Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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95 of 97 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Surprisingly Wonderful Collection of Classics!, June 9, 2004
I bought this DVD because it contained the classic cartoon "Dancing on The Moon". This has been released on DVD before, and it was terrible, with print-through and "augmented" sound that produced a terrible buzzing sound. THIS DVD is not perfect, simply because the original cartoons are not, but it is very good and the quality is better than I have seen. "Dancing on The Moon" is clear, with good color and decent sound. The cartoon is marvelous and has a catchy musical number. It is characterized by a 3-D landscape or "Rotoscope" instead of a painted backdrop. There are 2 other treasures on this DVD. "It's Spring" which has some of the most incredible color to be seen in any vintage cartoon. The animation rivals Disney's "Fantasia" and the overall quality is superb on this one. The other surprise is a cartoon about a mid-western couple visiting the Worlds Fair. The couple become "modern" after visiting the art deco palaces and the mechanical marvels to be seen there. Very amusing and visually a treat. I highly recommend this DVD... and for the price, its a steal!!
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52 of 54 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Top 10 Forgotten Cartoons - By Title, May 2, 2007
These public domain cartoons represent some of the best of the experimental early days of animated cartoons. Most are available on other compilation CD's:
Doggone Tired (1949) Directed By Fred 'Tex' Avery. (MGM)
Trolley Ahoy (1936) Directed By Burt Gillett. (Van Beuren)
Dancing on the Moon (1935) Directed By Dave Fleischer. (Fleisher)
A Waif's Welcome (1936) Directed By Tom Palmer. (Van Beuren)
All's Fair at the Fair (1947) [Popeye] Directed By Seymour Kneitel (Famous)
It's A Greek Life (1936) Directed By Dan Gordon (Van Beuren)
To Spring (1936) Directed By William Hanna (MGM)
A Self-Made Mongrel (1945) Directed By Dave Tendlar (Famous)
Cupid Gets His Man (1936) Directed By Tom Palmer (Van Beuren), and
Happy Days (1936) Directed By Ub Iwerks (P. A. Powers)
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38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
You won't forget most of these "forgotten" cartoons, December 17, 2007
I actually remembered some of these cartoons as a small child in the early 60's when I watched them at a neighbor's house early in the morning. The three that stood out in my mind as a child were "Doggone Tired," "Dancing on the Moon" and "To Spring."
The set starts off with a classic Tex Avery MGM cartoon, "Doggone Tired. (1949)." It's of a rabbit that's trying to sabotage a hound's sleep so he'd be too tired to hunt him. The cartoon is full of the sight gags, frenetic pace and fluid animation that was so prevalent of Tex Avery's cartoons of that era, and is - by far - the funniest cartoon on the set.
The next is "Trolley Ahoy" (1936) from the Van Beuren studios. A man bets an always-late trolley driver $10 that the trolley will not get him to his destination in time. Despite the weak plot line, it's worth seeing for the animation, artwork and sight gags (especially as the trolley rolls around the corners on the tracks!).
The third one is "Dancing on the Moon" (1935), produced by the Fleischer Studios, which brought you the vintage B&W episodes of Popeye. It is a hilarious spoof of Noah's Ark where the animals - all dressed in wedding garb - sing the title song while boarding the "Honeymoon Express" rocket ship to the moon. This is among the finest in background and animation - especially in their use of the Rotoscope technique where the background moves in perspective rather than using flat background scenery. Very effective and entertaining!
Next is A Waif's Welcome (1936), also from the Van Beuren Studios. A young waif, begging out in the cold, is taken in by a sympathetic couple, much to the disdain of their own jealous child. Also worth seeing for the animation and artwork.
The next is All's Fair at the Fair (1947), produced by Famous Studios. In this cartoon, an "old-fashioned" couple (in a horse & buggy) visits the World's Fair and become thoroughly "modernized" with "state-of-the-art" gadgets! Worth seeing not only for the animation and artwork, but also for the clever sight gags.
Then, there's "It's A Greek Life" (1936), once again from the Van Beuren Studios. It's a spoof of Greek mythology, especially when a centaur tries to repair Mercury's winged shoes! Once again, beautiful backgrounds and animation.
By far, the biggest treasure on the DVD is "To Spring" (1936), directed by William Hanna (later of Hanna-Barbera fame) from the MGM Studios. It uses the music from Grieg's "To Spring," and consists of gnomes who are manufacturing colors and scenery to chase away the last vintages of winter (even though their efforts are thwarted several times by the persistent cold winter wind). It has some of the most breathtaking scenery, animation and color ever produced in an animated short. Very reminiscent of something you'd find in Disney's "Fantasia." It's worth seeing just for the scenery and color alone!
A Self-Made Mongrel (1945) is another gem from Famous Studios. A dog is tired of being babied by his master and tries to convey a "tough dog" image - with disastrous results! Done more in the style of Tex Avery and Looney Tunes, although not quite as effective. The fluid animation still makes this worth seeing, though.
The next is "Cupid Gets His Man (1936)," once again produced by Van Beuren Studios. It shows a tuxedoed Dan Cupid trying - in vain - to make an old maid and codger(who are also next-door neighbors) fall in love. Despite the weak plotline, it's still worth seeing for the animation and artwork.
The final cartoon, fittingly, is "Happy Days" (1936). Directed By Ub Iwerks, it had a rather strange plot - one that I had trouble following and remembering. Still, the animation and artwork were as splendid as ever.
While most of the plot lines were a bit on the bizarre side, the animation and artwork alone were what made these cartoons stand out. This was when animation was truly an art form - and not just a cheaply produced, cheaply churned-out Saturday morning staple from the late 50's and beyond.
My only gripe - and, hence, the 4-star rating - is that the sound and picture quality are not as clear in some features as in others, but when you stop to consider the age of many of these cartoons - and that it's a miracle that we even have some of these vintage MGM works, considering that many of the original nitrate prints were destroyed in a fire at MGM in the 60's - this is a factor that can easily be overlooked. And you certainly can't beat the price. I highly recommend this DVD - these are gems that should never again be forgotten!
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