It's time for our first taste of Masaaki Yuasa's work - a family-friendly version of it, at any rate! This is your classic tale of a boy meeting a mermaid, except she's not actually a mermaid,  her dad is a shark man and if she bites you'll become like her. So fairly different then. The story is wild in this one, as is the animation, and there's plenty of fun music strewn throughout. But does the overall package form a cohesive whole? Or does it fall apart before reaching the finish line? 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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It's time for the Fleischer Brothers to out-weird everyone else from the time period with another Betty Boop-starring cartoon from before the series was named after her. This one involves Betty running away from home with her boyfriend Bimbo, where they come across a cave with jazz-singing ghosts. It's a spooky time, but more importantly, is it a fun 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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After giving Rankin/Bass' take on Tolkien's work a shot, the next logical step was to check out Bakshi's. Given the reputation of the man and his work, we started the movie with some amount of trepidation... but how did we feel by the end? Does this movie easily beat out Rankin/Bass' efforts? Does it compete with Peter Jackson's live action takes? Or is this one best left in the decade that spawned it? 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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This week we watch another Disney cartoon, but no Mickey this time, we're back to the Silly Symphonies! They haven't yet made the leap to color, but this one feels a bit important with its focus on dramatic story beats over gags and the fact that it was eventually remade years later for the very last Silly Symphony. Is this older version worthwhile on its own merits, or is it begging to be replaced? 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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The time has come to view the animated history of JRR Tolkien's seminal works. Today we look at Rankin/Bass' interpretations for the first time, along with a guest, Marie, who has been watching these versions since she was a child. Do both these works do their source material justice, or are you better off seeking out the live-action adaptations? 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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It's time for some fun in the sun with Mickey Mouse and friends! Which still does not include Donald or Goofy - they don't exist at this point! But Pluto, Minnie, Horace and Clarabelle sure do. It's one of the few chances the latter two have to try to shine before they become little more than cameo characters, so does this cartoon make the most of their charms? 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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After the financial and critical failure that was The Black Cauldron, Disney needed a hit in order to prove their animation division was still viable in the current market. Fortunately, this movie proved to be it, even if it was not as big a hit as most of the films in the 90s would prove to be. Yet despite how critical the film is to the Disney Renaissance, it often feels overlooked in favor of its more even more successful offspring. Is that neglect deserved, or is this a movie that deserves more respect than it receives? 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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Another Merrie Melodies short, and another attempt at a starring character. This time it's Piggy, who is NOT a forerunner of Porky. We're unfortunately a long ways away from Porky. But how's this older pig character, and more importantly, how's his cartoon? Does he, in fact, know what he's doing?

The Curtain Rises Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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Kool Kats Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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We're going back to Russia for this film, and this time, they've got some life lessons to teach us. Do these lessons hold up, and perhaps more importantly, are the story and characters enjoyable? 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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It's time for another Mickey Mouse cartoon! This time Mickey and his friends (not yet including Donald and Goofy) are putting on a radio broadcast, and everyone's listening, even Pluto! This cartoon isn't necessarily historically important, but is it 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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