How's It Hold Up?

Ub Iwerks is a man who's come up multiple times already on this podcast, from his essential work on the earliest Mickey Mouse cartoons to his solo career after he left Disney. But he also had a very brief stint at Warner Bros, during a period of time where he was contracting out to various studios, including Columbia Pictures. So here we compare two of his 1937 cartoon, made at two different studios, along with beginning to chart the evolution of the Looney Tunes character Gabby Goat, who was the Warner Bros' attempt at an answer to Disney's Donald Duck. Are the cartoons good, and is Gabby a fun character? Listen to find out!

The Curtain Rises Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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(Spoiler Section Length - 15min 38sec)

This is one of the most well-known and beloved of all stop-motion animated films, all Halloween films, and it's even pretty high up on many people's favorite Christmas films. Also it has a lot of merchandise at Hot Topic! Add multiple video-game cameos via Kingdom Hearts (and even its own game or two), and some other multimedia experiences like books and comics, and despite ostensibly being only one film, TNBC's place in the cultural zeitgeist is massive. And because of that daunting reputation, some people might find themselves never bothering to actually watch the thing, thinking they already more or less know what it is. Are they right to do so, or would they be missing out on a genuinely excellent film? Listen to find out!

The Curtain Rises Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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Kool Kats Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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Donald Duck has finally been unshackled from Mickey's side, free to get into his own mouse-free shenanigans. Pluto's not even here! In fact, Donald's all on his own this time, at least when it comes to living creatures. There are a handful of robots, though! How does this early Donald solo outing hold up so many years later? Listen to find out!

The Curtain Rises Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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Kool Kats Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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(Spoiler Section Length - 10min 27sec)

We finally arrive at the loose quadrilogy of Scooby-Doo movies that began with Zombie Island! With this film, Scooby-Doo enters the era of digital colorization, as well, making the film's aesthetic decidedly different from the previous three. Plot-wise, in this one the gang fights against a digital monster, both in and out of the digital world, along with meeting digital dopplegangers of themselves and having to deal with digital recreations of some of the series' most iconic former monsters. Of course, those monsters were all people in suits... but not this time! Does this end up being a fun end to this version of the Scooby-verse, or should this thing be deleted? Listen to find out!

The Curtain Rises Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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Kool Kats Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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As we've watched the two Warner Bros cartoon series (Merrie Melodies & Looney Tunes), we've gradually seen Porky Pig become the studio's main character, the closest thing they had to a Mickey Mouse. But by this point, Mickey Mouse was arguably not even the most popular character in Disney's cartoons anymore - Donald Duck was fast taking that position. And thus, maybe it was about time for Warner Bros. to introduce their own Donald Duck! Which they would attempt... in a different cartoon that we'll get to later. In this cartoon, however, they found an unexpected star, also coincidentally a duck, who they wouldn't immediately capitalize on, but who would eventually become one of their greatest cartoon stars. That's right, it's time to meet... Daffy Duck!

The Curtain Rises Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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Many animated films tried to compete with Disney during the 90s, and virtually all of them failed, at least financially. But how about critical reception, cult following, or even general quality? Well there weren't many contenders in those arenas, but one that can put up a fight in all three just so happens to be today's film. The iconography of the Iron Giant character himself is perhaps more well-known at this point than the actual film, with the character having multiple cameos in various pieces of media in the late 2010s and early 2020s. But is the film itself worth seeking out, decades later? Listen to find out!

The Curtain Rises Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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We end our 1936 cartoon short journey with a double-length, color, musical Popeye short! Our hero Popeye comes up against villain Sindbad and his island of incredible and dangerous beasts! But none are as dangerous as Sindbad himself! Throw in Olive Oyl and Wimpy and several instances of 3D hand-crafted backgrounds and you have all the ingredients for a grand ol' time! But... is it? Listen to find out!

The Curtain Rises Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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Between Disney's much beloved Golden and Silver eras is the 'Wartime' era, which is significantly less beloved and talked about. Virtually all of the movies in this period were collections of animated shorts, be they many in number such as Melody Time or only two not-quite-feature-length shorts, like Ichabod and Mr. Toad. But Saludos Amigos and Three Caballeros, while similar, are a bit different in design and purpose. While certainly a vehicle for shorts, both films are also a vehicle for exploring Latin America, with the first film featuring a documentary sort of approach and the latter film incorporating a very loose narrative to connect its pieces. In many ways, by modern standards both films are undeniably quaint. But that doesn't necessarily mean they're bad... so how do these things hold up, all this time later? Listen to find out!

The Curtain Rises Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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Kool Kats Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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In this classic Mickey Mouse cartoon, Donald Duck tries to fix some pipes while Pluto gets harassed by a magnet! Eventually the two collide and chaos ensues. Are you wondering why that description didn't involve the character of Mickey? Well that would be because he isn't in this cartoon! Made before Disney started breaking characters out into their own separate series, this cartoon is in most respects the first cartoon of both the Donald Duck and Pluto the Pup cartoon series, and yet technically speaking it is a Mickey Mouse cartoon. But the more important question is... does it hold up? Listen to find out!

The Curtain Rises Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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Kool Kats Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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(Spoiler Section Length - 5min 40sec)

Today we have another anthology film, this one based on the titular magazine. It's a film of sex, violence and rock 'n' roll, and it certainly won't be to everyone's tastes. It's also from the 80s, so the era of 'Heavy Metal'—both the magazine and music genre—that it harkens to is one long past at this point. All of this doesn't necessarily bode well for the anthology holding up, at least on some levels, but none of it precludes it from being good. So... is it? Or, given that it's an anthology, do any of the individual shorts that make it up prove worth watching? Listen to find out!

The Curtain Rises Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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Kool Kats Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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