Cartoon a Day: Three For Breakfast

Three For Breakfast
1948
Directed by Jack Hannah
Available on: Walt Disney Treasures - The Chronological Donald Vol. 3

Before home movies were on video tape you actually had to set up the movie projector and watch reel to reel films. Amongst the movies of family vacations and Easter egg hunts at my childhood home was an edited copy of "Three For Breakfast." There was no sound, and it was about half the length, and it may have even been in black and white, but it was one we watched just about every time the projector got pulled out.



In this short, Chip and Dale are living in the chimney of Donald's house. When they smell something cooking, the decided to check it out and become obsessed with getting some of the pancakes Donald is fixing.



Some people say the Disney shorts are brilliant from an animation standpoint, but not that funny, well this is proof that's not the case. There are several great gags in this short, but they aren't just gags for gags sake. These progress the story. It's pretty early in the short that Donald ends up with a pancake made out of rubber cement to try and trick Chip and Dale, but that element ends up being used for the final, very elaborate, gag of the film.



Donald actually is pretty calm in this film. He doesn't just fly off the handle right away, it's a bit of a slow burn for him, which is somewhat unusual. Donald is a a great character, the "Gable of our stable" as Walt Disney called him, and this is a great example of why he was such a popular star.

Cartoon a Day: Spooks

Spooks
1930
Directed by Walter Lantz
Available on: Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection

Ah, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit...the rabbit with two Walts. You may know that Oswald was created by Walt Disney, but eventually the powers that be at Universal Pictures decided they could make Oswald without Disney. Eventually Oswald was handed over to another Walt, Walter Lantz, who later created Woody Woodpecker. Of course Disney created Mickey Mouse after his rabbit was taken from him.



In keeping with the Halloween theme, today's cartoon is "Spooks," and Oswald short from the Lantz era. The first few shots of the film are very reminiscent of yesterday's cartoon "The Skeleton Dance." There is a skeleton, and a black cat that look similar, and a swaying tree branch and an owl that are almost spot on of images from the famous Silly Symphony.



Eventually the story takes the form of a "Phantom of the Opera" parody. The phantom helps Oswald's girl be a better singer (with the help of a record player), but then he steals her off, so Oswald must come to the rescue. Like in many early cartoons, the characters seem to be made of rubber hoses. This makes for some fun animation, but still, it seems a bit held-back then what you might see in a film animated by Ub Iwerks. There are some good gags, but the timing seems off in a few places. And even though gag repetition was pretty common in early cartoons, one particular visual gag is repeated four times in a row, that's a bit excessive. Still, I like the design of the phantom and his strange, almost blob like movements at times.

Cartoon a Day: Hell's Bells

Hell's Bells
1929
Directed by Ub Iwerks
Available on: Walt Disney Treasures - More Silly Symphonies

There is no denying the contribution of Walt Disney to the art of animation. But really there was another person right alongside Walt who was just as influential, Ub Iwerks. With Halloween coming up this weekend, it seemed appropriate to look at one of their great collaborations, "Hell's Bells."


Like so many of the Silly Symphonies, there isn't really a plot, just a bunch of devils having a party. This is more of an animation exercise. This is Disney and Iwerks exploring the possibilities of their art. The characters in this short are very flexible, with skinny, rubber-band like arms and legs which Iwerks takes full advantage of.

One sequence that is especially fun involves a little devil dancing as nearby flames cast his large shadow on the wall behind him. It's easy to not take notice of the the skill involved in this sequence. You almost need to remind yourself that cartoons don't cast their own shadows, that all needed to be drawn.

Shorts from this time period are such a treat to watch. As you watch you can see the animators discovering new techniques along the way. We see the art of animation progress right before our eyes.