To me, we are officially into “Halloween season” so I figured we’d get warmed up with a spooky little animated treat that would have been appropriate for Vintage Lab Week.
In 1933, Disney released this short animation: Mickey Mouse- The Mad Doctor
There are so many excellent still frames to grab. I have a feeling I’m going to go back and pause every few seconds for a screen capture.
What a lovely little song and video…if you’re into this sort of thing, like I am.
Although this 1937 cartoon is a blatant ripoff of the original Skeleton Dance made in 1929…I don’t care. I still love it. Go ahead…try not to find it adorable!
Tired of the same old specials on TV? Here are some alternatives.
Let’s kick things off with this warped and wonderful “Spumco Christmas Card,” by Ren and Stimpy mastermind John K.:
I believe this claymation video was supposed to be aired on TV, but was actually cut (perhaps due to the kiddies getting beaten up?):
If not for my dear, talented friend J.E. Larson, I would not have remembered this 1950 rendition of “The Night Before Christmas.” PUPPETS!
Mr. Larson also made sure I didn’t skip the priceless Nativity Scene (this is just the first part, see the youtube sidebar for links to the rest):
And now to go waaaaaaay back to 1898, a simpler time, before Christmas was about Xboxes and iPads:
For those who haven’t seen it, here’s the 1968 Terry Gilliam Christmas Card:
And here’s a suggestion from My Pink Planet; a post-apocalyptic anti-war cartoon in which forest critters rebuild a world after the humans have destroyed it.
We’ll top things off with a gelatin Christmas tree from none other than Charles Phoenix, whom you may remember from his fantastic Fried Cereal video:
This informational film came up in most of my searches regarding vintage representations of atomic energy (yes, I search for things like that in my spare time).
Do not miss this one if you enjoy that mid-20th century PSA feeling. Great retro animation. I’m sure many people today do not know as much about nuclear energy as this video covers.
For many personal (and artistic) reasons, I LOVE this animated short film. Absolutely brilliant!
“Blinding pain of a sinister expression!”
This short video from Robert Stevenhagen kind of made my morning. Apparently it relates to an upcoming production of “The Emperor’s New Clothes.”
Steffen Schaeffler- The Emperor’s New Clothes – Excerpt from Pascal Blais Animation Studio on Vimeo.
If you’re interested in something far less comical, Stevenhagen also directed this stop motion animation short film about the Plague:
Halloween is still two months away, but why not start getting into the spirit now?
I’ve posted about my love for The Skeleton Dance, now here is another Silly Symphony cartoon in a similar style.
The demons in this film and skeletons from The Skeleton Dance actually share some of their sweet dance moves.
This video has not entirely convinced me that hell is an unpleasant place to be. It actually seems like a grand ol’ time for the most part.
Scientific Illustration drew my attention to the best watercolor representations of squirrel anatomy I’ve ever seen (granted, I’ve not seen many, but still…).
I love the title of this one: Squirrel Study Sheet
By Idlethumbs on Flickr.
SheWalksSoftly 