Forces of Geek: Top ten cartoons of each year, 1930-1950
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- DirectorBurt GillettStarsLarry SteersWalt DisneyMarcellite GarnerA gorilla has escaped; Mickey, panicked, calls Minnie, but she plays a song to show she is not afraid. That is, until the gorilla comes up behind her and grabs her. Mickey rushes right over to save her.
- DirectorMannie DavisJohn FosterWaffles the Cat and Don Dog find themselves at the mercy of animate skeletons inside an Egyptian tomb.
- DirectorWalter LantzStarsWalter LantzWhen one of Oswald's customers says he is so hungry he can eat a horse, Oswald gives him just want he wants.
- DirectorWilfred JacksonStarsWalt DisneyMarcellite GarnerA spider sneaks in to a toy store and sees the toys come to life as he plays a tune on the toy piano and record player.
- DirectorArthur DavisDick HuemerSid MarcusThis cartoon is basically about a little dog who is a rather bad and cheeky museum cleaner. Not surprisingly, his boss is very impatient with him and urges him to keep cleaning. As the cleaner cleans, some of the things in the museum come to life.
- DirectorDave FleischerWillard BowskyStarsMargie HinesBilly MurrayBetty Boop (with dog's ears) can't sleep on a scary night, so she sings the title song and meets the gentleman in question... a surreal version of Bimbo.
- DirectorHugh HarmanRudolf IsingStarsRochelle HudsonCarman MaxwellThe music-happy Bosko and Honey take a car ride, but bad luck briefly interrupts their fun.
- DirectorWalter LantzStarsPinto ColvigWalter LantzThe Phantom of a cheap opera house helps an aspiring singer by putting a phonograph machine down her skirt. When she spurns him for Oswald the Rabbit, the Phantom takes his revenge.
- DirectorDave FleischerTed SearsStarsBilly MurrayBimbo is seen late at night, trying to steal a chicken. He runs away from a policeman and enters a haunted cemetery. Various ghosts and monsters tell him that he will be punished for his sin.
- DirectorDave FleischerWillard BowskyA hillbilly sleeps; atop his bald head, flies have constructed a playground. Other flies ski-jump off his nose. A couple is having a picnic when a spider drops in; the boy runs away as the girl fends off the spider. The spider slinks home and reports the news to his wife: "No flies." A fly goes by in an airplane; he picks up a girl fly that is passing by, but when he gets fresh, she slaps him. He throws her out of the plane, and she lands in the spider's web. The spider, elated, starts playing a tune on the web like a guitar. The fly joins in, but when she shows the spider her shoulder, the spider's wife sternly orders him: "No flies."
- DirectorDave FleischerGrim NatwickStarsMargie HinesBilly MurrayWilliam PennellBimbo the dog is initiated into a secret society in a sadistic 'fun house'; then Betty Boop (with dog's ears) takes a hand.
- DirectorHugh HarmanStarsJohnny MurrayRudolf IsingBosko is a doughboy in the Great War.
- DirectorWilfred JacksonStarsWalt DisneyMarcellite GarnerPurv PullenThe emperor's musicians play their instruments (and a stray cat) while the ladies of the court dance. Meanwhile, the children fish and play. But soon, the children anger the emperor, who gives chase. And the whole story was told in a plate.
- DirectorDave FleischerAl EugsterStarsAnn LittleBilly MurrayBetty Boop is queen of the Masquerade Ball where, among other antics, Bimbo and a lecherous old man vie for her affections.
- DirectorHerman Roessle
- DirectorUb IwerksFlip The Frog goes out to buy a new car.
- DirectorDick HuemerA Columbia Scarppy animated short. Scrappy gets himself into all kinds of trouble on his way to Sunday school.
- DirectorBurt GillettStarsMarcellite GarnerWalt DisneyMickey is driving a taxi. His first fare is a very large gentleman. Mickey stops traffic and gets a tongue-lashing from the officer. The cab runs into some bad road, bounces the fare down to almost nothing, then bounces the customer right out of the cab. Mickey pulls up to the curb and picks up his second passenger, Minnie. She plays her accordion while they ride. The cab gets a flat tire, and Mickey uses a pig to pump it up. Snake oil salesman Pegleg Pete happens by and pours some of his elixir into the car; it takes off without him, crashes, loses its wheels, and lands on a cow. The cow takes off, crashes into a barn, and then a poultry shed.
- DirectorJohn FosterVernon StallingsTwo passengers refuse to pay their cab fare, so the taxi drives chase after them.
- DirectorFriz FrelengRudolf IsingStarsMarcellite GarnerRudolf IsingThe King's MenHecklers hijack a stage show.
- DirectorDave FleischerWillard BowskyStarsWilliam CostelloMae QuestelBetty, Bimbo, and Koko sell a concoction in their medicine show which has odd side effects.
- DirectorWilliam NolanWalter LantzStarsTex AveryOswald the Rabbit takes his date to a carnival and has to contend with a bullying guy.
- DirectorDick HuemerScrappy runs a dime-a-night flop house,cheerfully sprinkling disinfectant around before the night's customers arrive. They're all animal people except Oopie, who as usual can'help but make trouble, and breaks things and makes a racket enough that the other denizens can't sleep.
- DirectorBurt GillettStarsClarence NashEsther CampbellPinto ColvigA jealous stump threatens two trees that are in love by starting a forest fire. When the rain comes and puts out the fire the forest revives and celebrates the wedding.
- DirectorBerthold BartoschWhen a liberal idea emerges in a tyranny ruled society, power and wealth unite to bring it down.
- DirectorWilfred JacksonStarsPinto ColvigWalt DisneyMarcellite GarnerAt a bar in the Klondike, Mickey rescues waif Minnie from the cold and then has to deal with Pete, who proceeds to snatch her away.
- DirectorBurt GillettStarsPinto ColvigWalt DisneyMarcellite GarnerOn Christmas Eve, Mickey is forced to sell Pluto to a bratty rich kid in order to give some orphans presents.
- DirectorDave FleischerWillard BowskyStarsCab Calloway and His Cotton Club OrchestraCab CallowayBilly MurrayBetty Boop and Bimbo run away from home, but that night they are scared by a chorus of ghosts singing the title song.
- DirectorUb IwerksFlip the Frog is trying to sneak out of an hotel without paying bill.
- DirectorTed EshbaughA young Eskimo and his animal friends build a snow man, only for it to come to life and terrorize the local wildlife.
- DirectorDave FleischerWillard BowskyStarsDon RedmanBilly MurrayMae QuestelThe miners at Never Mine go to Betty Boop's Tavern (a jazz-jumpin' place) for lunch; back in the mine, Bimbo delves into weird realms.
- DirectorDavid HandWilfred JacksonStarsBilly BletcherPinto ColvigWalt DisneyMickey must save Pluto from a mad doctor's lair.
- DirectorJohn FosterVernon StallingsStarsArtie DunnMargie HinesLes ReisTom and Jerry are police officers, driving around in their car and enjoying listening to some music on their police radio, when they hear a bulletin announcing another theft of a mummy from the local museum. They stumble upon the culprit, a mysterious and ghoulish man who is carrying a coffin through a secret door in a cemetery. They sneak in after him and watch him command the mummy to life; it is a beautiful woman, who he then commands to sing for his audience of skeletal theatre-goers. Tom and Jerry break up the evening and try to escape with the stolen goods, with mixed results.
- DirectorBurt GillettStarsDorothy ComptonWalt DisneyMarcellite GarnerA host of movie stars show up for the premiere of Mickey and Minnie's newest cartoon.
- DirectorAlexander AlexeieffClaire ParkerMussorgsky's composition is the soundtrack for this pin-screen animated take on night and wild things. A scarecrow blows down, clouds move by quickly. Beings take shape; a town appears, animals flee, and a horse gallops by. A child looks on. Monsters run and float by: the phantasmagoric is everywhere. A woman's figure tumbles through space. A clash ensues. The horse falls. Goblins take control. The night and its denizens are relentless. Forms appear and become grotesque. Will dawn and calm ever come?
- DirectorDave FleischerBernard WolfStarsCab CallowayBonnie PoeBetty Boop goes to see the fearsome Old Man of the Mountain for herself; he sings the title song and a duet with Betty.
- DirectorOscar E. SoglowJames TyerOn Christmas Eve, the Little King sneaks two tramps into the castle. The next morning, the three men are thrilled by the presents Santa left behind.
- DirectorDave FleischerRoland CrandallStarsCab CallowayBilly MurrayMae QuestelTrouble starts when the queen's magic mirror says Betty Boop is fairest. Cab Calloway sings "St. James Infirmary Blues."
- DirectorUb IwerksStarsJane WithersWillie Whopper dreams he has been lifted like a toy balloon into outer space.
- DirectorBurt GillettStarsBilly BletcherPinto ColvigDorothy ComptonThe Three Little Pigs each build a house of different material. The Big Bad Wolf comes along and blows away the straw and stick homes, but is unable to destroy the house of bricks.
- DirectorDave FleischerSeymour KneitelStarsWilliam CostelloLou FleischerWilliam PennellPopeye and Bluto each wants to save Olive as she sleepwalks onto a construction site. But most of their efforts go into preventing each other from being the hero.
- DirectorDavid HandStarsPinto ColvigDorothy ComptonMarion DarlingtonTo the tune "I Would Like to Be a Bird," a young mouse fashions wings from a pair of leaves, to the great amusement of his brothers when his attempts to use them fail. When the butterfly he rescues from a spider proves to be a fairy, he wishes for wings. But his bat-like appearance doesn't fit in with either the birds or the other mice, and he finds himself friendless; even the bats make fun of him.
- DirectorUb IwerksShamus CulhaneAl EugsterA young grizzly bear, undaunted by his mother's warnings of the coming winter, runs away from home only to be confronted by Old Man Winter himself.
- DirectorAnthony GrossHector HoppinA tone poem: two woodland sprites dance about, atop power lines and among flowers and leaves, while being pursued. Everyone spends some time pulling levers to switch trains, too.
- DirectorWladyslaw StarewiczStarsWladyslaw StarewiczA stuffed animal goes on a journey through frightening streets to get its kid an orange.
- DirectorBurt GillettStarsPinto ColvigWalt DisneyLee MillarMickey's trying to do some yardwork, but Pluto wants to play. They end up indoors; Mickey breaks a screen, spreads flypaper, and they both get stuck.
- DirectorBurt GillettStarsMarcellite GarnerBeatrice HagenJayne ShadduckMickey puts on a big show to raise money for the orphaned mice.
- DirectorDave FleischerWillard BowskyStarsBonnie PoeBetty Boop, sleepless on a freezing night, builds a nice hot fire which proves too much of a good thing; in a dream she visits Hell, sings "Hell's Bells, " and makes Hell freeze over!
- DirectorDave FleischerSeymour KneitelStarsWilliam CostelloMae QuestelPopeye pushes a baby pram down city sidewalks and lots of noise keeps the kid awake and crying. In typically brutal manner, Popeye deals with the noise makers including a busking Harpo Marx, music school, construction site, and car horns.
- DirectorVernon Stallings
- DirectorUb IwerksStarsBeatrice HagenLeone Le DouxBilly BletcherThe inhabitants, including the trees and rocks, of Balloon Land are made entirely of balloons. They come under attack from the evil Pincushion Man. With the help of a quickly inflated army, they manage to fend off the attack.
- DirectorWilfred JacksonStarsPinto ColvigClarence NashMickey is a frustrated bandleader dealing with obnoxious peanut vendor and flute player Donald, who tries to persuade the band to play "Turkey in the Straw," and a cyclone hits before his concert of "William Tell Overture" is completed.
- DirectorRudolf IsingStarsThe CaliforniansRudolf IsingJohnny MurrayA little girl reads a story about a dragon; as she falls asleep, her doll rides off on his calico horse through a calico land to do battle with a three-headed singing calico dragon.
- DirectorLen LyeAnimated shapes dance to Cuban music. This was one of the first animations to be painted directly onto the film.
- DirectorDave FleischerDave TendlarStarsJack MercerMae QuestelGus WickeA Mardi Gras celebration, looking pretty much like any carnival. Bluto is a strongman, claiming to be King of the Mardi Gras, and drawing a large crowd. Popeye, nearby, claims only, "I yam what I yam," and has no crowd, but still draws Bluto's wrath. He manages to spoil a balance trick, then tops it with Wimpy in a chair. Olive then volunteers to be levitated; Bluto pulls her over and saws her in half. Olive escapes to a roller coaster with the boys in pursuit.
- DirectorWilfred JacksonThe princess violin from the sleepy Land of Symphony is chased by a more lively alto saxophone from the Isle of Jazz. Soon the queen (a viola) discovers them and locks the sax in the metronome.
- DirectorDavid HandStarsBilly BletcherDon BrodiePinto ColvigPluto chases a kitten through a window and right into Mickey's lap. Mickey scolds him, and goes off to wash the kitten. Pluto falls asleep in front of the fire, and dreams of a hell ruled by cats where he is put on trial for all his crimes against cats and, of course, found guilty.
- DirectorTed EshbaughBurt GillettHappy sunshine-bottling gnomes battle gloomy swamp-dwellers.
- DirectorWilfred JacksonStarsDorothy ComptonMarcellite GarnerBeatrice HagenBig race. Hare, fast and in lead, stops to loaf and show off to girl bunnies. Tortoise, plodding along at steady, slow pace, wins, although hare tries a last minute burst of speed.
- DirectorDavid HandStarsBilly BletcherDon BrodieLeo ClearyRobin is crooning to a Mae West-like Jenny Wren when he is shot with an arrow. A court is convened; the judge, an owl, keeps singing the title. A variety of birds are brought to the witness stand, but nobody knows a thing.
- DirectorDave FleischerSeymour KneitelStarsJack MercerMae QuestelGus WickeInspired by Olive's preaching of the value of brotherly love, Popeye takes a walk through the city doing good deeds.
- DirectorDavid HandWilfred JacksonStarsPinto ColvigClarence NashMorty Citymouse invites his cousin Abner Countrymouse for a visit and shows him the ways of the big city, including traps, eating quietly, and busy traffic.
- DirectorTex AveryStarsTex AveryBilly BletcherTommy BondA spoof of Al Jolson's "The Jazz Singer", a strict piano teaching owl is cursed with a son who "loves to singa", but only jazz.
- DirectorBen SharpsteenStarsBilly BletcherPinto ColvigWalt DisneyMickey Mouse and Donald Duck, with the help of Goofy the iceman, try to move out before the sheriff can sell off their furniture.
- DirectorDave FleischerWillard BowskyStarsJack MercerMae QuestelLou FleischerThe legendary sailors Popeye and Sindbad do battle to see which one is the greatest.
- DirectorFrank TashlinStarsBilly BletcherJoe DoughertyPorky's in the foreign legion. But he's not allowed to fight; all he can do is scrub camels, and he's not particularly good at that. The other soldiers ride off to find the evil Ali Mode, leaving Porky behind. Ali Mode notices, and tries to gain entrance to the fort, first by tricking Porky, then by tunnelling, then by military assaults, but Porky rebuffs all attempts, ultimately landing Ali Mode in a big vat of "Cairo Syrup" and collecting a chestful of medals.
- DirectorLen LyeStarsRupert DooneThe film was made by colorful printing of footage combined with drawing directly on film. The bouncy music drives home the message heard at the end of the film, promoting the GPO (General Post Office): "The Post Office Savings Bank puts a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for you. No deposit too small for the Post Office Savings Bank."
- DirectorDavid HandStarsPinto ColvigClarence NashPurv PullenMickey has been reading Lewis Carroll's "Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There", and falls asleep. He finds himself on the other side of the mirror, where the furniture is alive. He eats a walnut, which makes him briefly larger, then small. He dances around a lot, ultimately doing a major number with a deck of cards. He dances with the queen, making the king jealous. He comes after Mickey with swords, and Mickey defends himself with a sewing needle. Mickey gets the upper hand, and the king calls for reinforcements. Mickey finds himself chased by several decks, which throw their spots at him. He turns on a fan and blows them away, back through the mirror, where his alarm is ringing.
- DirectorLee BlairPaul FennellWilliam HannaStarsDelos JewkesJ. Donald WilsonDwarfs greet the coming of spring by manufacturing various bright colours.
- DirectorTex AveryStarsTedd PierceTex AveryJoe DoughertyThe narrator sets the scene for a warped version of the classic poem, and the hijinks when assistant Porky gives the blacksmith a rubber horseshoe, then a hot horseshoe on the horse's backside by accident.
- DirectorBen SharpsteenStarsPinto ColvigWalt DisneyJames MacDonaldMickey, Donald, and Goofy are cleaning a large clock. Among the complications: Mickey fights a sleeping stork that doesn't want to leave, Donald gets tangled up in the main-spring, and Goofy is inside the bell when the clock strikes four.
- DirectorDave FleischerSeymour KneitelStarsJack MercerMae QuestelGus WickeTo get at nurse Olive, Popeye and Bluto fake various illnesses. Olive sees through this and tells them they need to be either very sick or hurt real bad, so they try to get hurt, but both have a sudden run of what would normally be very good luck. Out of desperation, Popeye feeds Bluto the spinach when they start fighting.
- DirectorArthur DavisSid MarcusStarsBeatrice HagenGertrude LawrenceEthelreda LeopoldA dying girl dreams of a better place in the next life.
- DirectorTex AveryStarsElvia AllmanMel BlancTedd PierceA retelling of Little Red Riding Hood with Elmer Fudd, Wolf, Red, and Granny. Granny won't let the Wolf in her house, but she lets Elmer walk right in the front door. The Wolf seeing this breaks the door down so he can get inside.
- DirectorBurt GillettStarsBilly BletcherPinto ColvigWalt DisneyMickey, Donald and Goofy run the "Ajax Ghost Exterminators" agency. They receive a call from lonely and bored ghosts to come to their house where they are scared silly by the hilarious haunts and taunts of these spirited pranksters.
- DirectorDave FleischerWillard BowskyStarsJack MercerMae QuestelLou FleischerPopeye the Sailor, accompanied by Olive Oyl and Wimpy, is dispatched to stop the dreaded bandit Abu Hassan and his force of forty thieves.
- DirectorTex AveryStarsMel BlancBilly BletcherRobert ClampettNew duck hunter Porky is constantly taunted by a very early version of Daffy, and all the other ducks.
- DirectorFrank TashlinStarsJoe DoughertyMel BlancBilly BletcherThe introduction cartoon for Petunia Pig deals with Porky's courtship with her. Once he's won her hand in marriage, he fantasizes about his future with her, which doesn't seem very appealing.
- DirectorGraham HeidWilfred JacksonStarsElvia AllmanMarie ArbuckleBarbara BrewsterAs a thunderstorm approaches, birds, mice and other creatures try to stay safe and dry in an old mill.
- DirectorFriz FrelengStarsDave BarrySara BernerMel BlancA typical afternoon at the movies is lampooned in this looney trip to the cinema.
- DirectorBurt GillettBill RobertsStarsWalt DisneyMarcellite GarnerEddie HoldenInspired by the Grimm's fairy tale, this classic 1938 Mickey cartoon finds our hero (voiced by Walt Disney) battling a hilariously huge "problem.
- DirectorTex AveryStarsMel BlancJim BannonSara BernerDaffy Duck wreaks havoc on a movie set at Wonder Pictures ("if it's good, it's a Wonder"). Daffy's creative editing impresses producer I. M. Stupendous.
- DirectorDick RickardStarsDon WilsonWalt DisneyMilt KahlFerdinand is a quiet, gentle bull who only wants to stop and smell the flowers. After he is stung by a bee, the townspeople believe he is ferocious and take him to the bullfight.
- DirectorDave FleischerSeymour KneitelStarsJack MercerWhile Popeye is searching for his Pappy he discovers an island inhabited by super strong natives.
- DirectorNorman McLarenAnimation featuring dancing black and white shadows.
- DirectorBen SharpsteenStarsPinto ColvigWalt DisneyRichard EdwardsMickey and Donald ride in a trailer pulled by Goofy, who doesn't realize his car has separated from the trailer as they travel down a mountain.
- DirectorWilfred JacksonStarsAl BernieThelma BoardmanBeatrice HagenVarious Mother Goose rhymes are portrayed by Hollywood stars for example, Old King Cole's fiddlers three are the Marx Brothers, and Humpty Dumpty is W.C. Fields, who falls while tormenting Charlie McCarthy; Simple Simon and the Pieman are Laurel and Hardy.
- DirectorGeorge PalStarsBert AmbroseSam BrowneEvelyn DallPuppet animation of Ambrose and His Orchestra performing in several nightclubs.
- DirectorRobert ClampettStarsMel BlancTreg BrownRobert ClampettPorky is a tourist. He's missed the main camel, so he rents one of his own. Both of them are soon overcome by the hot desert sun; the camel starts hallucinating, and marches off, playing the bagpipes. Porky sees the camel swimming in a pool, but it turns out to be a mirage. The camel eventually recovers enough to bring both of them back to town, where Porky goes mad.
- DirectorRobert ClampettStarsMel BlancBilly BletcherRobert ClampettPorky Pig goes on a hunt to catch the surreally elusive last Do-Do bird.
- DirectorJack KingStarsDonald BarrySara BernerBilly BletcherAutograph hound Donald, despite the security guard, manages to get signatures from Greta Garbo, 'Mickey Rooney', Sonja Henie, The Ritz Brothers, and Shirley Temple before he's recognized and everyone wants his autograph.
- DirectorDick HuemerStarsJack BaileyOlcott VailGoofy is going fishing with his best friend, Wilbur, a grasshopper.
- DirectorTex AveryStarsElvia AllmanTex AverySara BernerIt's amateur night at the local theatre, and a procession of bad acts comes and goes: various musicians, a magician, and some actors. But they keep getting interrupted by Elmer Fudd singing "She'll Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain".
- DirectorDave FleischerThomas JohnsonStarsPinto ColvigMargie HinesJack MercerPopeye's fan club sends a telegram asking them to tone down the violence and act civilized, so everyone dresses up and acts formal for a while, at least.
- DirectorMilt GrossStarsMel BlancHarry LangPat McGeehanCount Screwloose and J.R. the Wonder Dog are promoting a $10,000 swing contest. They plan to skip town with the entry fees, but a menacing thug from the "Citizens for Fair Play" convinces them otherwise. The contestants: A singing hippo, "Mother Goose" who starts out as an old woman, then sheds her disguise to reveal a pretty girl, and a fan-dancing ostrich. Throughout, a couple of penguins are heckling. The ostrich proves wildly popular, and Screwloose fears he'll have to give the prize to her, when he gets an idea. He dresses J.R. up as the ostrich and sends him out, but the penguins use a box of sausages to expose the dog. The crowd runs Screwloose and J.R. out, and they grab a ride on a train where the penguins are waiting for them.
- DirectorHugh HarmanStarsMel BlancJeanne DunneThe Hollywood Choir BoysTwo baby squirrels ask grandpa to explain what "men" are when they hear everyone singing of "peace on earth, goodwill to men". Grandpa tells the story of man's last war.
- DirectorRobert ClampettStarsMel BlancBilly BletcherPorky works at the Snappy Rubber Company. His dog, Flat Foot Flookey, is determined to follow him into the plant, despite the rules. And Flookey's clumsiness means he's not exactly going to be able to sneak in like when he falls into a vat of rubberizing solution, and molds his face into a number of then-popular movie stars, or makes Porky's boss (a walrus) drop a stack of tires.
- DirectorClyde GeronimiBurt GillettStarsPinto ColvigWalt DisneyJames MacDonaldMickey and Pluto's hunt for quail turns into a disaster when Mickey wakes up a bear.
- DirectorLen LyeA film made without a camera by painting directly onto the celluloid.
- DirectorTex AveryStarsDanny WebbTex AveryMel BlancKiller and his gang are robbing every bank in town in numerical order, except they skip the 13th National Bank. The police are unable to catch them, despite their predictability (and their endless sight gags). Finally, they get help from an unlikely source: the guy in the front of the theatre who sat through the picture before. They capture Killer, and he gets a long sentence, which he has to write on the blackboard 1,000 times.