I’ve been sent an advance copy of Arnold Leibovit’s Puppetoon Movie Vol. 3 collection and have watched it with my own eyes. And this – along with Thunderbean’s forthcoming Flip The Frog set (which I’ve also seen) – is not only one of the best animation collections released this year – this is (and Flip are) one of the most important animation releases EVER! Historically important and gloriously restored to Technicolor perfection – Perfection Personified! (you can quote me on that, Arnie). This is a must-have for anyone who loves animation history, stop motion, 1940s Technicolor Paramount shorts, 1930s sponsored films, or simply for anyone who reads this site.
You can ORDER IT HERE. In the meantime, here are a few images – and the official press release:
The Puppetoon Movie Volume 3 Blu-Ray Limited Edition is a third landmark collection of 28 more spectacular George Pal Academy Award-winning stop-motion and cel animated shorts, totaling some 5 hours of content. Each cartoon has been restored from its original Technicolor negatives. Fans will enjoy the return of Punchy & Judy, Jim Dandy, Rusty, Dr. Seuss, Jan and Janette, Mr. Strauss, Jasper and the Screwball Army; plus the first Puppetoon key animation work from legendary animator Ray Harryhausen.
More ultra-rare Pal 1930s cel animated shorts are included – most not seen in over 80 years.
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 short subjects astounded the world. Now animated marvels, not seen in decades, are back. All are restored in high definition and are 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. Puppetoons not seen in years was both an animation event and a much-deserved tribute honoring the legacy of their creator, sci-fi & fantasy pioneer George Pal. The feature compiled a number of Puppetoons 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, with nearly 4 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 this set 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 cel 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 Insitute, UCLA Film & Television Archive, The Eye Filmmuseum, The Philips Company, GlaxoSmithKline, J Walter Thompson, ASIFA Hollywood, The National Film Archive Czech Republic, Bio Vakantieoord 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 (High DefiniAon)
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)
Cel Animated (High Definition)
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
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.
Blu-ray Technical Specifications
Digital Video: 1080p High-Definition; Original Aspect Ra0o 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 Configura0on: BD Dual Layer
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
Featured Characters: Punchy & Judy, Jim Dandy, Rusty, Dr. Seuss, Jan and Janette, 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 Ravenscroc, Pat McGeehan, Billy Bletcher, Rex Ingram, Robert C. Bruce, Byron Kane, Glenn Leedy, Sara Berner, Roy Glenn, Alvin Childress, Eloise Rawitzer, Lillian Randolph, Malcomn 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 ONenfeld, 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.
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 CalArts in Valencia, UCLA in Westwood and Woodbury University in Burbank – teaching animation history. More about Jerry Beck [
The booklet alone sounds worth it. More Jasper in these times is even more surprising.
This is great news. The clarity of those stills is amazing. Congratulations to Arnie and company for bringing this important project to fruition.
That Judy is a real doll — but she’s no Yvette Mimieux!
Ordered ! This made my day!
As a donor I got it last Saturday and like the other Puppetoons Blu rays I was stunned watching Vol3.
AWESOME! It was worth it the wait fort its release. Congratulations Arnie!!
Thanks Martin. Happy you enjoyed the disc.
Isn’t it redundant to discontinue Volumes 1 and 2 for those that didn’t acquire them?
Arnold Leibovit has sunk his own money and asked people over the last four years to produce Volume 3. He’s practically just making enough to sell to try and break even.
Volume 2 is available at the link.
I remember seeing (the premiere of?) the Puppetoon movie a the Thalia! It’s great to have expertly done remasters of these masterworks and so many extra features!
It showed up yesterday! It really is stunning!
Instant purchase.
The Puppetoons video collection is must-have material, not just for fans of animation, but for the wider audience of cinema-lovers in general. The artistry, attitude, design, technique, humor and overall high entertainment value remain unmatched, after nearly a century.
Lightning in a bottle.
Will there be a DVD again?
So, does this mean all of the Paramount shorts have been released on Blu-Ray or are there a few still that haven’t?
There are a few that still haven’t.
Very neat release, it’s nice to see SOMEONE cares about the Puppetoons (especially when Paramount themselves seems to have no interest)
Something I’ve always wondered though; If you look online, they seem to be pretty adamant that UM&M/NTA modified the original negatives to make their edits. Even the old Paramount titles page on this site says (or at least implies) this was the case. Yet newer remasters of both Fleischer cartoons and I’m guessing also these Puppetoon releases taken from the original negatives DO have these titles. Was that just an urban legend that eventually got passed off as fact? Did these titles come from a difference source? Am I misinterpreting what this all means? What gives?
You have slightly misinterpreted what has been said and known. The original titles for the color Fleischer cartoons and the Technicolor Puppetoons exist (and always have) because U.M.&M. did not alter the original 3-strip negatives (which were successive exposure) – which would have been difficult to do. Unfortunately it was much easier to affix the UM&M logo to the single strip negs of black and white Fleischer cartoons (Talkartoons, Screen Songs, Betty Boop, etc) – which they did.
I backed this one when it was first announced and kept encouraging others to donate. I got Blu Ray last week and I was amazed at the restoration. Words fail me how good everything looks.
Words cannot express, how amazed I am at the quality of this disk. I received my copy yesterday, and couldn’t pull myself away! I know I’ll be viewing this… Rather, listening to this more and more and more. The restorations bring the music in these short films to the forefront. I love this disk! Congratulations, Arnold; you have outdone yourself!
Thanks you so much dear Kevin. I so appreciate your support and passion
See what can be available when everybody involved cooperates?
Just purchased. Looking forward to it.