse does add a bit more to the fantastic content. For all that, this is admittedly one of the better cartoons of the series; some of the gags are a bit creative, including a running gag in which a mouse holds up a “danger” sign anytime some one is about to get hurt. Not a word is spoken in this one.

The Bulleteers (1942)
Article 5600 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 12-17-2018
Directed by Dave Fleischer and Orestes Calipini
Featuring the voices of Bud Collyer, Joan Alexander, Jackson Beck
Country: USA
What it is: Another Superman short

Criminal extortionists with a flying bullet plane threaten Metropolis with destruction if they don’t pay them. Can Superman defeat them?

I will openly confess that I’m not a big superhero fan; unless the superhero has an interesting character to go along with his superpowers, I lose interest rapidly. That’s why ultimately the Fleischer Superman shorts get a little tiresome for me; in the quest for non-stop action, personality is left on the sidelines, and the series get repetitive. This one does very little for me; though well animated and colorful, the story feels like a cross between the first Superman short and THE MECHANICAL MONSTERS, both of which were fresher and more fun. Granted, those that love superheroes will quickly forgive any shortcomings like these and enjoy them well enough, and it’s for those people these shorts were made.

Billion Dollar Limited (1942)
Article 5598 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 12-17-2018
Directed by Dave Fleischer
Featuring the voices of Bud Collyer, Joan Alexander and Jackson Beck
Country: USA
What it is: Fleischer Superman short

Masked crooks in an armored car attempt a train robbery to get the largest shipment of gold ever made. Can Superman stop them?

Personally, if I were in charge of the biggest gold shipment in history, I certainly wouldn’t invite the press in so they can have a big front-page story about it, but what do I know? What we have here is another efficient Superman animated short from the forties; it’s packed with action and short on character (the villains in particular are pretty anonymous this time), but that’s par for the course. Granted, it looks like the villains are more interested in crashing the train rather than robbing it, but I’m sure that was just their way of stopping it so they could get the gold out. It’s entertaining enough, but the cookie-cutter style of plotting for this series is becoming rather apparent.

Batman vs. Two-Face (2017)
Article 5514 by Dave Sindelar
Date:10-18-2017
Directed by Rick Morales
Featuring the voices of Adam West, Burt Ward, William Shatner
Country: USA
What it is: Animated super-hero shenanigans

Batman discovers that some recent criminal plans by King Tut and Bookworm were actually plotted by Two-Face, who seems to have returned even though Harvey Dent appears to have been cured.

This is the second in an animated series that is modeled off of the sixties TV-series and features the voices of Adam West and Bert Ward; West’s recent death means that this was one of his last projects. Like the first, it successfully taps into the feel of the series, and there are a few fun references to the original series, including the touch that the characters played by both Julie Newmar and Lee Meriwether end up in the Catwoman outfit. Shatner plays Two-Face, and does a fine job while avoiding the acting quirks for which he has gained a certain notoriety. Two-Face never appeared in the original series, though I gather that a treatment for one was written by Harlan Ellison and there were plans to get Clint Eastwood to appear in the role; according to IMDB, this animated movie is not based on that script. I’m not sure whether they’ll continue the series without Adam West, as I suspect that was one of the selling points of the series.