Max Fleischer

Max Fleischer was one of the earliest pioneers in the field of animation and in the early days he was Walt Disney's main rival. Many of his shorts are very quirky and surreal and hold up very well even today.

Here are a few of my favorite Fleischer cartoons.

Ko Ko's Harem Scarem (1929)
Synopsis: Originally a silent film, this version contains a more recent film score. Ko Ko the clown and his dog Fitz are captured by a knife-wielding Arab and go on a wild romp through a cartoon Middle East.



Swing You Sinners! (1930)
Synopsis: A man steals a chicken and escapes the police only to inadvertently wind up in a Kafkaesque nightmare world located at the local cemetery.



Betty Boop - Bimbo's Initiation (1931)
Synopsis: Betty's pal Bimbo is tormented by the strong-arm recruitment tactics of a secret society.



Betty Boop - Minnie The Moocher (1932)
Synopsis: Don't run away from home or the devil will get you. With music by Cab Calloway and his Orchestra.



In My Merry Oldsmobile (1932)
Synopsis: A would-be rapist is thwarted by a midget with cool wheels. Then there's a really nice musical number with one of those karaoke dots so that the audience can sing along.



Dancing On The Moon (1936)
Synopsis: Love hurts. A lot.




Betty Boop - Be Human (1936)
Synopsis: Betty Boop is shown as a precursor to the Animal Liberation movement. A bad man is unimpressed by her song of peace and is subsequently imprisoned and tortured. Fun Fact: In this short, her outfit is more conservative than in the previous one. This is due to the Hays Code, an early self-regulation measure taken by Hollywood and the precursor to the MPAA ratings system.