Gulliver's Travels (1939) - Review and Analysis

For this blog entry I’d like to bring some much deserved attention to a film that, today at least, is forgotten by most people. Die-hard animation buffs know this one and some even prefer it to Disney’s later efforts from the 1970’s.

Gulliver’s Travels, while being a cartoon, for many years was the most popular, albeit a very loose, adaptation of Jonathon Swift’s story. Released in December of 1939, this was the Fleischer Studios’ first full-length feature. It was a response and reaction to the success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and, as such, is the second feature length animation by an American studio. Paramount commissioned the feature after Disney’s success.

Like Disney’s debut feature, Gulliver’s Travels was a resounding success at the box office.The movie earned roughly $3 million in the United States during its original run, impressive because it was limited to just fifty theaters during the 1939 Christmas season. Unlike Snow White however, eleven people, all on staff at Fleischer Studios, ultimately directed this feature. As much as animation in films and television is a group effort, this one truly was.

The animation itself is trademark Fleischer. The characters have that early cartoon style and the movement is very reminiscent of their other work like the Popeye cartoons and Betty Boop. The story takes advantage of techniques and sight gags that were common in early cartoons. I remember as a young kid being fascinated by how lifelike Lemuel Gulliver seemed, and wondered why all of the Lilliputians and the Blefuscu army looked so cartoony. It’s an interesting juxtaposition of the realism of Gulliver’s world and the fantasy of the Lilliputian realm.

Most of the music and songs are typical of the era’s cartoons and nothing really special. There is a standout however. The song, "All’s Well", that gets sung at the beginning by Gabby, the Town Crier, is very catchy and memorable. The love theme, "Faithul/Forever", might also get stuck in your head if you’re not careful.

By today’s standards, the story can be a little slow in places but audiences in 1939 were enthralled and had little problem with the pacing. The battle scenes between Lilliput and Blefuscu are still very enjoyable, but it’s a film very much of its time. Again, while animation buffs appreciate it, it doesn’t hold up nearly as well as the early Disney features. It doesn’t have the realistic quality or pacing of Pinocchio for example. It’s also not as well known because new generations aren’t being introduced to it like they often are with every Disney picture. That being said, it’s an interesting piece of animation history. It’s worth a watch and, for animation buffs, should probably be owned on DVD.

The good news for those who have never seen this movie is that it has fallen into the public domain. It can be viewed online at just about every major video site. It can be downloaded legally as a digital copy here: https://archive.org/details/gullivers_travels1939

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - 1990 – Review and Analysis

       One of the greatest comic book adaptations to screen is the 1990 TMNT film. Why this movie holds up so well, why it was so expertly cast, and why the tone was perfect are all a result of the hard work, care and dedication from director, Steve Baron, the actors, producers and designers.

       Production on a live-action feature film of the Ninja Turtles franchise started in 1988. Filming began in July of 1989 and went to September. A budget of $13.5 million was granted by Golden Harvest (up to then known for making low budget Hong Kong action movies). The film was shot almost entirely in North Carolina at Carolco Studios (one of the largest non-Hollywood studios in the U.S. at the time) with inserts and location shots happening in New York City. 

       As an adaptation, this movie hits several marks and blends various elements from the cartoon and comic book. The turtles’ masks are multicolored just as in the cartoon (in the original comics they all wear red bandannas). April is a TV news reporter, though here she works for Channel 3 News while in the cartoon it’s Channel 6 News. The story is constructed around several plots from the first dozen or so issues of the Mirage comic. In the comic it is Leonardo, not Raphael, who is ambushed by the Foot Clan. In the original comic, the farmhouse belongs to Casey Jones, not April. The rooftop battle and Shredder’s defeat come from the end of the first issue.

       The tone is perfect for a TMNT film. It’s humorous enough in places to be great for the kids and mirroring the then ongoing cartoon series, but also it’s surprisingly hard edged enough to be taken seriously by older fans and adults as well, mirroring the Mirage comic book. The jokes and lighthearted humor mesh incredibly well with the gritty real life drama and dark themes of street crime and gang violence. The movie juggles its disparate elements expertly and it's surprising just how "adult" the film can feel, for something that was essentially marketed to six-year-olds.

       In the film, the turtles are actually actors and martial artists in foam latex suits with animatronic puppet heads. Jim Henson and his famed Creature Shop were responsible for designing the suits and heads. The look of the turtles onscreen remains incredible to this day. In fact, it’s surprising how much better these turtles look onscreen than their CGI counterparts from the newer films.

Elias Koteas stands out in his role as the vigilante sports nut, Casey Jones. He is the definitive Casey Jones. Judith Hoag was charming and beautiful as April O’Neil and has defined the role for many fans, myself included. Shredder looks genuinely menacing in his metal armor and the fight scenes and martial arts choreography are also top notch, on par with other low budget action films of the day.

       This movie would go on to become the most successful independent feature in history (until it was unseated by The Blair Witch Project in 1999), earning roughly $202 million worldwide when all was said and done. The movie’s success prompted several sequels, none of which were very good, however, the second outing, The Secret of the Ooze, will always hold a special place in my heart.

       The reputation this flick has garnered as the “best turtle film” and as one of the greatest comic book movie adaptations is well deserved. It’s all about the tone and the pathos of the characters as they struggle to rescue Splinter from the clutches of the Foot Clan. Is the film dated? Yes. The pop culture references of the time as well as a gritty late 80’s looking setting of New York definitely make it stay in a single place and time. But, for TMNT fans there will likely never be another movie like it. Every time I watch this I am swept away by the gritty, urban fantasy. It remains one of my favorite films of all time and should be held up as probably the greatest adaptation in the history of the franchise.