Poor Cinderella

Like I promised last week, here's a post about "Poor Cinderella", a Fleischer Color Classic released on 8/3/1934. This is a very important and particular cartoon in many ways. It's the first Fleischer cartoon produced in color, a 2-strip Cinecolor process that would be abandoned in the subsequent Fleischer releases. Also it is the only appearance of Betty Boop in color, not counting the Korean rotoscoped and redrawn remakes from the early 70s.
This is basically a straightforward retelling of Cinderella story, augmented with just a small dose of the typical Fleischer surrealism. In this cartoon, the main emphasis has been put not on the gags, but on the visual spectacle. This is an amazingly sumptuous cartoon, comparable with Disney's most lavish Silly Symphonies, or Columbia's "The Little Match Girl". The backgrounds are extremely elaborate, and many of the shots are composed and staged in depth, viewed from the large distance. That characteristic is very unusual and rarely seen in the 30s cartoons, and Fleischers will use it in several other Color Classics and Popeye cartoons. Another thing that deserves to be mentioned is a very catchy and enjoyable soundtrack.

Somewhere in Dreamland

First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR to all the visitors of Classic Cartoons blog!
In this first update for 2007. I'm going to fulfill a request by one of our commentators who asked to see the screenshots from Fleischer Color Classic "Somewhere in Dreamland". This cartoon released on 01/17/1936 is one of the most popular and famous Color Classics. It was also the first cartoon from this series to be released in 3-strip Technicolor, and it really benefited from having the full color range. The 3-D sequences are among the most outstanding and lavish ones that ever appeared in a Fleischer cartoon, and they should be really seen on the large screen to be fully appreciated. The storyline is perhaps too maudlin and sappy for its own good, and it's the fault that plagued many Fleischer Color Classics. However, this cartoon must have been particularly warmly received during the mid-30s (still the period of great economic crisis in US), and even today remains one of many people's favorites.
So, here are the screenshots from "Somewhere in Dreamland". My next update will feature another of last year's requested cartoons, "Poor Cinderella"