How's It Hold Up?

Do you remember that movie? You know, that one you saw as a kid, had cartoon animals and they flew a little ship at one point? Maybe there was a scary scene with humans? You're pretty sure there was an environmental theme. Well, this is that movie! But is this film that's lived on the edge of your memories for years any good? Is it worth revisiting so the vague memory can become clear? 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 Out of the Inkwell short, this one gets weird, with the still unnamed clown walking on telephone wires, creating a mechanical woman and getting murdered by oil. It's a trip, but is it a good one? 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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Though Treasure Planet isn't the movie that signaled the first death of traditional animation at Disney, its box office failure unfortunately led the company toward that inevitable conclusion. On the other hand, the film is a passion project by a pair of directors that gave Disney multiple movies now considered classics. So while it failed financially it was nevertheless adored by those who created it, and has become a childhood classic for some people. Watching it years later, did it deserve to fail so hard, or was the passionate creative vision behind it right all along and simply not given their due? 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 first few Out of the Inkwell shorts were produced by Bray Productions, but soon enough the Fleischer Brothers decided to create their own studio, and this short is perhaps the first one they made! And it certainly feels like they're trying to go all-out, with even more interactions between the animation and live action parts, more rotoscoping and even some claymation! There's a lot going on in this short, but ultimately, is any of it enjoyable to watch? 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 Japan's first feature-length film, along with the shorter film it's a sequel to. And both of them are overt Japanese World War II war propaganda! As such the viewing was, in some ways, harrowing, especially given the shorter film is literally about Pearl Harbor. But still, the second one is historically important to animation in Japan! So do either of them hold up? Are either of them worth watching over half a century after the war they were created for? 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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We've looked at some of the earliest bits of American and European animation - but what about other countries? What about Japan? We look at the oldest surviving bit of Japanese animation, followed by the oldest surviving animated short. Are they enjoyable to watch in 2021 or 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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This particular film is this podcast's second Gulliver's Travels, the first animated telling of the story, and the second American feature-length animated film. It's also one of two feature films by the Fleischer Bros, better known for Betty Boop and Popeye. This movie begs direct comparison to Disney's Snow White, since it was made to directly compete within the market Disney's movie had just created. How does it compare? And how does it compare to the Gulliver's Travels from nearly 40 years later? Is this one worth a watch, or is it best left forgotten? 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 to dive into our first series of theatrical cartoon shorts! We're still a long ways from Looney Tunes and Mickey Mouse, but even back in 1919 characters were being created who are still known today! In this particular case, the cartoon stars a clown who would eventually be known as Koko, and would become best known for being a side character in early Betty Boop cartoons. This time it's just him and an obnoxious fly... and also the animator Max Fleischer himself! Is this cartoon from over 100 years ago still funny or enjoyable to watch in the year 2021? 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 very first Disney movie, and the beginnings of animated feature films in America is Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Its a film many have seen, but when was the last time they actually watched it and paid attention to it? Is it... worth that? Or is this a relic of a bygone era that's inferior to the vast body of work made in its wake? 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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Out of all pre-Disney cartoon shorts, Winsor McCay's Gertie the Dinosaur is perhaps the most well known. Today we take a look at it and its predecessor, Little Nemo, based on the comic series of the same name, to examine McCay's best-known contributions to animation as a medium. But, outside that historical context, how are these two shorts as pieces of entertainment? Are they still enjoyable, over 100 years after they were first conceived? 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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