Storyboard:

The first star character from Ub Iwerks’ own studio faces numerous challenges in the country and the city, as he makes his way through the Depression years.

The Sweatbox Review:

My initial exposure to Flip the Frog came in late 1993, via my first purchase from the Whole Toon Catalog. (That would be mail order, kids.) I was enjoying my time living away from home after university, and was starting to enthusiastically indulge my love of animation in any way that I could. Somehow, I had discovered the wonderful, stupendous, revelatory Whole Toon Catalog, stuffed full of an amazing array of books and videos about cartoons. It was through the WTC that I found Leonard Maltin’s landmark book Of Mice And Men, which I devoured; that book had a short but illuminating chapter on the Ub Iwerks studio. The Catalog also introduced me to Bosko Video, who made VHS tapes of vintage animated cartoons. From the Catalog, I purchased Bosko’s tapes of the Fleischer Superman cartoons, as well as Van Beuren’s The Little King, Tom and Jerry (what, a couple of humans?!?), and Cubby Bear – man, what discoveries these all were! And, at the beginning of those tapes played an advertisement for more Bosko tapes, featuring a cartoon “star” that I had never heard of, a piano-playing amphibian named Flip the Frog! I was intrigued. I didn’t actually order the Flip tapes done by Bosko (sorry!), as I instead chose to go with the Cartoons That Time Forgot series of tapes (later upgraded to laserdisc and DVD); one volume of that series was entitled, Down And Out With Flip The Frog. Back then, any rare cartoons were thrilling to see, and I greatly enjoyed meeting that little froggy and seeing what he was all about. Years later, it is with great satisfaction that I now own a high-definition set of the complete Flip series, thanks to Thunderbean – that little operation based out of Michigan and run by cartoon mensch Steve Stanchfield.

But who is Flip the Frog? Forgive me if you’ve heard this before, but… in some ways, it all started with a mouse…

Mickey Mouse became an immediate sensation in 1928 with the release of Steamboat Willie. Producer Walt Disney was given much of the applause, but right from the beginning, another man was credited on the title card, in letters just as big as those in Walt’s name. That card read, “A Walt Disney Comic by Ub Iwerks.” Ub was a colleague of Walt’s from Kansas City, and he was Disney’s main animator on the early Mickey Mouse cartoons, as well as the Silly Symphonies series. Ub stayed with Disney’s California company for six years, beginning in 1924, and was therefore witness to all the highs and lows of Walt’s first few years in Hollywood. Ub was amazingly fast, doing hundreds of drawings per day. Legend has it that he animated Mickey Mouse’s first produced cartoon, Plane Crazy, all by himself in just two weeks. Other animators considered him a genius, not just for his speed, but also for his innate sense of movement and perspective. He was obviously a highly valued member of the Disney staff.

However, Walt and Ub did have disagreements, and that may have led to Ub accepting a 1930 offer from Walt’s own distributor, Pat Powers, to finance a studio to be run by Ub. Iwerks was the same age as Walt; amazingly, considering what they had each accomplished already, they were only 28 years old in 1930. At that tender age, following somewhat in Walt’s mighty footsteps, Ub put together a studio, hiring artists who answered a newspaper ad. He designed a new character, Flip the Frog. The initial design was indeed frog-like, with gangly limbs and webbed toes, and a head that melted into his chest. Iwerks made a pilot film called Fiddlesticks, using a double separation negative method called Harriscolor, a 1929 invention of one J.B. Harris, Jr. That color format never evolved past the experimental stage, so it is fascinating to see that first Flip cartoon now, and understand that this was a rare use of an early color system. (Notably, the first Disney color short was Flowers And Trees, which was made – with great publicity – two years later.)

Fiddlesticks and the next few shorts were initially distributed by Powers’ own company, Celebrity Productions. Fiddlesticks showed off exacting synchronization of sound and picture, using the system that Ub had largely developed himself while working with Disney. Fiddlesticks did not have much of a story, though, simply showing Flip among other denizens of the outdoors, dancing and frolicking about in a woodland environment. He does a jig to the tune of Sailor’s Hornpipe, which would soon also appear in numerous Popeye cartoons. Flip plays piano as well, accompanied on violin by a mouse that undoubtedly reminds one of Mickey, though in a skirt rather than shorts. (The skirt is red, too, though Mickey was still appearing in monochrome in his own cartoons at that time.)

The next few Flip shorts were also done in color, according to this set’s liner notes, but Fiddlesticks is the only one to survive in color. The next short was Flying Fists, a boxing cartoon. Then, in Little Orphan Willie, in which Flip adopts a baby mouse, Flip began his metamorphosis, gaining gloves, shorts, and shoes – familiar attire for certain cartoon characters of the day. After that came Puddle Pranks, where Carl Stalling gave Flip a theme song that accompanied each of his cartoons from then on. It was during production of this cartoon that a deal was being worked out with MGM, so Puddle Pranks exists with title cards for both Celebrity Productions, Inc. and MGM. Both versions appear on the disc. Ironically, MGM never released Puddle Pranks, and that cartoon had to wait for Powers to release the Celebrity version once the MGM deal was over.

Thus, it was after a few shorts were produced that Powers was able to sell the package to MGM, becoming that revered studio’s first supplier of animated films. The security offered by the MGM contract also meant new hires for the studio. That included another Kansas City colleague, aforementioned music director Carl Stalling; Stalling was hired away from Disney, this being a few years before his long stint at the Leon Schlesinger studio. The studio’s other composer was Scott Bradley, who later did superlative work directly for MGM’s cartoon unit. New artists at Iwerks’ included Grim Natwick, Rudy Zamora, Irv Spece, and Shamus Culhane. Even Chuck Jones had a small role at the studio. The first new Flip cartoon under the MGM deal was The Village Barber, which gained Flip by far his biggest exposure yet. Fortunately, it is a cartoon with strong gags, as Flip moves from the woods to a city setting, where he manages a barber shop.

At this point, Flip is finally really up and running. His next cartoons have him as a detective investigating a murder, taking on various positions at a restaurant, working as a blacksmith, and then as a dentist, before wooing his feline girlfriend in Ragtime Romeo. The cartoons still basically follow the “music & gags” model, like many cartoons of the day, but they do contain many technical flourishes (e.g. an animated sidewalk moving in perspective, lighting tricks, etc.) to support the bare narratives.

MGM encouraged Powers to ask Iwerks to make Flip more anthropomorphic, to add to his relatability. Thus, Flip eventually got a rounded head and more human proportions. His new look evolved over time, but is largely seen by the time of The New Car. Flip is more visually appealing by this point, though he remained in search of a distinguishable personality. The cartoons were still largely devoid of speaking, with occasional exceptions. When Flip did speak, he originally spoke with a falsetto reminiscent of Mickey Mouse. When he sang, however, such as in the cartoon openings, his voice was somewhat deeper. He sometimes lost the falsetto in the stories, but his voice remained inconsistent and nondescript. In the absence of a memorable voice like Donald Duck or Goofy, Flip’s personality was stifled. It’s perplexing, given all the other attention paid to sound in these cartoons. Still, the shorts had their good points. Stormy Seas followed, with lovely effects animation, and a wonderful Neptune animated by Grim Natwick.

However, the cartoons continued to squander good story ideas by failing to give us a character to root for. As Flip breaks into a film studio, fails as a plumber, hunts in Africa (beware some racist caricatures in this one!), encounters Spooks, and works as a firefighter and a milkman, we do get entertained by the increasingly polished visuals, well-realized gags, and zippy music; but the cartoons just don’t quite ascend to the next step of excellence relative to what audiences were seeing from Disney and Fleischer, and soon would see from Warner Bros. and Universal.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed every minute of watching these cartoons, and things got even better when moving on to the second disc. Here, the cartoons grow up, perhaps reflecting more the personalities and concerns of the crew that had moved to the studio from New York. The cartoons get a slightly harder edge, gain social consciousness, and become more reflective of Depression-era society. What A Life, for example, sees Flip and his young friend scrimping for change and struggling to get fed. However, audiences didn’t have to worry about the cartoons staying too serious, as evidenced by the cute dog vs. dogcatcher story in the following cartoon, Puppy Love. This cartoon also comes in an alternate European version, with changed music and dialog, which is also included on the disc.

Flip was picking up a bit of a recurring cast by this point. His girlfriend had evolved from a fellow frog to a dog (and soon a human), and his stories had gained a horse, a dog, a little boy, and an “old maid” character. This broadened things out, though unfortunately the issue of lacking personalities remained, aside from someone being happy or cranky or in love.

After a couple of cartoons where Flip was portrayed as being younger, he grew up enough to be hired as The Office Boy, a short that also featured a curvy secretary who had trouble keeping her clothes intact, making this (and the next one) the raciest of the Flips. There are more Natwick-animated lovely ladies in Room Runners, which sees Flip trying to get out of his hotel bill. The pre-Code nature of these cartoons is in further evidence in Circus; what could have been a pretty standard cartoon gets some spice with a sequence in which the old maid gets, um, felt by both Flip and a pickpocket, not all of which is unpleasing to her. A few seconds of this sequence were originally cut from prints, but that footage was found and is restored here – in slightly lesser quality from the rest of the cartoon. A football cartoon follows, then the rather amorous old maid returns for the fun western spoof The Pony Express.

Flip reverts to boyhood in The Music Lesson, then becomes a babysitter in Nurse Maid, before we get to one of his more well-known and unique cartoons: Funny Face. Here, Flip sees a plastic surgeon to help him look more human, and therefore attract the affections of a girl. The disc contains two versions of this cartoon, with different versions of the girl. One version is designed to have greater similarity to Betty Boop, whom Natwick worked on in the Fleischer cartoons. Next up is the Arabian adventure Coo-Coo The Magician, complete with harem girls. It is in this cartoon that the new Flip design is finally incorporated in the opening of the short, with Flip singing at the piano.

The last few cartoons see Flip once again working in a kitchen, inventing a robot to cut his grass, becoming a bullfighter in a truly looney bullring, returning to being a cop (with more racial imagery abounding in A Chinaman’s Chance), and trying his luck as a pioneer, only to face warring native Americans in Pale Face (naturally, some may also find those depictions somewhat unfortunate, to say the least). In terms of all those racial caricatures, let us keep in mind that they were common in cartoons back then; that does not excuse them, but it does put them in context with the times. Warnings about this appear at the back of the booklet and at the beginning of the discs.

Racial caricatures aside, Flip was picking up steam… just in time for his cartoon series to get cancelled! But there was one more short to go, and it is certainly my favorite: The Soda Squirt. When I first saw that Flip ad at the beginning of those Bokso Video tapes, that ad heavily featured The Soda Squirt and its music. I love The Soda Squirt, though, for more than sentimental reasons. The short also features several wonderful celebrity caricatures, including the Marx Brothers and Mae West, all attending his drug store soda shop. The short has some great synchronized movement, set to the best music score of the series. Flip would be done after this cartoon, but he went out with a bang. Given that trajectory, it is a shame that it was decided that Flip had had his chance already.

Despite all the talent at the Iwerks studio, Flip never really took off. A respectable 38 shorts were produced, and there was certainly a fine promotional push for them, but neither MGM or theatre crowds were excited about them. The conventional line is that the Flip cartoons had nothing new to offer. He was simply an “everyfrog”, doing everyday things (more or less), in a not particularly clever or amusing way. And even when the cartoons had moments of brilliant animation or effects, and even occasionally a more gripping or entertaining storyline, the characterization fell short. However, the Flip shorts do certainly have a charm to them, even if that is now enhanced by the “retro” appreciation of all that rubber-hosed, bouncy, black and white animation. As one views this two-disc set, it can be seen that, as the series progressed, the shorts became better realized and more polished. Boring farmyard or nature-based antics gave way to more urban adventures, and other genres were explored. The storytelling got stronger, and the gags funnier. Yet, they never fully competed with Disney or Fleischer. Over at the Schlesinger studio, they were just warming up, as they introduced Porky Pig in 1936, and went on to develop an amazing cast of characters, each with well-defined personalities and voices. The Iwerks studio never got there. Ub was a genius in many ways, but he didn’t have the same storytelling spark, or the same knack for shaping characters into commercial hits, as his friend Walt.

Flip only lasted a few years before giving way to Willie Whopper in 1933. Willie was a chubby kid who told tall tales, opening up the storytelling to be more fanciful. (Thunderbean has produced a restored collection of those shorts, as well, released a few years ago.) Willie lasted about a year with MGM. Ub also did a Cinecolor series called Comicolor Cartoons, which were distributed by Powers himself, as MGM had no involvement. The Comicolors were the most striking cartoons to come out of the Iwerks shop yet, but they continued to use bland characters and largely humdrum storytelling. By 1936, the studio ran out of steam and closed.

After the studio shut down, both Iwerks and Stalling went to work for Leon Schlesinger. While Stalling stayed on for a legendary career scoring Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts, Iwerks had only a brief stint doing a couple of Porky Pig cartoons for Schlesinger. Iwerks then went to Columbia Pictures’ Screen Gems to direct Color Rhapsody shorts, before returning to Disney in 1940. This time, however, he focused his genius on the technical side, creating special visual effects and doing some remarkable inventing. His work in combining live action and animation, pioneering Xerography, and as an early theme park Imagineer made him an extraordinarily valuable Disney employee once again. His career there lasted decades, and was legendary.

Thunderbean, in association with Blackhawk Films and Film Preservation Associates (owned by the late David Shepard, who passed away during the production of this set), has done fans and animation history a great service. This set was in the works for several years, facing numerous challenges – including the global pandemic, which shut down film archives for a while. Nevertheless, the best possible elements were eventually gathered to produce this set, and the cartoons were painstakingly restored. This complete set of Flip the Frog cartoons is a supreme achievement for Thunderbean, and is – more importantly – a fitting tribute to the talents and genius of Ub Iwerks.

Is This Thing Loaded?

The cartoons appear on two discs, and each disc is loaded with superb bonus content.

Disc One
When these discs were being produced, there was a long wait at the end for a mysterious final piece. Fans were assured online that this piece would be essential, and later it was hinted that it had something to do with the Iwerks family. After several months of waiting, that piece turned out to be a Leslie Iwerks Introduction (2:21), a most welcome appreciation by the granddaughter of Ub Iwerks. Ms. Iwerks, a filmmaker herself, discusses the legacy of Ub, and sets the stage for our historical and creative appreciation of these films.

The Audio Commentary Tracks number twelve on disc one, and six on Disc Two, by such experts as David Gerstein, Devon Baxter, Thad Komorowski, J.B. Kaufman. Mark Kausler, Leonard Maltin, Jerry Beck, Thunderbean head man Steve Stanchfield, and others.

The Fire Fire Reconstructed Storyboard Reel (7:02) offers a rare and fascinating glimpse at the development of that short.

The Behind the Scenes Gallery includes character studies, model sheets, story outlines, animation drawings, copyright synopses, and more. Each set of images has clear, written descriptions of what the viewer is seeing. It’s a stellar presentation.

Theatrical Leaders (2:12) is a unique look at pre-title cards from the original 35mm films.

Flip The Frog Annual is a presentation of the original UK hardback book, which had numerous stories of Flip and friends. After describing the origins of the book, the disc allows the reader to select from one of fifteen stories to read. That’s right – Thunderbean didn’t just give us an image of the book’s cover and call it a day; they actually scanned dozens of pages of stories for us to read.

The Frog Songbook brings us numerous original recordings of songs that were later used in the Flip cartoons. Titles include “The Bulldog On The Bank”, “Bull Frog Blues”, “By Heck”, and several more. These recordings date back to the 1910s and 1920s, so their inclusion here is most interesting.

Flip la Grenouille, Le Cine-Concert shows a performance by a musical group that played live music to accompany Flip the Frog films as they toured France in 2016 and beyond. The full cartoon Spooks (8:37) is presented with their accompaniment, along with excerpts from Techno-Cracked (2:53) (this time showing the musicians as well as the cartoon), and a teaser is also presented.

Disc Two
A Publicity and Merchandise Gallery features dozens (or was it hundreds?) of images, including newspaper clippings, exhibitor reviews, trade paper ads, licensed toys and videos, and more. Finally, I got to see the Bosko Video VHS covers!

Foreign Titles (3:43) shows samples of titles used in French, German, and Dutch releases; and Reissue Titles (5:41) shows those from the Pat Powers/Celebrity Productions versions.

The Flip the Frog Coloring Book introduces the book, then provides 58 images from the 32-page edition.

The World of Flip the Frog is a comic book produced by a young David Gerstein in 1986 (years before he worked on official Disney comics), done with the permission of the Iwerks family. Contained in this feature are a comic story, a 30-second animation based on flipbook art by Gerstein (nice job, little Davey!), and excerpts from a live film screening (9:16), introduced by today’s David Gerstein.

Case Study:

The Blu-ray case holds a disc on either side. This set comes with a booklet with extensive liner notes written by animation historian and author J.B. Kaufman, valuably commenting on each cartoon. There are further writings there from Gerstein and Stanchfield, as well as notes on the music in the cartoons by Chris Buchman. My package also had a note inside, offering a replacement disc, due to an issue regarding accessing a couple of the commentary tracks on Disc 2 on some players, though they should be reachable regardless through the Audio button when selecting an individual cartoon. A surprise little thank you card from Flip completes the package.

Ink And Paint:

Years in the making, and worth the wait! The shorts here look the best they have in decades, thanks to meticulous work from the Thunderbean crew. These shorts were never lost, as they appeared on home video all the way back to the Super 8 days of home film collecting. However, they didn’t look then like they look now on Blu-ray. Now, the shorts don’t exactly look like new, of course; some allowance must be given for the age of these films. Taken from original negatives and 35 mm fine grains, these shorts are, after all, over 90 years old. Plus, there are a few seconds here and there where obviously inferior materials had to be used to fill in the gaps. Still, the films are remarkably clean now, with good detail and a stable picture. There is some variation in density, some vertical lines occasionally running through the image, and almost subliminal flicker at times if you look for it. But that is all minor. Those that preordered will have the best opportunity to judge, as preorders also received discs containing the raw scans, but suffice to say that the immense amount of digital restoration has these films looking almost impossibly better.

Note that the actual Blu-ray picture contains the entire frame image from the films, complete with rounded edges. I have cropped my images here.

Scratch Tracks:

The mono sound is very good as well. There is no significant distortion or hiss, allowing no auditory distractions when viewing the films. Note that Soda Squirt has a music and effects track option, as well as an option to play only the music

Final Cut:

This just may forever loom large as Thunderbean’s largest and greatest project. Years in the making (my preorder was dated July 15, 2016!), we now have all 38 Flip the Frog films from the 1930s, encompassing the entire filmography of Ub Iwerks’ own creation, digitally restored using the best available elements, most of which were original negatives. It won’t get better than this for Flip the Frog. He has never been treated so well, and Thunderbean’s assemblage of copious extras makes the set even better. This year is proving to be a great one for vintage animation fans, and certainly for Thunderbean.

Storyboard:

The third volume of George Pal’s uniquely amazing stop motion shorts features over 20 Puppetoon delights, plus several European cel animated films.

The Sweatbox Review:

Ten years after the much-welcomed Blu-ray release of The Puppetoon Movie, and three years after the release of the similarly positively reviewed The Puppetoon Movie Volume 2 disc, producer Arnold Leibovit is back to present another collection of George Pal’s wonderful stop motion puppet films. Leibovit has worked with Paramount Studios and various archives in the USA and Europe to gather another twenty-one Puppetoons, plus seven hand-drawn animated works. Pal, of course, was the fantasy film maestro who was later responsible for bringing such classic films as The War Of The Worlds and The Time Machine to the silver screen, but he got his start producing both hand-drawn and puppet animation. His Puppetoons, released in the USA through Paramount Studios in the 1940s, are among cinema’s most unique and well-loved treasures. We live in a privileged time, when so many of these shorts have now been restored in high definition and are available on Blu-ray.

The Puppetoon Movie Volume 3 is not a true movie per se, but rather a collection of shorts, complete with opening and closing titles/credits. This is important to note, since the titles for these films are wonderfully crafted themselves. The disc’s main menu invites the viewer to select from three lists of random films, labelled Puppetoon Films A, B, and C. Each set runs over an hour, and has a selection of Puppetoon films from the USA and earlier ones from Europe, as well as some Pal-produced hand-drawn shorts. There is not much rhyme or reason behind the groupings, particularly given that not all the films are even Puppetoons; but it does offer a pleasingly diverse viewing experience. Personally, I would have stuck with just the Puppetoons in chronological order, and kept the hand-drawn ones to the bonus features; but as each film is individually selectable, the viewer can watch them in whatever order he or she wishes. Each of the three shorts listings also has a Play All function.

A few of the shorts will be recognized from the first Puppetoon Movie Blu-ray’s bonus features. In fact, Together In The Weather was part of the original Puppetoon Movie proper, but now it is fully restored and has its titles/credits. All of the other films that were in High Definition in the bonus section of the first Blu-ray are also now further restored to a higher standard, including the two Dr. Seuss shorts (The 500 Hats Of Bartholomew Cubbins and And To That That I Saw It On Mulberry Street), The Sky Princess, Rhapsody In Wood, Date With Duke, Jasper And The Beanstalk, and Rhythm In The Ranks.

Incidentally, of the twelve additional cartoons that appeared in only standard definition on The Puppetoon Movie Blu-ray (as well as the previous DVD), only Aladdin And The Magic Lamp gets an HD upgrade for Volume 3. (Note that The Ship Of The Ether was on Volume 2.) And in case you’re wondering if all the Puppetoons are now on disc, the answer is “no”. A few of the European shorts understandably remain no-shows, and Jasper has a few of his shorts unfortunately missing as well, partially due to potential controversy. Pal, a European, was not entirely familiar with American “negro” stereotypes, but some of the Jasper films nonetheless harken to what may be considered racist imagery and notions. For this reason, we’ll likely never see Jasper And The Watermelons and its like on Blu-ray.

Details about the Puppetoons and their creator have been mentioned in previous reviews. Suffice to say that these films are absolutely precious, utilizing hundreds of puppet figures to simulate dancing and running, and even squashing and stretching. Special effects, careful lighting, terrific music, and technical wizardry combine to make these films breathtakingly special.

Puppetoons A
The first cartoon listed is Western Daze (1940), which was – appropriately enough – the first to be released by Paramount. American audiences get introduced to Jim Dandy, a happy-go-lucky fellow who falls in love with a rancher’s daughter but gets framed by horse thieves. Another filmmaking legend, Ray Harryhausen, worked on this short, and voice legend Mel Blanc also pitches in.

The Old Woman Who Lived In A Shoe (1940) is a hand-drawn short that got released that same year in Europe, serving as an advertisement for Rinso soap powder. It may be an ad, but it’s a charming cartoon in its own right. Here, that poor old woman is threatened with eviction when she doesn’t agree to marry her froggy landlord.

The Ballet Of Red Radio Valves (1938) is another hand-drawn short, this time advertising for Philips.

The spirit of the Austrian people brings to life a statue of Johann Strauss, as he uses his musical skills to lead the invading Screwball Army into the river, in Bravo Mr. Strauss (1943).

Hotlip Jasper (1945) sees the Puppetoons regular find himself a trumpet, only to be fancifully brought to Hollywood to star in his own Paramount film, directed by his acquaintance The Scarecrow. Trumpet master Raphael Mendez provides the solo for Flight Of The Bumblebee.

Though Together In The Weather (1946) was also part of the first Puppetoon Movie, its new restoration is quite welcome here. While as folksy and charming as a Puppetoon ever was, it is also a surprisingly racy effort, portraying a perturbed Judy’s efforts to seduce clueless Punchy into becoming her beloved. Punchy’s reactions are reminiscent of the Wolf’s in Tex Avery’s “Wolf and Red” cartoons.

A Fairy Tale About A Melancholic King (1934) is a four-minute Gasparcolor short which was made in France. The story serves as a commercial for margarine.

Jasper’s Music Lesson (1943) is transformed into a lively boogie woogie show-stopper.

Seven Puppetoons were nominated for Oscars, and the first was Rhythm In The Ranks (1941), which sees toy soldier Jan disciplined for dereliction of duty after being distracted by an lovely ice skater, before redeeming himself fighting the Screwball Army.

The next Oscar nominated Puppetoon was also the stronger of the two Dr. Suess shorts, the quite delightful The 500 Hats Of Bartholomew Cubbins (1943). Poor Bart can’t doff his hat to the king, because another keeps appearing in its place. The king is initially unimpressed by the apparent disrespect, but eventually a satisfactory resolution is reached.

Puppetoons B
The Truck That Flew (1943) may be the weakest cartoon on the set, but it has its moments. This short, based on a book, introduces the dreamer kid Rusty, who has a love of vehicles. Rusty would return in better cartoons over the next couple of years, as seen on the Puppetoon Movie Volume 2 disc.

The Queen Was In The Parlour (1939) is another cel animated ad for Rinso.

Charlie’s World Cruise (1936), also hand-drawn, is a Philips radio ad.

Duke Ellington performs his Perfume Suite in Date With Duke (1947).

The previous set had some wonderful shorts promoting Horlick’s malted milk drink. By now, you should know not to discount the shorts that are ads, as they can be just as innovative and entertaining as the others. On Parade (1936) is the first of the Horlick’s ads, showing how fatigued soldiers can benefit from the famed drink.

The Tool Box (1970) was commissioned by ABC television, two decades after Pal had made his last Puppetoon. It aired on Curiosity Shop, a children’s show intended to compete with PBS’s Sesame Street, though it was short-lived. Chuck Jones served as producer for its 17 episodes.

Jasper And The Beanstalk (1945) naturally derives from the famous fairy tale, and it follows the regular story beats; but here, voice artist Peggy Lee is transformed into the sexiest harp ever captured on film. This one was also nominated for an Academy Award.

Friend In Need (1940) is a three minute hand-drawn short used to help raise money for needy children, commissioned by the Dutch Cinema Association.

My Man Jasper (1945) sees Scarecrow and BlackBird being held accountable for their years of scamming Jasper.

Puppetoons C
The Sky Princess (1941), as mentioned, was another short that was in HD on the first Puppetoon Movie Blu-ray, but I was very happy to find out it was undergoing a fuller restoration, since I find it one of the most beautiful of the Puppetoons, replete with crystalline imagery, a castle in the clouds, and other fairy tale wonder, set to the music of Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty Ballet.

The Good Bear And The Bad Bear (1940) is another fun hand-drawn Rinso ad.

Jasper’s Boobytraps (1945) returns to the battle of wits between Jasper and Scarecrow.

Rhapsody In Wood (1947) tells the origin of famed musician Woody Herman’s clarinet, as told by Woody Herman!

World’s Greatest Show (1935) is an extremely rare hand-drawn Philips advertisement.

Jasper’s Derby (1946) sees Jasper encouraging a race horse to win the Kentucky Derby, using his violin.

Aladdin And The Magic Lamp (1939) is a Puppetoon ad for Philips, utilizing the famed tale of a boy and the wishes he can make with his lamp.

And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street (1944), is of course the other Dr. Seuss Puppetoon, and this one was also nominated for an Oscar. While not quite as fun as The 500 Hats Of Bartholomew Cubbins, it is nevertheless full of the whimsy of Seuss, exploring a lad’s ever-more hyperbolic and fanciful description of what he saw on his way home.

Jasper is left behind by Scarecrow, who is attending a jitterbug dance competition in Shoe Shine Jasper (1947). Not to worry, though, as Jasper is granted magic shoes that propel the story into another wonderful musical fantasia.

Is This Thing Loaded?

Sweet Pacific (1947) (1:05) is a Puppetoon ad for Mounds candy bars.

In a Previously Unreleased George Pal Interview (1970) (16:07), Pal discusses his life and inspirations, and looks back on his career. The video is quite good, though its audio has a slight echo to it. It’s great to hear from Pal in his own words, but the most interesting aspect is the film projects he speaks about planning to make, which never materialized, such as a Pal version of Logan’s Run. Logan’s Run was eventually realized by others in 1976 (the year after Pal closed out his career with the disappointing – but still pretty fun if you are in a campy mood – Doc Savage, Man Of Bronze).

The Fantasy Film Worlds Of George Pal (1985) Expanded Interviews (49:07) include those with Ray Harryhausen (over 13 minutes), Ray Bradbury, Gene Roddenberry, Roy E. Disney (eight minutes), Joe Dante, Russ Tamblyn, Wah Chang, and Duke Goldstone.

Another extended interview gets its own listing, as a former Puppetoon head animator and puppet builder discusses the techniques for making of the films in Bob Baker Talks Puppetoons (15:39). Baker was an accomplished puppeteer, who enjoyed a large career in entertainment after working for George Pal.

In the interest of full disclosure, I’ll note that my name appears in the booklet, as well as the Special Thanks section of the Full Production and Donor Credits (8:16).

Case Study:

The front cover once again features an image of Judy, for the third consecutive volume. While I can appreciate a sense of uniformity, it would have been a nice idea to showcase other Puppetoon characters to better suggest the diversity of the films. Jasper was really the biggest Puppetoon star, but I suppose one can understand being shy about promoting the release using a character who is a racialized caricature, though Jasper is arguably not terribly offensive (I realize and respect that opinions will certainly vary in that regard). The Blu-ray case follows the lead of the menus, oddly listing all films as “Puppetoons”, even the hand-drawn ones. A glance near the bottom of the back cover shows numerous logos, showing how many entities were involved in bringing the films to disc, including Paramount, the British Film institute, ASIFA, the UCLA Film & Television Archive, and others.

Notably, the case also holds an attractive 20-page booklet with extensive liner notes about the films and their restoration sources, accompanied by many images.

Ink And Paint:

The source for these films were all either 35mm Technicolor Successive Exposure Negatives, or Imbibition Nitrate Prints. The result is another stunning presentation, full of color and wonder. The Paramount films undoubtedly look the best, offering crisp, vivid imagery, making most of the shorts look brand new – and if a few of the films look less good, it’s only by a half-notch. Seriously, the Puppetoons look almost unbelievably good. The amount of care that went into transferring and restoring these films is admirable.

The European films look quite good as well, but generally cannot match the sharpness of the Hollywood shorts. Gasparcolor in particular will simply not look as great as the Technicolor elements seen on the Hollywood films (notably in the color department), but the same care has been taken in making them look as good as they possibly can.

All of the films look clean, being remarkably devoid of dust or other artefacts. Placing these films on a dual-layer disc has certainly allowed them proper room, and the mastering has them looking totally authentic to the film sources.

Scratch Tracks:

The mono tracks sound generally quite nice. The European films sound just a little more tinny or echo-ey in spots, but their rareness makes it hard to quibble. Meanwhile, the Paramount films sound immaculate, giving a proper presentation for these musical masterpieces.

There are no other language options. Subtitles are offered from the menu, but those are only available for three of the short subjects, though I am not sure which ones.

Final Cut:

I enjoyed this selection of Puppetoons and other shorts immensely. Watching these films makes one remember what one loved about animation in the first place. The skill, creativity, and sense of artistry is inspiring, and they are just plain fun to see. The list price may seem high to some, compared to big studio releases, but there are a whopping twenty-eight short subjects on this dual-layered disc. This was an independent production that relied somewhat on donors to make it happen, and one must keep in mind that proper restorations do not come cheap. The discs that have resulted from these projects are the main source of revenue for these restorations, and as such I’m happy to pay a bit of a premium. After all, one won’t find them on Netflix next week; they are only available on Blu-ray.

Placed next to the previous two volumes of Puppetoons, disc producer Leibovit has now provided fans with a trifecta of awesomeness. Animation fans should welcome this third collection, which is a gift to classic cartoon lovers, and to admirers of George Pal. He couldn’t have asked for a better tribute.

Long before Pal ignited audiences’ imaginations with feature film classics like The Time Machine (1960) and The War Of The Worlds (1953), he made Puppetoons! These brilliantly conceived animated subjects astounded the world. Now these marvels, not seen in decades, are back in high definition and restored to be more beautiful than ever.

Moviegoers were stunned in 1987 when producer-director Arnold Leibovit reintroduced Pal’s Technicolor Puppetoons to a new generation with his loving tribute The Puppetoon Movie, hosted by Gumby and Pokey. This presentation of Puppetoons not seen in years was both an animation event and a much-deserved tribute honoring the legacy of their creator, sci-fi and fantasy pioneer George Pal. The feature compiled a number of Puppetoons that Pal created in the 1930s and 1940s.

When The Puppetoon Movie was restored in high definition for Blu-ray in 2013, it was met with enthusiasm. Excitement grew when a second volume of restored Puppetoons came to Blu-ray in 2020 with The Puppetoon Movie Volume 2, which received wide acclaim. Many were thrilled to learn that yet a third volume was in the works. Now, after nearly four years of meticulous restoration, The Puppetoon Movie Volume 3 has at last arrived.
Included are six restored Successive Exposure Negative (SEN) Puppetoons: Western Daze (1940, the first for Paramount Pictures), Bravo Mr. Strauss (1943, where The Screwball Army returns), The Truck That Flew (1943, introducing the memorable melody Moonlight Holiday), Together In The Weather (1946, stars Punchy & Judy, who were designed by Walt Disney animator Fred Moore), Hotlip Jasper (1945, featuring trumpet virtuoso Raphael Mendez) and Jasper’s Derby (1946, scored to the classic Gypsy Airs).

Seven Paramount SEN preservation prints return from Volume 1, but this time in even higher resolution with vastly improved restorations. Included are four of the seven Academy Award-nominated Puppetoons for Best Animated Short Subject: Dr. Seuss’s The 500 Hats Of Bartholomew Cubbins (1943), Dr. Seuss’s And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street (1944), Rhythm In The Ranks (1941) and Jasper And The Beanstalk (1945); plus Date With Duke (1947, Duke Ellington), Rhapsody In Wood (1947, Woody Herman) and The Sky Princess (1941). Also added are hand-drawn animated discoveries from Europe: The Old Woman Who Lived In A Shoe (1940), The Queen Was In The Parlour (1939), The Good Bear And The Bad Bear (1940) and A Fairy Tale About A Melancholic King (1934).

The Puppetoon Movie Volume 3 contains one milestone Puppetoon after another, thanks to the cooperation of Paramount Pictures, The Library of Congress, The British Film Institute, UCLA Film & Television Archive, The Eye Filmmuseum, The Philips Company, GlaxoSmithKline, J Walter Thompson, ASIFA Hollywood, The National Film Archive Czech Republic, Bio Vakan0eoord, and others.

So, journey back to a time of magic and wonder and experience once again George Pal’s one-of-a-kind Puppetoons!

CONTENTS:

Puppetoons

Western Daze (1940)
The Ballet Of Red Radio Valves (1938)
Bravo Mr. Strauss (1943)
Hotlip Jasper (1945)
Together In The Weather (1946)
Jasper’s Music Lesson (1943)
Rhythm In The Ranks (1941)
The 500 Hats Of Bartholomew Cubbins (1943)
The Truck That Flew (1943)
Date With Duke (1947)
On Parade (1936)
The Tool Box (1970)
Jasper And The Beanstalk (1945)
My Man Jasper (1945)
The Sky Princess (1941)
Jasper’s Boobytraps (1945)
Rhapsody In Wood (1947)
Jasper’s Derby (1946)
Aladdin And The Magic Lamp (1939)
And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street (1944)
Shoe Shine Jasper (1947)

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Cel Animated

The Old Woman Who Lived In A Shoe (1940)
The Queen Was In The Parlour (1939)
The Good Bear And The Bad Bear (1940)
A Fairy Tale About A Melancholic King (1934)
Charlie’s World Cruise (1936)
Friend In Need (1940)
World’s Greatest Show (1935)

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Extras

Sweet Pacific (1947)
Previously Unreleased George Pal Interview (1970)
The Fantasy Film Worlds Of George Pal (1985) Expanded Interviews: Ray Harryhausen, Ray Bradbury, Gene Roddenberry, Roy E. Disney, Joe Dante, Russ Tamblyn, Wah Chang, Duke Goldstone, Bob Baker
Full Production and Donor Credits
Includes 20-Panel Color Booklet, Liner Notes by Arnold Leibovit

Featured Characters: Punchy & Judy, Jim Dandy, Rusty, Dr. Seuss, Jan and JaneMe, Mr. Strauss, Jasper, The Screwball Army
Directors: George Pal, Arnold Leibovit

Puppetoon Animators and Artists: George Pal, Ray Harryhausen, Willis O’Brien, Wah Ming Chang, Gene Warren Sr., Duke Goldstone, Bob Baker, Fred Moore, Erwin Broner, George E. Jordan, Reginald Massie, John S. Abbott, Herb Johnson, Willard Oberlin, Dale Tholen, Miles Pike, Blanding Sloane, Stuart O’Brien, Isador Jimmy Stone

Voice Actors: Mel Blanc, Victory Jory, Thurl Ravenscroft Pat McGeehan, Billy Bletcher, Rex Ingram, Robert C. Bruce, Byron Kane, Glenn Leedy, Sara Berner, Roy Glenn, Alvin Childress, Eloise Rawitzer, Lillian Randolph, Malcom McEachern, Sam Browne, Ruby Dandridge, Evelyn Dall, Sam Edwards, Walter Tetley

Musical Talent: Peggy Lee, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Woody Herman, Andre Kostelanetz, David Raksin, Rafael Mendez, Raymond Scott, William Eddison Von Ottenfeld, Arling Martyn, Maurice De Packh, Del Porter, Clarence Wheeler, Thurston Knudson, Debroy Somers, Hugo De Groot, Joe Hajos, Bela Radics, The Lajos Kiss and Jack Hylton Orchestras.

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Blu-ray Technical Specification

Digital Video: 1080p High-Definition; Original Aspect Ratio 1.37:1
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono Bit Rate: 25 Mbps
Subtitles: 3 Short Subjects Optional English
Run Time: 282 minutes
Technicolor/Gasparcolor/Black & White
Disc Configuration: BD Dual Layer Region 0: All (Region-free). Not Rated
Studio: Arnold Leibovit Entertainment/Puppetoon Productions
UPC: 051497249144
Package Dimension: 0.7 x 6.3 x 5.4 inches, 4.0 Ounces
Street date: September 1 2023

Apple Original Films Academy Award nominee The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse won the BAFTA Award for Best British Short Animation. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, based on the beloved book by Charlie Mackesy, has been hailed as a “stunning” (Awards Daily) film “translating the exquisite illustrations into hand-drawn animation” (Indiewire), while telling a poignant “tale of love and hope” (The Independent). The acclaimed film was also recently honored with an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Short Film, seven Annie Award nominations, and an NAACP Image Awards nod for Outstanding Short Form (Animated) film. The winners of the 2023 EE British Academy Film Awards were announced at a ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall on Sunday, February 19.

This year’s win for The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse follows Apple Original Films BAFTA Award wins in 2022 for CODA, including Best Adapted Screenplay by Siân Heder and Best Supporting Actor Troy Kotsur, and nominations for Best Actress Emilia Jones in CODA, Best Actor Mahershala Ali in Swan Song and Best Cinematography for The Tragedy of Macbeth. Apple was recognized in 2021 with nominations for Best Animated Film for Wolfwalkers, in addition to Best Special Visual Effects and Sound for Greyhound.

To date, Apple Original films, documentaries, and series have earned 323 wins and 1,398 award nominations and counting, including multi-Emmy Award-winning comedy Ted Lasso and historic Oscar Best Picture winner CODA.

The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse is currently streaming on Apple TV+.

The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse
A story of kindness, friendship, courage and hope for viewers of all ages in a heartwarming, classically animated film based on Charlie Mackesy’s book, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. The poignant and heartfelt journey follows the unlikely friendship of a boy, a mole, a fox and a horse travelling together in the boy’s search for home.

The film, featuring Mackesy’s distinctive illustrations brought to life in full color with beautiful hand-drawn animation, stars BAFTA Award winner Tom Hollander as The Mole, SAG Award winner Idris Elba as The Fox, Golden Globe Award winner Gabriel Byrne as The Horse, and newcomer Jude Coward Nicoll as The Boy.

Apple TV+ offers premium, compelling drama and comedy series, feature films, groundbreaking documentaries, and kids and family entertainment, and is available to watch across all your favorite screens. After its launch on November 1, 2019, Apple TV+ became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service in its debut.

About Apple TV+

Apple TV+ is available on the Apple TV app in over 100 countries and regions, on over 1 billion screens, including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, popular smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, VIZIO, TCL and others, Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices, Chromecast with Google TV, PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles, and attv.apple.com, for $6.99 per month with a seven-day free trial. For a limited time, customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or iPod touch can enjoy three months of Apple TV+ for free.

For more information, visit apple.com/tvpr and see the full list of supported devices.

There are Popeye cartoons, and then there are Popeye cartoons. The good stuff, as many fans know, are the black and white Fleischer theatrical shorts of the 1930s through the early 1940s (plus their three color two-reelers), which began just a few short years after Popeye first appeared in the Thimble Theatre newspaper comic strip. The subsequent color shorts from Famous Studios (essentially what became of the Fleischer studio once Paramount took them over) in the 1940s and 1950s are still pretty good, but cannot match the amazing quality of the Fleischer ones, and over time the Famous offerings devolved into largely formulaic and bland cartoons that many fans don’t mind forgetting. And next came the television cartoons and a further, inevitable dip in quality.

Popeye animated cartoons initially entered people’s homes via television syndication of his theatrical shorts; but King Features Syndicate, the owner of the character, hoped to grab a bigger piece of the profits by producing their own series of cartoons for mainly television exhibition. The result was a package of 220 cartoons of variable quality. “Variable” might be charitable, as many fans would describe these shorts – on the whole – as cheap, poorly-animated, mistake-filled messes that offend the eyes and heart.

Ah, but Popeye superfan Fred Grandinetti would like to remind us that the KFS cartoons were not all bad, not at all. Many were decent, and a few were even pretty good; and even the bad ones are interesting in their way. He has touched on this topic previously in his book Popeye: An Illustrated Cultural History, but he has now expanded on the topic considerably in his new book, Popeye The Sailor: The 1960s TV Cartoons. Bear Manor media is offering the book in hardcover and softcover editions, for anyone for wishes to have some help in navigating through the many KFS cartoons.

One might say, “Fred has watched them all, so that you won’t have to!” However, as you read the book, you will inevitably be curious to watch these cartoons, either to appreciate some fun Popeye action, or to pick apart the worst of the worst. Regardless, the cartoons are an important part of television history. I previously reviewed a DVD set of these cartoons, and I can confirm that the quality ranges from poor to good, and none of them can match the best of the theatrical output. The reasons for the differences is explored in Grandinetti’s book, as he describes the production history of the cartoons and the players involved. We learn of how the cartoons were farmed out to several producers, in studios across the US and Europe. It may surprise some that many of the folks involved were well-respected pros, like Jack Kinney, director of many a classic Disney short. Directorial talent, however, can only go so far, and Grandinetti details how budget, time, and the availability of animation talent adversely affected this series.

Anyone with even a passing interest in the squinty-eyed sailor should find the text interesting, as it delves into a brief history of the character in comics and animation, then proceeds to describe how the KFS cartoons came together. The main players, like Kinney, Gene Deitch, Larry Harmon and others are given concise biographies, and the various studio circumstances are described. Spin-offs of the cartoons – including merchandise and exercise campaigns – are discussed, participating television stations are identified, and there are plenty of trade ads presented. Ratings and profits are highlighted, and the success of the shorts is celebrated. This is a basically a treasure trove of TV cartoon history- and that’s all before we get to the bulk of the book, which gives a synopsis for each cartoon, consisting of a solid one or two paragraphs each, in which we learn of the story but also any trivia or animation mistakes related to the short. Most helpful in our appreciation is that the cartoons are divided by studio, and the directors are identified, with Grandinetti pointing out differences in how the series was handled depending on who worked on each cartoon. This scholarship is most welcome, as we learn to understand that this was not a uniform glob of cheap cartoons, but rather the product of many hands in several places.

This makes for a fun and informing read on a lazy Saturday afternoon, likely to be followed by seeking out the cartoons themselves either on DVD, or on YouTube, where they have all been uploaded onto the official Popeye channel. With that kind of availability, and a helpful text that contextualizes each short, it’s a great time to re-evaluate the KFS Popeye cartoons.

The Puppetoon Movie Volume 2 comes courtesy of producer Arnold Leibovit, who – along with Paramount Pictures and film archives around the world – is overseeing a project to restore Puppetoons that have not been seen in generations. These were the very first masterworks from legendary director George Pal. Before creating such dazzling entertainments as 1953’s War Of The Worlds and 1960’s The Time Machine, Pal spent the 1930s and 1940s creating a popular series of stunning animated short films that utilized puppet replacement techniques and amazing special effects. The second volume features original Puppetoon characters such as Punchy and Judy, Jim Dandy, Rusty, and Jasper, with cameos by the one and only Bugs Bunny and Superman! The Puppetoon Movie Volume 2 Blu-ray/DVD received rave reviews, helping to guarantee an upcoming third volume.

Bring the Puppetoons home or make a gift of them this holiday season. Anyone interested in learning more, or wishing to offer support for the third volume project, is invited to visit Puppetoon.org.

Storyboard:

A group of ensigns on the aging star ship USS Cerritos bond together as they assist the crew on their many missions.

The Sweatbox Review:

I have always loved Star Trek, ever since watching reruns of it on Saturday mornings back in the 1970s, starting when I was about seven years old. I thrilled to the adventure, the characterizations, and the explorations of both themes and alien worlds. But I have to admit, there has always been an aspect of camp to the franchise, which has been embraced to varying degrees through the years. So, while the idea of turning it into a situation comedy may seem weird or antithetical on the surface, it may actually be viewed as a natural and even inevitable evolution. So, for those that found Deep Space Nine too serious (which is crazy, since that show could be hilarious, too), Lower Decks may tickle your neglected funny bone.

It is also a tremendously fun show for anyone who has loved Star Trek in its many forms. Sure, it pokes fun, but it does so lovingly, with deep cuts that reference everything that fans love and treasure. The idea is not to berate Star Trek in any way, but to instead find the humour in Star Trek situations. The dialogue comes fast and hard, but if you pay attention, you may get a few extra laughs. Those who still adore mighty Chief Miles O’Brien, or who can wistfully reminisce at how Wesley Crusher was almost executed (so close!) on a planet of half-naked beautiful people just for stepping on the grass, will enjoy all the many refences to past shows. Not that it’s necessary to know all those things, but the show’s writing certainly rewards old-time fans.

Creator Mike McMahan (Rick And Morty) and his writers know their Trek lore, making Lower Decks an honestly in-canon experience, seen through a comedy lens. The last time that Star Trek was animated, it was the 1973 Filmation TV show, which served as basically a fourth season of the original series, complete with voice work by the original cast and generally serious stories. This time around, executive producer Alex Kurtzman gave CBS All Access a new premise, though one based somewhat off of a beloved episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation (also called Lower Decks), which took a look at the lives of crew members that were outside the command structure.

The USS Cerritos (named after a small, humble California city) is a starship that – while it still serves an important purpose within Starfleet – it has admittedly already seen its best days. Its equipment is getting old, breakdowns are becoming more common, and the missions are not as A-list as they once were. Captain Carol Freeman, though quite capable, has been relegated to taking on more minor missions, often in support of larger ones. Aiding her is second-in-command Commander Ransom, a somewhat narcissistic, rule-loving pretty boy of an officer. The tactical officer is a tough Bajoran named Shaxs, and the doctor is T’Ana, a cat-like humanoid that is a nod to bridge officer M’Ress from Star Trek: The Animated Series.

But, while the command officers play an important role on the show, they are not the main characters. No, that honor goes to the ensigns of the lower decks, the ones who actually make the ship run, the ones who do all the menial but vitally important stuff, similar to the ship they serve.

Brad Boimler is an uptight, huffy rule-follower who delights in acting according to regulations and is aiming to be a Captain someday. His opposite is Beckett Mariner, a female ensign who actively eschews protocol, rejects authority, and generally just tries to enjoy herself. Fortunately, she is also eminently capable and resourceful when she wants to be, which makes her worthwhile keeping around. Boimler, on the other hand, turns out to be next to useless in a crisis. The relationship between Boimler and Mariner is at the heart of the show, and provides its most comic moments. Though they are initially repelled by each other’s natural tendencies towards order and chaos respectively, they inevitably become the best of friends. They both love Starfleet in their own way; and ultimately, they believe in the mission, even if they have drastically different takes on how to accomplish it.

Joining them are a female Orion named D’Vana Tendi, a typical eager young space cadet who serves in the medical bay and largely concerns herself with being liked; and keen engineering ensign Sam Rutherford, who is adjusting to new cybernetic implants.

The show takes place one year after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis. Design elements therefore reference the Next Generation era, with unique takes. Uniforms belong distinctly to Lower Decks, with additional color piping elements. The Cerritos itself is very nacelle-heavy, reflecting that it is one of the more utilitarian Starfleet ships. There are also cameos by such characters as Q, and Will Riker and Deanna Troi, creating a further link to Next Gen..

The premise basically flips the A and B stories that one would normally find on a dramatic program. So, while there are major battles, alien conflicts, and supreme threats, the viewer is mostly following character stories and what goes on behind the scenes. And behind the scenes, things are not always going well! And sometimes, those behind-the-scenes folk sneak up and become heroes, too.

Over ten episodes, the series quickly sets up the premise and then engages in a number of supposedly routine (yet ultimately dangerous) away missions, beginning with a “second contact” situation. Mundane tasks amplify into dire situations, like transporting a Klingon general then losing him; delivering diplomatic trinkets but creating a diplomatic incident instead; towing a ship somehow becomes a deadly business; and ship salvage turns into conflict. There is also the matter of a trial, holodeck hijinks, and of course transporter malfunctions.

So, it’s just like any other Star Trek show, but with more laughs!

Is This Thing Loaded?

Disc One opens with an ad for Picard on disc. After that, the extras are all shown from the menu of each episode, with the exception of the final two. The first episode gets a full episode animatic, and some animatics for deleted scenes are also available on a few episodes.

Featurettes include:

Lower Decktionary: Joining Starfleet (6:22) Executive Producer Kurtzman, creator McMahan, and others discuss the conception of the show. I appreciate how McMahan wanted to write a comedy, but still have it be “a real Star Trek.”

Lower Decktionary: Aliens Among Us (7:31) Directors and artists talk about adapting old aliens to the Lower Decks series, and creating new ones.

Lower Decktionary: The Animation Process (8:09) Here, they examine the process of bringing together the right group of writers, and then move into general production of episodes.

Lower Decktionary: The Main Titles (7:15) The titles are examined, in terms of conception and intent, and also the show’s theme.

Lower Decktionary: Art Direction (4:59) The idea of designing the characters as “prime time sitcom” characters while still allowing for drama and action is explored.

Lower Decktionary: The Holodeck (6:32) Obviously, the writers love the holodeck more than I ever did. Good for them.

Lower Decktionary: Division 14 (4:05) The “medical specialists” who deal with such things as transporter accident victims is touched upon.

Lower Decktionary: Deck Dynamics (5:06) The creators discuss how the crew interacts, and how even the command crew is flawed in the most human ways.

Lower Decktionary: The Music of Lower Decks (6:19) McMahan and composer Chris Westlake describe the effect that the show’s earnest score has on making the comedy even better. The wonder of Starfleet’s mission comes out in the music, and is totally evocative of Trek.

Crisis Point: The Rise Of Vindicta Trailer (1:28) This is an in-episode joke.

Lower Decktionary: All In The Family (6:31) Here, star Tawny Newsome (Beckett Mariner) describes how natural it is to explore humour on Star Trek, given how comedy has always been a part of the franchise. McMahan also talks about how the show fits into the legacy of Trek, and we hear about the use of classic characters and how their appearances had to be earned.

Faces Of The Fleet (24:42) examines the talented cast, with numerous cast interviews.

Hiding In Plain Sight (7:39) reveals numerous “Easter eggs” placed into the show.

Case Study:

Paramount sent us the DVD version, which comes with a swing tray for one of the discs, a slip that duplicates the cover, and a small insert advertising Trek and Paramount+, the new name for CBS All Access. A Blu-ray and a Blu-ray Steelbook edition were also released.

Ink And Paint:

While it would have been great to see how the show looks on high-def disc, the DVD itself looks pretty good. The 16:9 picture is quite solid, aside from very occasional aliasing when a ship or other object is moving through space, but that might even be inherent to the original animation.

Scratch Tracks:

Though the show was largely recorded in the actors’ homes, due to pandemic restrictions, the dialogue comes across well, never sounding difficult to understand, though there is often a mild echoey quality if you listen for it. The sound design utilizes classic sounds from the franchise, particularly the Next Generation era. The music is also done straight, reflecting that these are real missions with serious consequences, even if we are seeing the funny side of things. The contrast works perfectly, keeping the stakes real, the drama potent, and the laughs sincere.

The surrounds and rear speakers get a modest workout, and there is light use of bass. The English track is available in 5.1 or 2.0. There are English captions, and no other language options.

Final Cut:

Before watching the show, I was feeling pretty ambivalent about it. But then you hear that theme, which is honestly one of the best Trek themes ever done, not giving any hint of the show’s comedic intent, but matched with visuals that betray the show’s true nature. Having now watched the first season, I am really quite enthusiastic. Someone should have told me that it was kind of like Futurama, another favourite show of mine, but taking place in the Star Trek universe, using only Star Trek references. How could I not love that? Even then, though, it could have gone badly, but thankfully that is not the case. Genuinely funny writing, stories that are authentically Trek, a slick animated style, and wonderful voice work – that sells both the humour and the drama – make for a very entertaining show. Really, it’s the Star Trek show I never knew I wanted.

The ambitious plan is to release 18-20 shorts on that disc, consisting mostly of Paramount-distributed shorts, as well as possibly some surprises. In order to help make Volume 3 a reality, please follow this link: The Puppetoon Movie Volume 3 Crowdfunder.