What happens to old cartoon stars once they leave the studio that they became famous at? Mostly they become forgotten, shadows of their former selves. Oswald the Lucky Rabbit faded into obscurity once he left Disney's hands, and Warner Bros' old star Bosko didn't do much better. Over at a new studio producing cartoons for MGM, Bosko starred in this short, which rather than doing much new, mostly looks back at Bosko's glory days. Is the reminiscing fun, or a waste of time? 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 - 4min 19sec)

This is one of those ephemeral 'oh yeah i think i might've rented that from blockbuster once' movies, the kind that vaguely sticks in your mind but that you never actively recall until it is specifically brought up. It's a movie that released in a decade of animated excellence that does not exhibit the animated quality of its contemporaries (even excluding Disney from the equation), and that exhibits storytelling inspired by centuries-old tales, but without a modern storytelling spin. In many ways it is a movie out of time and out of place... but that isn't necessarily bad, just very different. Does it all work, or is this movie best left forgotten? Listen to find out!

The Curtain Rises Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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Kool Kats Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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Two cartoons with some threadbare connections, featuring a playful pup and a vocal villain. One's in black and white and the other in color, and yet both are important. For what reason? And perhaps more importantly, are they actually enjoyable to watch? Listen to find out!

The Curtain Rises Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Kool Kats Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

(Spoiler Section Length - 2min 47sec)

It's time for another 80s animated movie made for the purpose of selling a brand of toy. Yes, just like Transformers the Movie, Rainbow Brite is made to sell, well, Rainbow Brite toys! And also like Transformers, this movie involves a large cast, is mostly set in space, and has lots of fighting and monsters. But this time battles are fought with rainbows! Also there's a character named Twink and that's important to note. Is this movie as good as its toy-selling brethren, or maybe better? Hopefully not worse? Let's find out!

The Curtain Rises Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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Kool Kats Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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Back to the 80s we go, with a movie based on a franchise that got its start in the 50s. That's right, it's Alvin and the Chipmunks (and importantly: the Chipettes), off on a hot-air balloon adventure around the world. There's diamond smugglers, bad guys with gold teeth, and baby penguins to be found on this adventure, but does this globe-trotting adventure featuring different cultures as written by white people still hold up? Listen to find out!

The Curtain Rises Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Kool Kats Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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Today we take a jaunt over to Walter Lantz and the "cartunes" he's was churning out for Universal. This is one of his earliest color shorts, and is a retelling of "The Elves and the Shoemaker." Does it look good? Does it sound good? Is it any fun to watch? Listen to find out!

The Curtain Rises Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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Kool Kats Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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Which pets are blessed with the fairest forms and faces? Which pets know best all the gentle social graces? Which pets live on cream and loving pats? Naturellement! The Aristocats! This 1971 classic was on constant repeat on the VHS players of many a kid in the 90s and early 2000s, and is fondly remembered by everyone on this episode of the podcast. But it's also been quite a while since any of us have seen it. Watching it anew in 2023, do we still end up enjoying ourselves? Listen to find out!

The Curtain Rises Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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Kool Kats Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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It's time: Donald Duck is here! Over the course of two cartoons, we chart the famous duck's debut and different facets of the character that are introduced in each short. What made Donald such a hit among audiences? And does whatever magic worked back then still work today? Listen to find out!

The Curtain Rises Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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Kool Kats Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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After over a decade of searching, an ebay purchase, and the borrowing of a VHS player, we can finally watch this obscure movie from Danika's childhood, involving woodland critters and aliens and a hawk named Gracko. This is a sequel to a film we haven't watched, and the English dub rather than original language version. Was this movie worth the effort, or did it deserve to be forgotten? Listen to find out!

The Curtain Rises Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Kool Kats Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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It's time for another Popeye cartoon - and one that's part of his actual series, instead of technically a Betty Boop cartoon! This one's a bit of a musical, set to the song of the same name as the short, and features a much more expressive version of Popeye, along with an Olive Oyl who sounds more like what she's known for. Do we end up enjoying it? Listen to find out!

The Curtain Rises Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Kool Kats Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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