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I caught this wonderful old film countless times on a local UHF station as a young boy and had forgotten how much I loved it. I was soooo happy to discover that it had received a legitimate home video release, PLUS it has been remastered AND it'd in High-Def Blu-ray to boot! Remarkable!!! I hadn't seen the film in probably 20 years, but memories of the scenes and catchy music all came rushing back. It was like revisiting an old childhood friend. Gulliver himself is a wonder to behold and the Lilliputians are a fun and lovable bunch. Sadly, many (most?) younger folks seem to have never even heard of this film! It truly deserves better recognition. While the animation is occasionally rough in a few spots, for the most part it is breathtakingly beautiful. Tracing painted cells over live-action footage like Disney did for many of their classic animated films gives "Gulliver" that same unique and beautiful look as many of Walt's best works.
The Fleischer Studios could have been a legitimate contender for Disney's crown if only they hadn't gotten too big for their boots. They simply tried too much too soon, before establishing any sort of box office track record. They did more, so much more than this one film, to be sure, but their failure to be the "other" Disney/mainstream animated movie studio, (much the same as the decades later ill-fated Don Bluth Studios), cemented Fleischer's legacy in mainstream minds as the guys who made the 17 Superman animated short films and the B&W Popeye cartoons, and that's a damn shame. Luckily, Thunderbean has included 8 other shorts (including one of their excellent Popeye cartoons) on this disc, which is a nice touch. It will give those unfamiliar with Fleischer Studios excellent examples of just how talented they were and hopefully help underscore the loss that came when they finally closed their doors.
The only real downside of "Gulliver's Travels" (which I honestly never noticed until watching it again, as an adult), is how underdeveloped the characters are. There is essentially ZERO background story, character growth or arcs for any of the characters. Gulliver gets one scene where he sits by the seashore and dreams of someday returning home. That's pretty much it. Folks are introduced, the plot rushes along and before you know it, it's over. I never realized as a youngster how one-dimensional the characters were. I have the Kerwin Matthews "3 Worlds of Gulliver" film which is just OK, as well as the excellent 1995 "Gulliver's Travels" TV movie adaption. Oh my. If only the Fleischer Brothers had tackled the entire Gulliver novel the way that the Ted Danson mini-series did. What an amazing film THAT would have made. It would have trumped Disney for sure. But alas, it wasn't meant to be.
I am not thrashing Gulliver's Travels. Honest! This film still retains the power to enchant, especially the young (and young at heart). It's an important piece of animation history and a wonderful little film in it's own right. Just don't go in with any preconceived notions if you've never seen it before. The animation IS gorgeous, even more so now thanks to Thunderbean's careful restorative work. Kudos to Steve Stanchfield and his dedicated crew for undertaking such a project. Thunderbean Animation is a small outfit, so it was truly a labor of love. The Blu-ray's liner notes really help fill out the history of the studio and the nuts & bolts behind the feature film. The Blu-ray IS a tad on the pricey side, but the superior quality of this restored edition blows away EVERY other version of this film you're likely to see offered in those $1 DVD bargain bins. Those cheap, washed out, copy of a copy of a copy discs are a travesty! If you love classic animation, THIS is the edition of "Gulliver's Travels" that belongs on your shelf!!! 4 stars for the feature film (with it's beautifully restored picture & soundtrack) plus another star for including 8 more animated Fleischer Studio shorts as a bonus.
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