Movie Night: Mr. Bug Goes to Town.

Review #264: Mr. Bug Goes to Town.

Cast
Stan Freed (Hoppity), Pauline Loth (Honey), Tedd Pierce (C. Bagley Beetle), Jack Mercer (Mr. Bumble / Swat), Kenny Gardner (Dick), Gwen Williams (Mary), and Carl Meyer (Smack) Directed by Dave Fleischer.

Review
Mr. Bug Goes to Town would be the second and last film made by Fleischer Studios, in late 1941. Oddly enough this was an original story, not based off a tale (Though there were plans for it to be) In the end, the film...works. It's an odd story filled with weird characters and frantic animation. And I love it. Ths film has some good moments, particularly the chase scenes and the dancing sequencr, which showcase some good animation and a bit of comedy. The story works, even if again it is a bit odd (It's less odd in Antz actually) You might wondering if I gave this some praise, why did Fleischer Studios only make two animated features. The short answer is really, really bad luck. See, it was released on December 5, 1941, two days before the attack on Pearl Harbor, which lead to financial disaster, leading to the ousting of the Fleischers and the end of the studio and some classics as we know it. It may have oddities, but it is an improvement from Gulliver's Travels, being a hidden gem.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Gulliver's Travels.

Review #263: Gulliver's Travels.

Cast
Sam Parker (Gulliver), Pinto Colvig (Gabby), Jack Mercer (King Little, Sneak, Snoop, and Snitch), Tedd Pierce (King Bombo), Jessica Dragonette (Princess Glory), and Lanny Ross (Prince David) Directed by Dave Fleischer.

Review
Gulliver's Travels is based off the tale of the same name by Jonathan Swift, which has been adapted into film a few times, this being one of them. It might interest you to know this was the first made by a company other than Disney and only the second cel-animated feature film ever released (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs being first) This was made by Fleischer Studios (Created by Dave and Max Fleischer), who also did the 1940s Superman shorts and Popeye. So how it after over 70 years? It's...Not bad. It definitely is different then Disney in the range of animation (This uses rotoscoping for Gulliver, rotoscoping being live action footage being traced frame by frame.) It doesn't run very long, but it does boast enough usefulness to keep relevance throughout. This was a big success for Fleischer Studios, and they would make another animated film film two years later in 1941...

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.