“Acrobatty Bunny” (1946)
Over the years, many people have asked me “What is your favorite cartoon?” It’s a question I could never really answer. I have so many favorites, I can’t name only one. But it’s a question I’ve kept in mind throughout the years – a question I ask myself frequently.
Slowly, over time, through films I curate for video collections, for public screenings, in classroom viewing with my students, I’ve evolved a little list of personal favorites. These are not films chosen for historical importance or great qualities of artistic expression (though I think you could find that in each). No Gertie The Dinosaur, Steamboat Willie, What’s Opera Doc? or King Size Canary in this bunch (I love them all – and would refer you to my books The 50 Greatest Cartoons and The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes to read about 150 more cartoon titles that I absolutely adore).
My list is below. This list is subjective and its simply a list of cartoons I cherish for personal reasons, usually based on what age I was when I first saw them, how they affected me then, and how they went on to shape my point of view. This only my opinion. I don’t expect you to agree with this listing – and I’m sure you have your own personal top ten that differs greatly from mine.
These are the ones I never tire of watching (or at least, the top ten of those I never tire of watching. I could easily add two or three dozen more). I do my best below to explain why I picked these. I also cannot put these cartoons in a numeric order. I love them all equally. There is no number 1, or number 2… here is simply the list in alphabetic order:
ACROBATTY BUNNY (1946)
Believe it or not – this Robert McKimson chase around the big top strikes me as a quintessential Bugs Bunny cartoon. Bugs is minding his own business, sleeping in his rabbit hole, when his rest is disturbed by the rumble of a circus caravan and the suction of a hungry lion. After giving “Nero” a chance to calm down, he strikes back with a vengeance. You don’t mess with Bugs Bunny. This is the “dangerous Bugs” in his prime. So many great gags and lines here – “Pinocchio!”, “Rubber heels, Doc!”, the Pagliacci “Laugh, clown, laugh” routine, Bugs Bunny and his Hula-Hula Lion – I love the energy and the Jean Blanchard redesign. It’s Mckimson’s first Bugs Bunny and he knocks it out of the park.
What I get out of it: When I was reacquainted with this film during my teen years, I related to it – or more specifically to Bugs Bunny himself here – as I was hounded by the usual suspects (gym teachers, assorted grown-ups and classroom rivals) that made my high school years miserable. This cartoon “taught” me to be prepared and to be smarter than my real life adversaries. One step ahead is something I’ve aspired to be ever since.
BLAME IT ON THE SAMBA (1948)
They must have run this on The Mickey Mouse Club or The Wonderful World of Color when I was a small kid – and it lodged itself in the back of my brain somewhere. Years later when I saw The Three Caballeros as a teenager, sometime in the 1968-1972 hippie era (aka my high school years), when everyone was high on drugs, I thought that 3 Cab was the greatest acid trip ever committed to film. I later stumbled across Blame It On The Samba and that ancient memory of Ethel Smith playing her keyboard, swirling around in a psychedelic cocktail glass, came back to me in a nostalgic mind-blast. This film became my new “drug” of choice. I’ve since seen it numerous times – discovering something new in it everytime. I’ve determined this to be the best of the South American “Good Neighbor” films – and it blows my mind every time I watch it.
BOOK REVUE (1946)
Oh come on – Book Revue! It’s a Clampett classic! When I rewatched this one as teen, coming home from school, watching the daily half-hour of Bugs Bunny on Channel 5, I could not (for the life of me) figure out any of the dated references in this cartoon – but I could not deny the energy in Blanc’s skat performance and animation so kinetic, so wild, I couldn’t take my eyes off it. Solving the mystery of the gags related to the various book covers became a life long mission (what kid in 1972 understood references to Harry James, Benny Goodman, Henry Aldrich, Saratoga Trunk, So Big, not to mention a zoot-suited Daffy Duck, singing in a Russian accent, inspired by several Danny Kaye routines?). The insanity of it all! This ties with Tortoise Wins By Hare for Blanc’s all time best vocal performance. That giant eyeball gag out-Avery’s wildest double-takes. For an extra treat, just listen to the Stalling musical soundtrack sans picture. Genius.
DANCING ON THE MOON (1934)
I have many favorites amongst the Fleischer Color Classics, but I keep coming back to Dancing On The Moon. The common thread of all these favorites is that I love everything about them. In this film it’s the two-color Technicolor that fits the subject just right. It’s also the 3-D setbacks, and that model space ship; the catchy original song; the corny gags (including the ‘Kate Smith’ Moon; and the giraffe who states “This is a perfect place for necking”), the film’s quintessential 1930s character designs, and the Fleischesque unhappy ending. “Dancing On The Moon” is apparently a euphemism for “making love”, evidenced by the couples getting a visit from the stork – and our lonely solo alley cat getting nothing, except his ass-kicked by his disgruntled bride.
GRAMPY’S INDOOR OUTING (1936)
The post-code Betty Boop era did yield a few classics (in my humble opinion). Betty Boop and Grampy, A Language All My Own and Sally Swing are also favorites… but Grampy’s Indoor Outing touches my heart. I just think it’s perfectly paced. Betty and Junior are getting ready to have a ‘bushel of fun’ at a local carnival. We hear about how much fun they will have, but as soon as they step outside it starts to rain. Junior wells up and starts crying causing Betty to call upon Grampy to put on his thinking cap. Grampy then uses an arsenal of regular household items to concoct a home made indoor carnival filled with wild ideas – climaxing with a rollercoaster ride on the apartment building’s fire escapes (a three dimensional model with an umbrella on top) for a happy ending. I can’t help smiling every time I see this one. It’s so sincere – and delightfully produced. What I get out of it: This film says to me “never give up”. If life hands you lemons, make lemonade.
FLEBUS (1957)
You all know I’m a fan of Gene Deitch’s era at Terrytoons. There were several great films – yes, GREAT – produced from that period. But to pick one favorite it has to go to Ernest Pintoff’s Flebus. It’s both a product of its time, and a timeless piece of art. Unique, funny, visually startling. It out-UPA’s UPA! It’s as much a personal film as anything by John Hubley, or Fred Wolf or Bob Godfrey, and yet its a studio produced commercial release, part of a factory that provided Clint Clobber and Dinky Duck cartoons to theaters playing Hollywood blockbusters. That always amazes me. However, what places Flebus on this list is that its an entertaining film. Pure joy to watch – especially in CinemaScope on a large theater screen (as I do once a year for students in my History of Animation class).
LITTLE TINKER (1948)
Little Tinker may not be the best Tex Avery cartoon, but its my favorite (Little Rural Riding Hood and King Size Canary are close ties). It’s as strong as any other MGM Avery for laughs, but this one has one other thing – ‘heart’ – something unusual for Avery during this period. We care about this little guy – and there is a happy ending that makes all his travails worth the effort. It also strikes me that this film could have been a model for the Paramount Casper shorts – the fear ‘takes’ that Tinker encounters are hilarious – if only the animation directors at Famous had the skill to do them ala Avery, the Casper’s might have been stronger films. If I had to show one Avery to someone who has never seen his cartoons, this is the one I’d pick. Makes me laugh, and care, every time.
Here it is in French!
OPERATION: RABBIT (1952)
“Wile E. Coyote, Super Genius.” Absolutely hilarious characterization, superb Jones poses, facial expressions and animation timing. The whole thing: The blue prints, the flying saucer, the female robots – and my favorite scene: a self-absorbed Wile E. gloating to himself, while concocting a set of nitro glycerin carrots, unaware that Bugs is pulling his shack onto a railroad track. Comic perfection, sez I. “And remember, “Mud” spelled backwards is “Dum!”.
Here it is with sped-up opening titles.
SCRAP HAPPY DAFFY (1943)
I absolutely love me some wartime Tashlin Daffy. I love that rendition of “We’re In To Win” and all the scrap metal items being listed. This is pure morale boosting propaganda – and my own morale is boosted every time I watch it, 80-years later. The song is followed by Hitler attacking his scrap pile with a Nazi metal eating goat. A chase ensues until Daffy, knocked out, is inspired by the spirits of patriotic American ducks of the past. This turns Daffy into a “Super American-Duck”. Ultimately is all a dream… a great one.
SUPERMAN (1941)
I love all the Fleischer Superman cartoons – but this first one, despite a few flaws, is still awe inspiring. Where do I begin? I love it because this is the only one where Superman and Clark are drawn on Joe Shuster’s model; I love Sammy Timberg’s entire musical soundtrack; I love the concise origin story squeezed into the opening; I love lines like: “This NUT may prove dangerous!” or “How’s THAT for a story, Miss Lane – Ha-ah-ah!”; I love the entire battle against the Electrothunasia Ray; I love the noir feel, the color design, the modeling and effects animation. I could have done without that raven assistant, or the Daily Planet building bending like a stick of butter – but I can forgive those things as the over all picture is so exciting. This one, like all of the above, I can watch over and over.
Runners Up: Bob McKimson’s A Ham In A Role, Disney’s Reason and Emotion, Hubley’s UPA Rooty Toot Toot… and now that I think of it, perhaps another ninety titles that I can post about in future columns. That’s why I added the “Part 1” to this post’s headline.
UPDATE: I posted Part 2 of this list, Click HERE.
Addendum: I’ve purposely left off two or three “favorites” that might be considered politically incorrect – and don’t feel its the appropriate time at present to discuss or defend them. One is a Bob Clampett parody of Disney’s Snow White. Another is swing version of Romeo and Juliet performed in a back alley by a troupe of birds.
So those are my picks above. Feel free to flood the Comments below with your favorites.
Jerry Beck is a writer, animation producer, college professor and author of more than 15 books on animation history. He is a former studio exec with Nickelodeon Movies and Disney, and has written for The Hollywood Reporter and Variety. He has curated cartoons for DVD and blu-ray compilations and has lent his expertise to dozens of bonus documentaries and audio commentaries on such. Beck is currently on the faculty of Cal Arts in Valencia, UCLA in Westwood and Woodbury University in Burbank – teaching animation history. More about Jerry Beck [
I enjoy hearing about your personal favorites, and I agree with most of them. You intrigued me with “FLEBUS”, and i’m struggling to remember whether or not I have actually seen this. Needless to say, I have enjoyed other Gene Deitch titles from this cinemascope era without ever having actually seen them in cinemascope. I just like the somewhat simpler design of the cartoons, and it seemed like a great design to usher in a whole new era of subversive or spacey annimations, but ironically, it never quite did that. I’d take that style and combine it with classic George Pal, who succeeded in bringing the Tex Avery universe to a whole new level. Something like that could still happen and I hope it does….
I love animation, but really, I can’t vividly remember many bits of animation enough to comment, except to reiterate favorites that I’ve mentioned too many times on this forum. If I were an animator, they would be my inspiration going forward into that strange place that can only be reached through the art of animation. I enjoyed being frightened by animation as much as I was excited by its splendor, and I’d unfortunately *NEVER* seen any of my favorite titles as full restorations on the big screen. Hearing the soundtracks brings the images back to me on a good day full force.
When you’re a child, you enjoy being that small, being able to bounce off the walls like a rubber ball or wishing you could fly–that is how the most exhilarating bits of animation effected me, even when it appeared to talk down to its audience, but a lot of theatrical animation never did that and I felt privileged to have grown up at a time when I could still see a lot of this without interference by those who felt I shouldn’t be exposed to so much of that. There were times when it charged me up, like too much sugar on Halloween or Christmastime; again, isn’t that what a good cartoon is supposed to do?
Maybe that is why so many impressions of good and bad acid trips seem like very surreal and inventive cartoons, because our childhoods were filled with the best that the golden age could offer, and these images are embedded in memory that will always repeat on you when you least expect it! I know that there are favorites that I have yet to rediscover, and I keep hoping I do. There are elements of each of the world famous animation directors of the golden age that are overlooked but, yet, I still find these fascinating in their expressiveness.
How many of you remember your first impression of a favorite cartoon? Even if it is a misinterpretation, that misinterpretation still is a terrific example of how animation can “shape shift” your life and even come back to haunt you, and I like that aspect of the art as well. When I started reading articles in various publications of how there is “too much violence” in cartoons, I was livid because all those people were not understanding just how cartoons seemed like the way the world first appears to you as a small child, and these images can be both beautiful and horrifying at the same time.
Think of all the examples of classic animation that has lived on in the minds of major motion picture directors, inspiring some iconic scenes that made this or that movie great! And I haven’t even discussed here the impact of musical scores, so neatly melded with the sometimes staccato images that gleefully assault your optic nerve, even on a grainy black and white television! Here’s to all of the finest and the most warped of these, and may you go on to discuss these in length.
Among my favorite BUGS BUNNY cartoons, I would have to put “HOLD THE LION, PLEASE” near the top of that list. There are so many amazing visuals that lend themselves neatly to the comedy as well as the spectacle, like the scene change from the taunting, laughing animals to the waving foliage, or the whole “shriek, shriek, scream, scream” sequence, or the lion’s face as he grabs the phone out of Bugs’ “hand” and snarls “yeah, waddaya want”, only to change in some terrific body language when he realizes it is his wife that is on the other end. I like it as much as you like “OPERATION: RABBIT”.
I also like “ACRO-BATTY BUNNY”. There is a near Avery take when Bugs first sees the elephant being “prodded” in his direction by the lion’s slaps on his behind, and then Bugs scares the mammoth beast with a wind-up mouse, causing the elephant to take the lion and use him as a mouse swatter before throwing the befuddled beast offscreen; so many great poses in that cartoon, and you’ve discussed some of the best of ’em. You can probably also show that one alongside MGM’s “SLAP-HAPPY LION” with the mouse that sends the lion into hysterics with the utterance of just one word, “BOO!” That will live in my memory forever!
Oh, and lastly, I am with you on “LI’L TINKER”; it does the one thing that the Pepe Le Pew cartoons didn’t always achieve, make you feel for the plight of the main character as he seeks love in a world that didn’t need him, while also giving you a hefty taste of the usual reasons why you enjoy a Tex Avery cartoon, hyper-kinetic reaction scenes…and there is that Harman/Ising universe which deserves an article of its own. There are times when I can’t hear certain periods of music without thinking visually of these as Harman/Ising or Max Fleischer sweet dreams or nightmares.
Cartoons that I love, that I never tire of watching, that still make me laugh every time I see them….? I could pick ten of those just from the Bugs Bunny cartoons directed by Robert McKimson! Going chronologically:
* “Gorilla My Dreams” (1948). Probably the most lavish artwork in any McKimson cartoon, which is saying a lot.
* “The Grey Hounded Hare” (1949). Dreamboat, the mechanical rabbit, makes a great love interest for Bugs, and their kissing really makes the sparks fly! “What a hunk of feminine pulchritudy!”
* “Rebel Rabbit” (1949). Affronted by the meagre bounty offered for rabbits, Bugs is determined to make himself obnoxious until there’s a million-dollar price on his head. Screwball Bugs at his screwiest.
* “Bushy Hare” (1950). Between the Tasmanian Devil, Hippety Hopper and this cartoon, I always assumed that McKimson had some personal connection with Australia, but apparently not. I think the Indigenous Australian “Nature Boy” is one of Bugs’s greatest foils; he may sound like an extra in a Tarzan movie, but his design owes absolutely nothing to Native American or African-American stereotypes. (I’ve asked a number of Indigenous Australians what they thought of this cartoon, but none of them could remember seeing it.)
* “Hillbilly Hare” (1950). In my country music days I used to do square dances at a veterans’ hall, playing “Coming ‘Round the Mountain” over and over again until I though my ears would bleed. Bugs’s turn as a sadistic fiddler is real wish-fulfillment for me.
* “Hurdy-Gurdy Hare” (1950). Gruesome Gorilla returns, in the big city this time. Love the ending, where he’s an organ grinder’s monkey and people give him buckets of money just to get rid of him, until Bugs starts to fear reprisals from the Musicians’ Union.
* “What’s Up, Doc?” (1950). Bugs Bunny’s rise to fame, with a great title song and cameos by Al Jolson, Jack Benny, Eddie Cantor and Bing Crosby. My parents, who were always concerned about my education, took pains to explain all the dated pop cultural references in these old cartoons, so “Book Revue” etc. never held any mysteries for me.
* “French Rarebit” (1951). Bugs tricks two guys into getting into an oven and then blows them up, several years before he did it to Rocky and Mugsy in “Bugs and Thugs”. To this day, whenever I taste a particularly sumptuous dish in a restaurant, I say: “Sacre bleu! Zees recipe I must know!”
* “Rabbit’s Kin” (1952). Pete Puma may have been the funniest cartoon character ever voiced by Stan Freberg. He and Shorty should have been given a series. “You better give me a whole lotta lumps!”
* “Devil May Hare” (1954). The first Tasmanian Devil cartoon, and the best. I remember seeing this for the first time as a small child, and the animal stampede, and the long pan shot showing the Devil’s swath of destruction, kind of scared me. But it paid off in big laughs.
As chefs Louis and Francois might have put it: “Vive Robert!”
Is there an availability of BOOK REVUE’s music track I can listen to? Now I’m dying to hear it. Not enough space to list my favorite toons as I can’t narrow it down past 1000.
Operation: Rabbit is one of my favorites too. Best scene for me is when Bugs pretends to give himself up and asks Wile E. to sign his will. Love the wry delivery of Bugs’ line “I have come to give myself up on account of I can’t compete no more against such genius” and the delicious double subversion of the dynamite-stick-as-pen gag.
“Blame In on the Samba” started out as a segment on the package feature Melody Time, along with another favorite of mine, “Bumble Boogie”. It holds a high place as the most surreal piece of animation ever to come out of Disney, second only to “Pink Elephants on Parade” from Dumbo. Seeing these on the Disney Channel really stimulated my developing mind.
“Duck Pimples”: another contender for most out-there Disney cartoon. It’s like a fever dream out of Phillip K. Dick, but funny. It always tickles me that Fred Moore and Milt Kahl – the two architects of the Disney style- worked on what is essentially the most un-Disney cartoon Disney ever made. It was written by Virgil “Vip” Partch, better known for his gag cartoons on men’s publications on the ’50s and ’60s, and his bizarre, spicy sense of humor shines throughout.
The hardest time I remember laughing was when I first watched “Mickey’s Circus” on TV, especially its zany climax on the high-wire. A lot of mid-1930s Mickey Mouse cartoons could match the best Looney Tunes titles for fast-paced craziness.
“Droopy’s Double Trouble”: One of my all time favorite Droopys, the one with Droopy’s twin brother Drippy – he’s strong! Recently watched it on TCM and is still uproariously funny the hundredth time I see it.
In terms of early McKimson Bugs, I’ve always been more partial to Gorilla My Dreams and Hot Cross Bunny. But Acrobatty Bunny is still a fine short.
Book Revue is easily the best “storybook come to life” cartoon WB ever did, and is one of the Clampett cartoons that manages to avoid the “Clampett is overrated” criticism, for good reason.
Kind of a sad, dismal morning here in the city… but this sampling of Jerry Beck’s favorite cartoons — not a clunker in the bunch! — enlivens and redeems the day. Thank you for this.
During a Cartoonal Knowledge screening at the Thalia many years ago, an excellent print of “Blame it on the Samba” charmed and invigorated the crowd, which wildly applauded at the end. In the lobby afterwards, I heard an amazed patron ask, “did Walt Disney really produce that?” Well, it still can chase my blues away.
Gosh. “Flebus” in CinemaScope. Daffy lustily singing “We’re in to Win,” in “Scrap Happy Daffy.” The Fleischers’ wonderful “Dancing on the Moon.” “Little ‘Tinker.” Top Bugs and Grampy shorts. The first Superman cartoon.
What a treat, Jerry.
Book Revue is still one of my faves. The sight of Daffy chomping on lil’ Red’s leg still cracks me up… Bimbo’s initiation and Snow White from The Fleischers, Red Hot Riding Hood, Swing Shift Cinderella and Who Killed Who from Avery as well as The Magical Maestro (in spite of that Ink Spots gag). And Disney’s early Mickey Mouse cartoon, Blue Rhythm. Wish I could find out whose band Disney hired for that soundtrack!
I’ve often thought that Acrobatty Bunny is arguably the quintessential late 1940’s Bugs Bunny cartoon. The pacing and timing of the gags is spot-on, the dialogue complements and punctuates the action (with extra kudos to Mel Blanc, who’s the only voice in the cartoon since Bugs is facing a non-verbal opponent) with not a wasted word or line, and McKimson takes the Avery/Clampett “aggressive” Bugs and makes him more likeable and fun.
My Top Ten would be entirely different, but could just as easily be replaced by yours. No clunkers here.
Count me among those glad to see Acrobatty Bunny get some spotlight time. Seems to have been overlooked a little over the years.
A wise man (duck) once said (scatted):
“Beep deep beep da boop doo bay, Big bad wolf in a suit zoo gay, Heep zoop zaddle zoodle zed, Heep doop oodle up to Grandma’s bed, Heep doop zeedle zondle zeers, Zeep zoop zoddle great big ears, Heep doop doddle doodle zid, Hop da better to hear you with. Hey hey hoo hoo how ’bout that? Say hoo what eyes you got, Laddle dad laddle did, Reet toot toddle to see you with, Leet toot toddle zaa zoo beet, Zeep zoop zoddle great big teeth, Heet zoop zoddle det doo top, Heet zoop zoddle to eat you up. Doorain, doorain, doorain.”
Sight and Sound magazine is considered the premier source for ranking films and releasing the “greatest ever film” list. For decades, Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane” has topped that list. However, in the 21st century it has been dethroned by both “Vertigo” and “Tokyo Story.” In addition, the ranking of the top ten films on the most recent list has shifted from the previous list. So Jerry, with that said, next month will be the 26th anniversary of your seminal book “The 50 Greatest Cartoons: As Selected by 1,000 Animation Professionals.” Do you believe that the following animated shorts listed in your book still deserve to be ranked in that order as the 10 GREATEST cartoons of all-time? In your highly expert opinion, should “What’s Opera Doc?” still be sitting on the throne as the king of cartoons?
1. What’s Opera Doc?
2. Duck Amuck
3. The Band Concert
4. Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2th Century
5. One Froggy Evening
6. Gertie the Dinosaur
7. Red Hot Riding Hood
8. Porky in Wackyland
9. Gerald McBoing Boing
10. King-size Canary
Well first, you (and everyone) should know that THE 50 GREATEST CARTOONS wasn’t my choice or selections – though I agree with about 75% of them. I was the editor of the book and I helped facilitate the survey to get the listing we used in that book.
That said, If we renamed the book “The 50 Greatest Cartoons of the 20th Century” – I would actually agree with that list for the most part. I might add a short or two (and maybe a TV cartoon from the 1990s) to the master list – but not in the top ten. It’s really hard to determine numeric rankings for films in which everyone has a subjective opinion. That’s why I was in favor of not assigning numeric ranking in my 100 GREATEST LOONEY TUNES book.
I’m assuming the TV cartoon in question involves a happy helmet, right?
Of course it’s impossible to limit to ten, and I have some favorite animated films. But here are a few favorites:
The Old Mill – Drama, beauty, suspense
Duck Amuck – Self reflexive and hilarious. with a great Mel Blanc performance
The Band Concert – Great visual and musical gags
After You’ve Gone – Musical instruments come to life to Benny Goodman, what’s not to love. The kind of cartoon I attempt to make.
Woody Dines Out – Woody Woodpecker was the first cartoon available on our local channel and the first available on 8mm
Popeye Meets Sinbad – 3D sets, action, great verbal and visual comedy. and color.
Little Rural Riding Hood – You may substitute almost any Avery MGM cartoon. This one is a great study in contrasts.
Tulips Shall Grow – I didn’t see any of the George Pal Puppetoons growing up, except in his features. I discovered them in 8mm as an adult.
The Dover Boys – great stylized art and a sharp and subversive sense of humor
Kitty Kornered – It’s difficult to pick a best bob Clampett cartoon, there are so may funny ones. This one has great gags and a reference to the Orson Welles War of the Worlds radio broadcast.
Honorable Mentions:
Duck Pimples, Great Piggy Bank Robbery, Goonland, High Diving Hare, Moonbird, Mickey’s Trailer, A-Lad-in his Lamp, Porky Pig’s Feat, Bulliteers, Baloonland and so many more.
Great list, but there is something I’d like to set straight: I *really* don’t believe Jean Blanchard designed this model sheet of the pot-bellied Bugs from the McKimson cartoons. A lot of the drawings in that model sheet are lifted/pasted-up from HOT CROSS BUNNY, with many drawings lifted from Manny Gould scenes. The name “Blanchard” listed at the bottom might have made it an indicator that she designed this version of Bugs, which people have taken as gospel.
Gosh, Devon… that’s a great observation. Perhaps Blanchard assembled those drawings and traced them, creating that model sheet which we all assumed was her art – but isn’t! I’d like to hear others weigh in on this.
The Cat Concerto
The Screwy Truant
Book Revue
Out of Scale
Symphony Hour
The Deal
The Choices
Baby Bottleneck
Great Piggy Bank Robbery
The Zoot Cat
I also want to mention my favorite Walter Lantz cartunes. (Woody Dines Out and Ration Bored), and my favorite Popeyes (Clean Shaven Man, Man on the Flying Trapeze) but I love all WB, MGM, Lantz, Fleisher, Golden Age Disney cartoons and movies as well as all episodes of The Amazing World of Gumball.
I thought you would choose I love to singa! 🙂
I love the cartoon Falling Hare…
the goon popeye cartoon
the milky way MGM
Ten favorite cartoons (not all of them great— just favorites) as of 10 p.m. EDT on September 14, 2020, in no particular order:
“A Merry Chase” (Terrytoons, 1950)
“I Love to Singa” (Warners, 1936)
“Bimbo’s Initiation” (Fleischer, 1931)
“Clock Cleaners” (Disney, 1937)
“She Was an Acrobat’s Daughter” (Warners, 1937)
“Little Rural Riding Hood” (MGM, 1949)
“Have You Got Any Castles?” (Warners, 1938)
“A Dream Walking” (Fleischer, 1934)
“One Froggy Evening” (Warners, 1955)
“Northwest Hounded Police” (MGM, 1946)
[That’s as of right now. This list could be very different tomorrow.]
Russian Rhapsody is possibly my all time favorite 🙂
Here are ten of my favorite cartoons:
“Duck Amuck” (1953) – My all-time favorite cartoon from any studio and (in my opinion) the best Daffy Duck cartoon of all time.
“One Froggy Evening” (1955) – I’ve always loved this cartoon. Funny, clever, and great music. My favorite part is when all the drunks come pouring into the theater after the man puts up the “Free Beer” sign.
“Christmas Comes But Once a Year” (1936) – My grandma had this cartoon on video when I was little and me and my cousins loved it. Like Jerry Beck, I have a lot of favorites in the Color Classics series, but this is my all-time favorite Color Classic. It starts out sad, but when Grampy comes in, the cartoon gets exciting and leads to a very happy ending. Definitely one of the best Christmas cartoons ever made.
“Donald’s Snow Fight” (1942) – My grandma had this cartoon on the video “A Walt Disney Christmas.” I had the Disney Sing-Along Songs video “Very Merry Christmas Songs,” which featured clips from this cartoon. A snow fight between Donald and his nephews turns into total war. Probably my all-time favorite Donald Duck cartoon.
“Trick or Treat” (1952) – Another one of my favorite Donald Duck cartoons. Features a great song and a brilliant performance by June Foray as Witch Hazel (a few years before she starting voice another Witch Hazel in the Looney Tunes). This and “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” are my favorite Halloween cartoons.
“Buccaneer Bunny” (1947) – One of the funniest Bugs Bunny/Yosemite Sam cartoons.
“Who Killed Who?” (1943) – This is a Tex Avery cartoon I remember seeing on Cartoon Network when I was little. I remembered the cartoon’s title, the live action scenes, and the fact that the victim is reading a book based on the cartoon! It’s very funny and brilliantly written.
“She-Sick Sailors” (1944) – One of my favorite Popeye cartoons. Bluto pretends to be Superman to win Olive’s heart. “Listen here, Stupidman!”
“Cue Ball Cat” (1950) – My all-time favorite Tom and Jerry cartoon. Gotta love Tom’s scream when he jabs himself in the butt!
“Jerry’s Cousin” (1950) – Another one of my favorite Tom and Jerry cartoons that I never get tired of. The great Paul Frees (“Santa Claus is Comin’ To Town”) is the voice of Muscles.
It’s hard to choose just 10 favorites.
1. “Sudden Fried Chicken” I can’t help it i’m an unashamed Famous Studios fan.
2. “Popeye Meets Ali Baba’s 40 Thieves”
3. “The Great Piggy Bank Robbery”
4. “The Dover Boys”
5. Little Rural Riding Hood”
That’s some of my favorites. I do also love a certain Bob Clampett censored 11 cartoon. I love just about anything made by Famous, especially the early Noveltoons. Love the Popeye’s although nostalgia definitely plays a big role in that. Anything by Clampett or Avery I’m bound to enjoy. Not a huge UPA fan, but their early stuff I like. Their Fox and Crow cartoons, and Mr. Magoo. I even unironically like a lot of the Screen Gems cartoons.
Might as well mentioned my favorite Mickey cartoon: “The Pointer” (1939)- The first time general audiences saw Mickey’s new streamline design and probably one of Walt’s best performances as his off and on alter ego.
Jerry, I would love to see a list of your Top Ten Animated Features. Would you please share them with us?
Maybe someday.
I don’t keep such a list. If I began to think about it I’d probably have to spilt such a list in two – Top Ten Disney Features and Top Ten Non-Disney Features, as the Disney features are in a league of their own.
Off the top of my head – at this time – a Top Ten Non-Disney list of mine might include Akira, The Iron Giant, My Neighbor Totoro, Spider-Man Into The Spiderverse, The Incredibles, Kung Fu Panda, maybe Mr. Bug Goes To Town, maybe Sita Sings The Blues but there are dozens and dozens…
I’m so glad to see “Dancing on the Moon” on your list. The 3-D rocketship is cooler than anything in the Star Wars movies.
Tex Avery’s late masterpiece “The Legend of Rockabye Point”.
As a kid in the 60’s, I would watch Woody Woodpecker’s TV show religiously, just to occasionally get a chance to see it.
Great list! Like you I didn’t get half the references in Book Revue when I first watched it, but it is so great it didn’t matter.