Film Dictionary

March 15, 1970

Dancing On The Moon (1935) ****

Newlywed couples embark on the Honeymoon Express to the Moon. An off-beat cartoon with a superb title song. Probably the best of Fleischer's Color Classic cartoons - one of the few that avoid to imitate Disney.

The Cookie Carnival (1935) ****

A wonderfully colorful Silly Symphony about a hobo helping a Cinderella become the Queen of the Cookie Carnival. All the characters are represented as candies, chocolates and other tidbits or delicacies. It's a marvellous musical extravaganza, full of bright colors and delicious shapes.

Mickey's Garden (1935) ****

A richly animated Mickey & Pluto cartoon set in a garden ravaged by hordes of hungry bugs. When Mickey accidently knocks himself unconscious, he has a surrealistic dream imagining being reduced to a tiny size and fighting off hordes of oversized insects and snake-like worms.

Mickey's Fire Brigade (1935) ****

The second pairing of Mickey, Donald and Goofy is among the best "trio" cartoons that dominated Disney's output in the mid and late-30's. Here, they play brave fireman saving prudish Clarabelle Cow from her burning house. The gags are superb.

Who Killed Cock Robin ? (1935) ****

Everyone is looking for the killer of Cock Robin, a handsome lad who lies motionless, with an arrow piercing his heart. Fortunately, an inquiry reveals that it's a cupid's arrow and the real culprit is Jenny Wren, a sexy, Mae West-like temptress. A classic Disney tale, this unpretentious little gem is a real charmer.

Three Orphan Kittens (1935) ****

It's a harsh winter and three poor kitties are abandoned by their owner. They find refuge in a quiet house, first playing in the kitchen, then invading the nursery and the music room. The film is remarkable for its brilliant use of perspectives and the excellent rendering of shining surfaces (glasses, polished floors etc.). The winner of an Academy Award for best cartoon short.

Sunshine Makers (1935) ****

Weird gremlins attack a happy village, where merry dwarves put sunshine in bottles. They get hit with projectiles containing the sunshine and are transformed into gay, happy and even weirder creatures. This bizarre little tale has plenty of charm and naive innocence. A minor classic from Van Beuren.

A Cartoonist's Nightmare (1935) ****

Terrific and memorable film about cartoon villains taking revenge on their creator.

Music Land (1935) ****

A particularly successful Disney cartoon; an adaptation of "Romeo and Juliet" set against the background of a conflict between a Land of Symphony and an Isle of Jazz. When the Prince of Jazz falls in love with the Princess of Symphony, their parents start a vicious war - both sides blasting each other with different musical tunes (Jazz vs Tchaikovski). All the characters are musical instruments (the prince is a sax, the princess - a violin). Ultimately, a Bridge of Harmony is built between the two islands, formerly divided by a Sea of Discord.

On Ice (1935) ***

Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto, Goofy, Horace Horsecollar and Clarabelle Cow, all make an appearance in this entertaining picture set on a frozen river above a waterfall. While Goofy tries to fish (with predictable results), mean Donald is tormenting poor Pluto.

The Hunting Season (1935) ***

Molly Moo Cow plays with forest animals and defends them from an evil hunter.

The Bird Man (1935) ***

Krazy Kat learns to how to fly and to become a bird.

Parrotville Old Folks (1935) ***

The middle part of this cartoon is a bit weak, but the first and the third acts are quite entertaining.

The Quail Hunt (1935) ***

Five years before his classic "The Wild Hare" (1940), Tex Avery tries a similar setup and gags.

Scrappy's Ghost Story (1935) ***

Superior cartoon about ghosts.

Towne Hall Follies (1935) ***

Oswald cartoon directed by Tex Avery.

The Old Plantation (1935) ***

Strikingly designed MGM cartoon.

Good Little Monkeys (1935) ***

A sexy belly dancer is one of many pleasures of this MGM cartoon.

Water Babies (1935) ***

Mr And Mrs Is The Name (1935) ***

A Colour Box (1935) ***

Len Lye’s hand-painted film. It combines popular Cuban dance music with abstract designs. Color was still a novelty at the time and Lye’s direct painting on celluloid creates exceptionally vibrant effects. The film won several major awards, though some festivals had to invent a special category for it, and in Venice, the Fascists disrupted screenings because they saw the film as ‘degenerate’ modern art. "A Colour Box" was financed and distributed by John Grierson’s GPO Film Unit on the condition that Lye include postal messages at the end.

Papageno (1935) ***

Excellent silhouette-animated film by Lotte Reiniger. Inspired by Mozart's "The Magic Flute".

Humpty Dumpty (1935) ***

Juvenile Humpty Dumpty's courtship of a cute Easter Egg is rudely interrupted by a smelly Bad Egg. A pleasant musical cartoon, one of Ub Iwerks' better efforts.

The Merry Old Soul (1935) ***

Hollywood Capers (1935) ***

After Bosko and Buddy, and shortly before Porky Pig, the main star of the Warner Bros. cartoons was Beans. In this entertaining Looney Tune, he tries to enter a movie studio and has to fight a mechanical Frankenstein.

Galathea (1935) ***

Barnyard Babies (1935) ***

Bird Scouts (1935) ***

Engaging, well-made cartoon about brave birds and a mean pussy cat.

Kaleidoscope (1935) ***

Mickey's Man Friday (1935) ***

Mickey plays Robinson Crusoe.

King Of The Mardi Gras (1935) ***

Memorable Popeye cartoon set on a roller coaster.

Cock O' The Walk (1935) ***

Busby Berkeley clearly inspired this fine cartoon featuring dancing eggs, roosters, hens, worms, peacocks, ducks and pigeons.

Broken Toys (1935) ***

A bunch of discarded toys and old dolls try to get out of the garbage dump.

My Green Fedora (1935) ***

Pretty good, very exciting cartoon about a little bunny saving his sister from a kidnapper.

Parrotville Post-Office (1935) ***

A cartoon remake of "The Lonedale Operator" (1911). Just kiddin'.

Buddy's Pony Express (1935) ***

Cartoon western starring Buddy.

Betty Boop And Grampy (1935) ***

Everybody goes to Grampy's to admire his ingenious inventions, which include a steam-powered flute.

The Three Bears (1935) ***

A little girl plays hide-and-seek with a lazy dog, who falls asleep while counting. She tries to hide in a little house, but the resident bears don't take kindly to having their meals eaten and beds destroyed. An excellent adaptation of the classic tale, with truly exciting chases and some nice musical interludes. Directed by Ub Iwerks.

Balloon Land (1935) ***

A strikingly designed cartoon set in a bizarre village, where all buildings, objects and characters are filled with air. An evil Pincushionman uses his pins to attack the happy community, but the balloons put up a stiff resistance. A feast for eyes and ears, also known as "The Pincushionman". Produced and directed by Ub Iwerks.

Baby Be Good (1935) ***

An unruly baby refuses to sleep, forcing Betty Boop to tell him a bedtime story. It turns out to be a morality tale about a truly wicked boy who causes a lot of grief, but ultimately learns his lesson.

Alias St Nick (1935) ***

An early MGM cartoon about a smart little mouse that refuses to believe in Santa Claus and saves his family from a vicious cat. Quite inventive.

Sinbad The Sailor (1935) ***

Sinbad's ship is captured by ruthless pirates and he finds himself on a tropical island. Plenty of exciting adventures. Directed by Ub Iwerks.

I Haven't Got A Hat (1935) ***

Porky Pig makes his screen debut in this amusiong little Merrie Melody, co-starring Beans and two cute puppies, Ham and Ex.

The Sleeping Beauty (1935) **

This Dutch "Puppetoon" adaptation of the famous fairy-tale was made by George Pal in his Eindhoven studio as a "soft" advertisement for the Philips Radio company.

No No A Thousand Times No (1935) **

Betty is fighting off the unwelcome advances of a villain with a mustache. A mediocre pastiche of old vaudeville melodramas.

Poor Little Me (1935) **

MGM cartoon about a little skunk.

Rhythm In The Bow (1935) **

A black & white Merrie Melody about hobos, on a freight train and off.

Buddy The Gee Man (1935) **

Bizarre cartoon about prison reform.

Hey Hey Fever (1935) **

A Bosko cartoon with Old King Cole, Old Mother Hubbard, etc. etc.

Molly Moo Cow And The Butterflies (1935) **

Molly Moo Cow is playing with butterflies. She even puts on a pair of wings and pretends to be a butterfly herself ! - making it the first of only two films to feature a flying cow (the other being "Twister"). Produced by Van Beuren.

Rag Dog (1935) **

A fine, but unexceptional Van Beuren cartoon.

The Golden Touch (1935) **

A moral fable about greed, with king Midas turning everything he touches into gold. Unable to eat his precious metal, he finally agrees to exchange all his gold for one single hamburger with onions! The last cartoon directed personally by Walt Disney, it's an earnest, but disappointing and unspectacular effort.

Chinese Lanterns (1935) **

Set in China, it's an example of a perfectly “politically correct” cartoon that completely eschews any negative ethnic stereotypes. It's a bit boring, though.

Little Dutch Plate (1935) **

We can see the first appetizing hints of the screwy and zany glories of the Warner Bros cartoon to come in this otherwise routine Merrie Melody about little plates and other figurines.

Mickey's Kangaroo (1935) **

Mickey receives a package from Australia, containing an agressive kangaroo, who uses Pluto as a punching bag to improve his boxing skills. The last Disney cartoon in black and white.

Buddy's Adventures (1935) **

Uneven Looney Tune with many exciting adventures, but long boring stretches as well.

Spinning Mice (1935) **

Cute little cartoon about mice and magicians.

Run Sheep Run (1935) **

Bosko has been redesigned as a real black boy for this cartoon.

Taking The Blame (1935) **

A mean cat not only wrecks havoc in Betty's house, but shamelessly tries to put the blame on Pudgy. There are plenty of cat-and-dog fights in this cartoon.

A Little Soap And Water (1935) **

Betty Boop wants to give Pudgy a sponge bath. Lucky fella!

Be Kind To Animals (1935) **

Popeye and Olive punish Bluto for beating his horse.

Swat That Fly (1935) **

Betty Boop and Pudgy are trying to kill an annoying fly, but they only manage to break a few windows and wreck havoc in the kitchen.

Little Black Sambo (1935) **

A little African boy is chased by a tiger. The animators forgot that tigers live only in Asia. Directed by Ub Iwerks.

The Lost Chick (1935) **

Very sentimental story set during a harsh winter.

A Language All My Own (1935) **

Betty Boop becomes an aviatrix, flying to Japan and performing the title song there.

Honeyland (1935) **

Bees are fighting against a huge spider. Cute, but unoriginal.

Buddy's Lost World (1935) **

Buddy among dinosaurs and cavemen. Not bad, but too imitative of Disney's Mickey Mouse cartoons.

Summertime (1935) **

Summer fights against winter. Average Ub Iwerks' cartoon with good music.

When The Cat's Away (1935) **

MGM cartoon about cats, mice and a rat.

Buddy's Theatre (1935) **

A Buddy cartoon set in a movie theatre.

Judge For A Day (1935) **

Betty Boop is on a crusade against "public pests", even putting them on display in public parks.

Along Flirtation Walk (1935) **

Amusing Merry Melodie about a sporting competition involving laying eggs.

Scotty Finds A Home (1935) *

Scotty defends his home from an intruder.

Flowers For Madame (1935) *

Color Merrie Melodie about dancing flowers.

Old Mother Hubbard (1935) *

Mother Hubbard washes the King's laundry, but the hero of this cartoon is a singing dog, whose stupid antics greatly amuse the monarch. Almost plotless and somewhat confusing cartoon from Ub Iwerks.

Buddy Steps Out (1935) *

A rather ordinary Looney Tune starring Buddy, with a nice tune "About A Quarter To Nine".

Into Your Dance (1935) *

An early prototype of Porky Pig conducts an orchestra on a showboat.

Molly Moo Cow And The Indians (1935) *

Molly Moo Cow finds herself in the Far West. She saves an Indian baby from drowning. She also saves two live ducks from becoming two roasted ducks. Produced by Van Beuren.

Buddy's Bug Hunt (1935) *

Something about Buddy, bugs, and a trial.

Molly Moo Cow And Rip Van Winkle (1935) *

Molly Moo Cow gets drunk and wakes Rip Van Winkle with a bowling ball. Produced by Van Beuren.

Picnic Panic (1935) *

Only notable for the first screen appearance of Molly Moo Cow.

Buddy Of The Legion (1935) *

Buddy in Morocco.

The Lady In Red (1935) *

A Merrie Melody in color.

Buddy In Africa (1935) *

This Looney Tune set in Africa is far more racist than most Warner Bros. cartoons on the infamous "Censored 11" list, but apparently nobody ever bothered to censor this one, probably because it's so insignificant and obscure.

The Brementown Musicians (1935) *

Farm animals are begging on the streets, while their owner is robbed by bandits. Produced and directed by Ub Iwerks.

Betty Boop With Henry The Funniest Living American (1935) *

Betty Boop asks Henry to look after her pet shop for a while. The bald moron frees all the birds from their cages. The title of this mediocre cartoon is something of a mystery - not only Henry isn't funny, but he isn't even trying to be. Weird.

Mary's Little Lamb (1935) *

Mary's lamb follows her to school and annoys her teacher. Directed by Ub Iwerks.

Making Stars (1935) *

Betty Boop introduces various new performers, all of them toddlers (male, female, Chinese, etc.).

Country Mouse (1935) *

A mouse wants to become a boxing champion.

Buddy the Dentist (1935) *

Buddy's dog's tooth is hurting. A shameless ripp-off of Walt Disney's Mickey and Pluto cartoons.

Billboard Frolics (1935) *

Billboards come to life.

The Kids In The Shoe (1935) *

A poor family lives in a huge, old shoe. Having established the setting, the animators seem to have run out of ideas - it's a particularly forgettable effort from Dave Fleischer.

The Calico Dragon (1935) *

One of the weakest cartoons ever nominated for an Academy Award.

Stop That Noise (1935) *

Betty complains about loud noises in her city dwelling, so she moves to the country. However, various insects and other pests make her life a living hell.