Animated Features Before Snow White (Part 2)

When talking about animated features before Snow White, one that has to be mentioned isn't considered to be an animated film. This is the 1933 version of King Kong, directed by Ernest B. Schoedsack and Merian C. Cooper, and staring Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, and Bruce Cabot. The reason this needs to be mentioned is because it is a milestone, of the use of animation being used in a live action film. In fact the character of King Kong himself is achieved though stop motion animation. The animation in this film is supervised by Willis H. O'Brian. The animation was so well achieved audiences actually thought King Kong was a man in a monkey suit. This film was a major influence on Ray Harryhausen who would became one of the masters of using stop motion animation in live action film.


The next film up is 1935's The New Gulliver from Russia, and directed by  Aleksandr Ptushko. This film was a communist retelling of Gulliver's Travels. This means that the story was changed heavily to promote communist views. Many Russian films from this time period (Both Animated and Live action) were made to well promote communist Russia, or put down capitalist countries. Lenin, himself stated that cinema was their (The Communist Party) greatest tool, and Russian filmmakers took this to heart. It is argued whether this film or Tale of The Fox was the first stop motion animated feature. Tale of the Fox was completed first, but this film was realeased first.    This film is very impressive visually, and a great historical watch for people interested in animation and/or world history. However the story is much less impressive and comes off as simply there for propaganda reasons. So if you want to be visually amazed or have a fascinating piece of history this is well worth a watch, however if  you want a good, entertaining story, you should watch another Gulliver adaption or read the book.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGhXeMNWEO4

1936 should have the year for the very first Italian feature length animated film. This film would have been The Adventures of Pinocchio. However this film was never released and was probably never completed. What was made of the film has been lost. This film, or what was made of it was directed by Raoul Verdini, and Umberto Spano. This would have also been the first film adaption of Collodi's famous book.

Tale of the Fox is one of my all time favorite movies, and remains one of the greatest animated works of art to this day. This film was the first animated feature from France, and not only the first stop motion animated feature film completed but also the first to contain no live action. It is directed by the great animation pioneer Ladislas Starevich, and his wife, Irene Starevich. Starevich was one of the people (Along with Winsor McCay) heavily responsible, in my mind, for turning animation from a novelty into great art. Unfortunately this was his only foray into animated features (He had directed a live action feature called "The Night Before Christmas" in 1912). However what an amazing film this is. It features a brilliantly written script based off the folk character Reynard the Fox. Released the same year (1937) as Snow White, this was heavily different from the type of animated feature Disney would pioneer. It was a very immoral tale that followed the antagonist, and treated his character with more respect than the other characters. While he is not a admirable character by any means, he is quite likable when compared to the corrupt, and hypocritical political system he is fighting. We root for him because he knows who he is and it doesn't bother him. This is also some of the best looking stop motion animation ever made, even today. The characters are real and completely readable though how the look alone. Overall this film is a brilliant work of art that still today remains just as smart, subversive, entertaining, and impressive as it must have been back in 1937.

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxsdTCsfnxc

The next film is one that still survives, yet I have not been able to been able to find. Also from 1937 this film is "The Seven Ravens", from Germany. It was directed by the brother team of Ferdinand Dahl, and Hermann Diehl, and based off the Brothers Grimm tale of the same name. This was released on December 2, 1937, the same month as Snow White, therefore it barely made it on this list.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Animated Features Before Snow White(Part 1)

Although it has often times been called the first animated feature, Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs was actually the ninth animated feature. Snow White still remains one of the most important films in animation history, and a true masterpiece. What I am doing here is not trying to take away from the importance of Snow White but rather to call attention to these historically, and often times artistically important films that deserve more attention.

 The first two animated features, El Apostol (1917) and Without a Trace (1918) are unfortunately both lost films. Both are from Argentina and directed by Quirino Cristiani. Both films were political satires featuring both traditional and cutout animation. Sadly because these films are lost there is not much more to say about these films. This helps show the importance of film preservation.

In 1926 the earliest existing animated feature film was released, and it is a masterpiece. This is The Adventures of Prince Achmed, directed by Lotte Reiniger.  This film was made using silhouette animation, which is animation in which the characters are only visible through black silhouette, in this movie that is accomplished through cardboard cutouts. Collaborating with Lotte Reiniger on this film are Berthold Bartosch (Who in 1932 would make a masterpiece of an animated short called The Idea https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ2jRrSb5QA), Carl Kosh (assistant director on 1937's La Grande Illusion), and Walter Ruttman (director of Berlin: Symphony of a Great City and assistant director on Triumph of The Will). This film is a very loose adaptation of 1001 Arabian Knights. The animation still remains quite impressive today, and often times down-right beautiful. The story while fairly simple is engaging and entertaining. This is not just a film to view for historical reasons, but also because it is a very good movie that has held up to the test of time.

 http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2fke4p

The fourth animated feature film is another lost film. This film is Peludópolis. It is another Argentinian film directed by Quirino Cristiani. This film is also another political satire. Released in 1931, this is the first animated feature film with sound.  

...To be continued

-Michael J. Ruhland

Turner Classic Movies Animation Marathon on October 6th

Great news fellow animation lovers on Monday October 6th Turner Classic Movies is going to give us marathon of classic animation rarely seen on TV today. It begins at 5pm pacific time or 8pm Eastern time.

The marathon will began with some shorts from animation pioneer, and one of the greats in the history of animation Winsor McCay. Then some shorts from animation pioneer John Randolph Bray, who created the character of Colonel Heeza Liar (based off President Theodore Roosevelt). Some of the cartoons from John Randolph Bray feature animation by future Woody Woodpecker co-creator Walter Lantz (the other co-creator was Ben "Bugs" Hardaway (the name sake for Bugs Bunny)). Next up comes some cartoons from the Van Buren studio, who gave us the now forgotten "Rainbow Parade" cartoon series. Coming up next is "The Adventures of Prince Achmed" (1926), the earliest surviving animated feature film ("The Apostle" (1917), and "Without a Trace" (1918) (both directed by Argentine animation pioneer Quirino Cristiani) came before but they are considered lost today). This masterpiece of a film is directed by Lotte Reingner, Queen of Silhouette animation. The animation and story telling of this film still holds up very well today, and not only remains an animated classic, but one of the best German films from the silent era. Next up comes The Fleisher Brothers first feature length film "Gulliver's Travel". I already talked about this great movie in a previous post so I won't go that much into it now. Next up comes the 1960 anime "Magic Boy". Lastly comes "The Phantom Tollbooth" (1969) directed by animation legend (a title he received for good reason) Chuck Jones. This is one of the only two feature films by Chuck Jones (the other being "The Bugs Bunny/ Roadrunner Movie" (1979)), and it is a film worthy of the legend who created it. Hopefully you tune in as well. This promises to be a fun night.

-Michael J. Ruhland