Thursday, July 29, 2010

100 It's The Natural Thing To Do



1939 Number: 100
Title: It's the Natural Thing To Do
Studio: Fleischer
Date: 7/30/39
Credits:
Directed by
Dave Fleischer
Animated by
Tom Johnson
Lod Rossner
Series: Popeye
Running time (of viewed version): 6:41

Synopsis: The gang tries to be non-violent. It doesn't work out.























Comments: The 100th cartoon of the year. Self referentially a movie with the Popeye Fan Club at the beginning. Mocking the anti violence types, with a lack of violence leading to extreme boredom. Weird pupily (or rather eye white) shot of Popeye. That's right Olive, never dunk your donuts above your elbow. Additional tongue action. A bit more cartoony than normal. Punctuated movement, as in this, works better than constant movement. The title transitions to the action. In the opening fight, it jumps from pose to pose. The final fight involves all three fighting for the joy of it, Bluto making sure Popeye gets the spinach. Rather sexual undertones.

As I'm posting this, I've just finished work on Gulliver's Travels, and I have to say I'm glad to be reminded what a funny Fleischer cartoon looks like. (Sorry about the info gaps above, I'll fill them in at some point.)

6 comments:

  1. One of my fave Popeye shorts. I love his line: "conversin' breaks up the monopoly of not talkin'."

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  2. The first Popeye cartoon directed by Tom Johnson, who already had shown a talent for comedy (he could make Pudgy cartoons funny, which is pretty amazing all by itself) and would become the main head animator/director for the Popeye series over the next 17 years. As you can tell from this short, he made Bluto less gruff and more of a comedic character right from the start, compared to how Seymour Kneitel, Willard Bowsky and Dave Tendlar had used him.

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  3. Wow 100 cartoons. I've been following this experiment from the beginning. Keep up the good work!

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  4. The other credited animator was Lod Rossner, so you have all the credits now.

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  5. I see Lod is a biblical name. Poor sod.

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