How's It Hold Up?

Pluto is here and he's here to stay! This is technically the 1st cartoon that "Pluto" appears in, though a dog named "Rover" who looks exactly the same and belongs to Minnie debuted a few months earlier in a different cartoon. But that dog was in a pretty small amount of that cartoon, whereas in this one, Pluto is the star of the show. Also Mickey is here, and he's hunting moose. How does this first appearance of Pluto stack up to the character we know today, and how good of a short is this when watching it nearly 100 years later? 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/

Our final holiday episode is a strange feature about three homeless people living in Tokyo who encounter a trash baby and go on a wild adventure or self-discovery. It's a messy movie in a lot of respects, and won't be to everyone's tastes, but more importantly... is it to ours? 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/

This time we have another short featuring Betty Boop, and this one's got a few twists and turns in it! This is not a facet of most of the cartoons we've seen in this era. Additionally, Betty has a different vocal performance than usual! It's a wild ride full of bandits, trains and not-Mickey Mouse, but is it actually fun 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/

Rankin Bass has produced many animated specials that have gone on to be considered classics. Most of those specials have been stop-motion animation, but one of the most popular - the original Frosty the Snowman - uses traditional animation. The special proved popular enough to spawn multiple sequels, the first of which aired in 1976, and gives Frosty a wife, Crystal. How do either of these frosty specials hold up in 2021? Should they be remembered as classics, or should they be dumped in a bin along with A Christmas Story? 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/

In the late 90s and early 2000s, everyone was putting out cheap animated Christmas movies. And that definitely includes Disney, with their multiple Winnie the Pooh holiday-themed releases, and, of course, Mickey Mouse christmas movies. But unlike the much earlier Mickey Christmas Carol and Pauper shorts, these are movies comprised of brand-new shorts, and they are tv-quality animation, rather than theatrical animation quality. We've also got one movie in traditional animation and the other in 3d animation! How does it all hold up? Are these Christmas classics, or forgettable drivel? 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/

In today's episode: Mickey goes to prison! We don't know what he did but he sure doesn't seem to feel bad about it. Also, the proto version of a mainline Disney character! Is it your favorite? Maybe, I don't know your life. Will this cartoon be your new favorite? 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/

Film restoration is much more a thing now than it was in the 1970s. So in the 70s, when the original treasured Soyuzmultfilm "The Humpbacked Horse" was in a state of disrepair, they didn't have the ability to restore it, so they just remade the whole thing from scratch! Decades later, when the technology to restore the original came along, they did so, and now both films exist as options to experience the same basic story. Do either of them do it better? Do either of them look better? Which is the better experience overall, or should you actually watch two movies that are mostly the same thing? 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/

We've seen the Fleischer bros first cartoon star, but it's time to meet their first cartoon superstar. Betty Boop comes in a form and with a prominence that might be surprising to some - she is not human and she is a bit character in a cartoon starring her eventual boyfriend, Bimbo. Yet some of her core attributes are already there - her general body type and look and her voice, in particular. But outside of introducing a character that would go on to be known worldwide, is this short actually entertaining? Is Bimbo an enjoyable protagonist? 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/

While the story of The Thief and the Cobbler is an all-around tragedy, the story of The King and the Mockingbird, which suffered some similar production woes, is one of triumph. Originally released in 1952 against the creator's wishes and in  a form they were unhappy with, the film was eventually completed and rereleased in 1980. What is this movie, based on the tale of the Shepheress and the Chimneysweep, actually about, though? And more importantly, is it any good? 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/

It's time for another Mickey cartoon! In this one, we meet some of Mickey's pals - but that doesn't mean Donald or Goofy, oh no. Those two are still a ways away. Instead, it's Clarabelle Cow's first appearance, and the first time on the podcast that we've seen Horace Horsecollar! These two faded into obscurity after Donald and Goofy came on the scene, but Clarabelle, at least, has had something of a resurgence in appearances in the last few decades. How does this early version of her compare? 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/