The hand-drawn cartoons of yesteryear are a welcome change of pace in today’s world of computer animated everything. These gems from a bygone era are now available in Amazon Instant Video format!
Note that these cartoons are a product of their times, and may include content that would be considered culturally insensitive by today’s standards.
Felix the Cat, The Complete 1958-1959 Series (4.5/5 stars)
From IMDB:
Felix the Cat is a funny animal cartoon character created in the silent film era. The anthropomorphic black cat with his black body, white eyes, and giant grin, coupled with the surrealism of the situations in which his cartoons place him, combine to make Felix one of the most recognized cartoon characters in film history. Felix was the first character from animation to attain a level of popularity sufficient to draw movie audiences.
One Amazon reviewer says:
“I forgot how funny Felix was. I ordered this for my son and he really enjoys it. Great quality video.”
Cartoons That Time Forgot: The Ub Iwerks Collection Vol. 1 (4/5 stars)
A celebration of the pioneering solo cartoon work of Ub Iwerks; Walt Disney’s foremost animator/collaborator.
Includes 35 cartoons: All Singing! All Dancing!; Fiddlesticks; The Soup Song; The Little Red Hen; The Village Smitty; Mary’s Little Lamb; The Village Barber; Old Mother Hubbard; Humpty Dumpty; The Brementown Musicians; Summertime; The Music Lesson; Puddle Pranks; Willie Whopper’s Fantastic Adventures And Other Tall Tales; The Good Scout; Happy Days; The Air Race; Tom Thumb; Insultin’ The Sultan; Sinbad The Sailor; Rasslin’ Round; Ali Baba; Viva Willie; Don Quixote; Free-Form Fairy Tales; Aladdin And His Wonderful Lamp; Jack And The Beanstalk; The Brave Tin Soldier; Puss In Boots; Little Boy Blue; The Queen Of Hearts; Simple Simon; The Valiant Tailor; The Three Bears; Dick Whittington’s Cat.
Cartoons That Time Forgot: The Ub Iwerks Collection Vol. 2 (4.5/5 stars)
A celebration of the pioneering solo cartoon work of Ub Iwerks, Walt Disney’s foremost animator/collaborator.
Includes 29 cartoons: Down and Out With Flip The Frog; Nurse Maid; Room Runners; The Office Boy; The Milkman; The New Car; Ragtime Romeo; What A Life; The Bully; Funny Face; Movie Mad; Things That Go Bump In The Night; The Cuckoo Murder Case; Stratos Fear; Jack Frost; Chinaman’s Chance; Masquerade Holiday (aka Hill’s Fire); Techno-Cracked; Soda Squirt; The Headless Horseman; Spooks; Balloon Land; Cartoon Extra; Laughing Gas; Circus; Stormy Seas; Coo Coo The Magician; School Days; The Goal Rush.
Popeye the Sailor (5/5 stars)
These cartoon collections begin at the beginning: with the very first Popeye cartoon, released in 1938.
Hand-drawn, most of these cartoons are in black and white and feature the original, muttering Popeye older readers may remember fondly.
One Amazon reviewer says:
“This is it, Popeye cartoon fans! We have dreamed about it, wished for it, and hoped for it. Warner Brothers Video, by arrangement with King Features Syndicate, is issuing here the first 60 ORIGINAL Fleischer Studios Popeye cartoons. Wonderful! These fantastic cartoons are being released in chronological order of their theatrical release, FULLY RESTORED from the original negatives in beautiful black and white, UNCUT, with all Paramount titles restored.”
Season 3 in particular has been very popular with fans of classic animation. From Amazon:
Listen up, mates! Popeye goes to war with these classic, but rarely seen toon treasures. In addition to Problem Pappy, Olive’s Sweepstake Ticket and other tales of hearth and home, you’ll find an entire armada of Popeye’s spinach-enriched World War II adventures. And when there’s a nation to protect, the Sailor Man reports for duty. Don’t miss it as he out-rivets Bluto to build the fleet in A Hull of a Mess or stands off against a nasty “Nutzi” U-boat in Spinach fer Britain. At the end of the day, he’ll have the overseas tyrants Seein’ Red, White ‘n’ Blue! For high seas hijinks or landlocked levity, check out all the wartime adventures of your favorite marine right here! “Strong to the finich, cause he eats his spinach, he’s Popeye the Sailor Man!”
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