The Golden Age of Cartoons: Attack of the 30's Characters [DVD]

No, animation was not ALL from Disney. There were scores of other great animators, most particularly the Fleischer brothers, who over several decades created a body of work which can still amaze and delight the viewer. Even the Harman-Ising animal musicals are brilliant, even wild. There is here a Tom and Jerry that are human -- and not cat and mouse -- and they don't chase each other. Then there are Bosko, Oswald Rabbit, Krazy Kat, Foxy, Flip the Frog, the Little king and a host of other characters that are largely forgotten today.It does not matter than many of these cartoons are in black and white: The inventiveness is still there, and perhaps,in even greater profusion.

Only about 4 or 5 of the cartoons played. Then the dvd rapidly skipped overthe rest of them, showing only the titles. Obviously, a third rate bootleg copy.Also, why does Amazon prevent customers from seeing other negative reviews?

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If you're never seen a Thunderbean Animation DVD, you're really missing out on something wonderful. Fans of classic animation are compelled to seek out these little almost-forgotten gems produced with great affection and reverance for their subject matter.Attack of the 30's Characters, as the liner notes indicate, is something of a "sampler" collection. No less than 8 separate studios are represented by the 16 shorts included here. In addition to the heavyweights like Warners and Disney, equal time (and equal admiration) is given to lesser-known studios like Van Beuren and Terrytoons. Supplemental materials include a few still photo galleries of promotional material, plus a well-written and very informative booklet.If there's a flaw to this collection, it's not exactly the fault of Thunderbean. In the 6 years (as of this writing) since this disc was released, several of the cartoons that were in the public domain at the time have seen "official" releases. Which means that, as good as most of the prints used here are, even cleaner ones have been offered by WB, Disney, Image and even Thunderbean itself. But this collection does appear to be the only place to find good copies of MGM's rarely-seen (and perfectly delightful) "To Spring," the Betty Boop vehicle "Is My Palm Red?" and the classic early Looney Tunes offering "Lady Play Your Mandolin."It's also worth mentioning that because the cartoons are culled from so many different studios and sources, the print quality does vary a bit. The color cartoons tend to suffer some minor saturation problems, although they are still quite acceptable. Having seen most of the company's other DVD's, I do believe they did they best they could with the material.Like The Complete Animated Adventures of Van Beuren's Tom & Jerry and The Golden Age of Cartoons: The Complete Adventures of Cubby Bear, Attack of the 30's Characters should receive a warm reception in the home of any fan of early animated cartoons.

While there can be no denying that Mickey Mouse and Popeye The Sailor were probably the most prominent cartoon stars of the 1930's, there were many otherinteresting characters that also appeared during this decade. Some we still know well, such as Betty Boop and Porky Pig. Others though, have faded intocomparative obscurity. Krazy Kat, Flip the Frog, Bosko the Talk-ink Kid, Farmer Alfalfa, to name but a few, were all prominent characters who regularly appeared on the movie theater circuits during this decade.This wonderful DVD can easily be considered a "sampler" for many of these characters. 16 cartoon films from 8 different studios are included, probably as wide and as varied a presentation of classic animation as has ever been attempted for a single disc DVD release.With this release interested viewers will not only have the chance to see some very rare films featuring these largely forgotten characters, as well as some of their old favorites, they'll also be able to compare the various "styles" and techniques which set apart the production studios from one another. Also, a few of the films included have no "featured" star rather they are "one shot" titles intended to showcase the animators and artists skills most effectively.Highlights include:The very first Merrie Melodie cartoon "Lady Play Your Mandolin" from 1931, and what a wild little film it is! It stars "Foxy" a Mickey look a like with pointed ears and a bushy tail. Only thing is he's more than happy to go on a drinking binge, something Mickey was seldom allowed to do. It all takes place in a south of the border cantina, prohibition necessitating the locale! Wild visual gags and a hot jazz music score provided by Abe Lyman's Brunswick Recording Orchestra make for a first rate inclusion.In "Wonderland" (1931) we meet another almost forgotten character "Oswald the Lucky Rabbit". Oswald was actually a Walt Disney creation, but the character was wrested from him in mid 1928, by Charles Mintz whom had married Margaret Winkler, the owner of the firm who marketed Disney's films. However, the Oswald character itself was actually "owned" by Universal Pictures. In 1930, Universal created its own cartoon studio, headed by Walter Lantz and Bill Nolan, and took over production of the Oswald cartoons, thus leaving Mintz and the Winkler's out in the cold! Oswald is seen here in great form, putting his own spin on the Jack and the Beanstalk tale. With surreal visual gags, and plenty of boisterous mayhem, it's very apparent that this fellow deserves far more exposure than Universal Studios feels inclined to give!If you like classic cartoons from animation's "golden age", then I am confident you will not be disappointed with this beautifully mastered DVD, lots of rare gems are here to be found and they're all pretty sparkly! Once again superb quality, a plethora of extra features, and other fun surprises makes for a typically excellent DVD from Steve Stanchfield and Mackinac Media. Highly Recommended!!!!!Del WalkerDVDToons.com