11/8 – 11/11

Fleischer Studios Cartoons

Created in the early 20th century by brothers Max and Dave Fleischer, Fleischer Studios was a pioneer in the art and craft of animation and were responsible for creating and animating some of the most beloved characters in American animation including Betty Boop and Koko the Clown. The studio was also renowned for its animation of two extremely popular comic-strip characters: Popeye (originally created by Elzie Segar) and Superman (originally created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster).

The artists of Fleischer Studios were not only animators, they were innovators as well. Known for their ground-breaking marriage of live action with animation, their ingenious bouncing ball cartoons, their gritty, urban and often surreal landscapes, their jazz cartoons featuring early film footage of the era’s popular artists including the very first film footage of Cab Calloway, and many inventions including Max’s rotoscope and “set-back” process, the influence of Fleischer Studios can be seen today in everything from music videos to karaoke to Japanese animé.

The Max Fleischer Cartoons Restoration Project was launched in 2021 by Max Fleischer’s granddaughter, Jane Fleischer Reid, and producer Mauricio Alvarado. Together with The Film Foundation and other partners, they have been working to restore and digitize the Fleischer Studios film library, including cartoons featuring Betty Boop, Koko the Clown, and Popeye. 

Program I: Saturday Nov. 8, 11am + Monday Nov. 10, 11am

Betty Boop’s Crazy Inventions (1933, 6 mins)

Koko’s Crib  (1929, 6 mins)

Dancing on the Moon (1935, 8 mins)

Betty Boop & Grampy (1935, 7 mins)

The Kids in the Shoe (1935, 7 mins)

Poor Cinderella (1934, 10 mins)

Play Safe (1936, 8 mins)

Program II: Sunday Nov. 9, 12pm + Tuesday Nov. 11, 11am

It’s the Cats (1926, 8 mins)

Betty Boop’s Ker-Choo (1933, 6 mins)

Somewhere in Dreamland (1936, 9 mins)

Popeye Meets Sinbad (1936, 16 mins)

Small Fry (1939, 8 mins)

Betty in Blunderland (1934, 7 mins)

An Elephant Never Forgets (1934, 7 mins)

Shorts Preceding Other Feature Films

Betty Boop’s Rise to Fame (with Artists and Models)

Minnie the Moocher (with The Cotton Club Encore)

When It’s Sleepy Time Down South (with High Society)

A Language All My Own (with Only Angels Have Wings)