- The Puppetoon Movie Volume 2 Blu-Ray+DVD (Limited Edition 2 Discs) is a second landmark collection of more dazzling Academy Award®-winning stop-motion animated Puppetoons of George Pal.
- The Puppetoon Movie Volume 2 Blu-Ray+DVD (Limited Edition 2 Discs) is a second collection of dazzling Academy Award®-winning stop-motion and cel animated Puppetoons® of George Pal. Producer-Director Arnold Leibovit presents 18 brilliant High Definition Puppetoons not seen in generations. Fully restored from their original Technicolor negatives and never before released on any home video format. With special appearances by Bugs Bunny and Superman. In the 1930s and 1940s, before George Pal made classic features like The Time Machine (1960) and The War of the Worlds (1953), he created dozens of stop-motion animated marvels called Puppetoons which utilized an astonishing Pal invention called the replacement figure or series puppet where thousands of wood puppets were created and replaced as required for each advancing frame of film. Pals big Idea transformed the flat cartoon into three-dimensional Puppetoons often praised as some of the great works of stop-motion animation ever conceived. In 1987, working with Mrs. George Pal, Leibovit made The Puppetoon Movie. Leibovit presents added Puppetoon masterpieces sourced from their Original 35mm Technicolor Successive Exposure Negatives (SEN) or 35mm (IB) Imbibition Technicolor Nitrate Prints.
Contents:
Dipsy Gypsy (1940) - The happy-go-lucky recurring character Jim Dandy is singing in the forest, as he is prone to doing. He spots a gipsy girl and instantly falls in love, and he decides to propose. She is smitten as well, but before they can get together, Jim must sneak into the gipsy village and convince her father that he is gipsy material. He manages to do so, primarily through some fancy fiddling. This is a very fun, energizing short with great music and a large group of background players.
Radio Valve Revolution (1934) - This is a rare Philips advertising short done in hand-drawn animation. Despite the absence of wooden puppets, it has the same Pal charm. Worn out radio tubes celebrate the arrival of newer ones to take over their jobs so that they can retire.
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1935) - The story of Ali Baba plays out here with a surprising amount of sensuality and action.
A Hatful of Dreams (1944) - Most will find this cartoon particularly notable because it features a character turning into Superman, under authorized use from DC Publications. (Superman's own cartoons, of course, were being distributed by Paramount until 1943.) It was also the first Puppetoon to feature Pal characters Punchy and Judy. (Character design here was by Fred Moore; fans of the Disney artist will recognize Judy as an obvious example of a "Freddie Moore girl," also visualized as the "centaurettes" in the "Pastoral Symphony" section of Fantasia.) Punchy falls in love with lovely Judy, and tries to impress her through the use of a magic hat - a hat that allows him to turn into Superman! However, his antics bring him afoul of the law, and he ends up in court. Not to worry, though - he still wins the girl!
Rescue Brigade (1937) - This Dutch advertising film (given English subtitles) presents numerous episodes of life, showing the virtues of owning a telephone in order to make life more convenient. Housewives, parents, and store owners all agree that having a phone is peachy! The short ends with a closing message that says, "Neem Telefoon" - or, "Get Phone!"
In Lamp Light Land (1935) - While this is another Philips advertisement, this time for light bulbs, it is quite delightful. It begins with a cel-animated sequence, and ends with Puppetoons.
Jasper and the Choo-Choo (1942) - Jasper's friendly nemesis, Professor Scarecrow, tempts him to gamble. This brilliantly surreal adventure sees giant dice form trains, and Jasper finds himself in a pinball machine.
Love On The Range (1938) - Cowboy Bill gets the cold shoulder from Susie, who soon finds herself victimized by a much less savory fellow in this musical adventure. It turns out that what Bill needs to save her and win her heart is to drink that wonder tonic, Horlicks! Yes, it's another ad, but it comes nicely disguised as a tremendously fun and energetic story, inspired by classic silent film melodramas - complete with mustachioed villain.
The Gay Knighties - Jim Dandy tells the tale of his ancestor, who saved a kingdom from a goofy music-loving giant, and thereby won the heart of a princess.
Two Gun Rusty (1944) - Little red-haired Rusty imagines being a cowboy. Charmingly, everyone in his fantasy looks like him.
How An Advertising Poster Came About (1938) - The black and white film is a real novelty, combining live action, hand-drawn animation (with a nod to Fleischer's Out Of The Inkwell cartoons), and stop-motion puppets to tell what could otherwise be a dull tale of the making of an ad poster.
Jasper Goes Hunting (1944) - Jasper once again gets into shenanigans with Professor Scarecrow. Cartoon buffs will be thrilled to see Bugs Bunny here, voiced by Mel Blanc and courtesy of Leon Schlesinger Productions, though the appearance is brief. Fortunately, this short has much more going for it, telling another fanciful tale with particularly colorful African jungle sets.
Sky Pirates (1938) - This is a British print (in Technicolor), of what turns out to be another Horlicks commercial. As usual, though, Pal's focus is on an engaging and entertaining story, here about an air squadron that must find the energy to win an aerial battle. The astounding anthropomorphizing of the planes (as they gallop down the airfield and dodge bullets in the sky) has to be seen in action to really appreciate the brilliance of the animation. The planes actually squash and stretch, accomplished through the crafting of numerous wooden figures. This is one of the coolest cartoons Pal ever produced, in a very long list of cool cartoons.
Jaspers Close Shave (1945) - Bugs Bunny and Woody Woodpecker were not the only ones to use the music of The Barber Of Seville to excellent effect in a cartoon! Jasper gets another delightfully surreal outing, as Professor Scarecrow attempts to get Jasper's coins in exchange for a shave and a haircut.
The Ship of the Ether (1934) - This is the sole short on this set that originally appeared on the first Puppetoon Movie Blu-ray, but that time it was only in the bonus section of the disc, and shown then in standard definition. Here, the Dutch film is a fully restored HD version. A glass ship's fanciful journey through the airwaves is set to music. Philips gets subtle on-screen plugs, and finally a larger notice about their radio sets.
Good Night Rusty (1943) - Rusty decides to snatch his dad's cigars, but in return gets a fever dream of a lesson in why not to smoke.
Wilbur the Lion (1946) - A circus lion retires to the jungle, but finds he misses the comforts of the circus. It is a bittersweet story of how one's life takes one into new worlds, and how difficult it can be to return to one's roots.
Jasper Tell (1944) - It's likely no surprise that this film's music features Rossini's William Tell Overture, and that Jasper stars as the son who stands in front of his father with an apple on his head. The tale is told in the context of Professor Scarecrow trying to get Jasper's apple, but he's in for a surprise.
Extras: This is Oil, No.1: Prospecting for Petroleum (1946) (Standard Definition) uses miniatures and puppet animation to convincingly make the case for how important oil is to our lives, and teaches us where oil comes from. Trailers From Hell: Arnold Leibovit On The Puppetoon Movie (4:48) and Trailers From Hell: Arnold Leibovit On The Fantasy Film Worlds Of George Pal (4:58). The Puppetoon Movie Speedy Alka-Selzer (4:47) is a behind-the-scenes look at how Speedy was animated for the bridging sequences in the first Puppetoon feature. The Puppetoon Movie Montage (10:51) is a montage of fascinating rare photos of George Pal, spotlighting the creation of his films, along with assorted clips from shorts that are found in both Puppetoon movies.
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