Animated classics screening at Somerville Theatre Feb 18-20 in stunning 4K
Join us for a program of animated shorts by Fleischer Studios, beautifully restored in 4K from the original camera negatives provided by Paramount Pictures and archives around the world.
Fleischer Studios created cartoon luminaries such as Betty Boop and Koko the Clown. It was the first studio to animate Popeye and Superman.
In the 1930s, the studio founded by Max and Dave Fleischer was Walt Disney’s main screen animation competition. The Fleischers’ animations were darker, more adult, and more urban than that of Disney. Their slinky, surreal, always morphing short films featured characters seemingly made of elastic.
We’re delighted to share this Fleischer “Greatest Hits” program from February 18-20, featuring:
- Superman – Magnetic Telescope
- Inkwell Imps – Koko’s Bawth
- Betty Boop – Dizzy Red Riding Hood
- Fleischer Studios Behind the Scenes
- Color Classics – Play Safe
- Betty Boop – Betty in Blunderland
- Popeye – A Day To Skate
- Superman – The Bulleteers
BEHIND THE SCREEN
From 1919 to 1942, Max Fleischer and his company, Fleischer Studios, produced nearly 700 cartoons. Among his many achievements, he invented the Rotoscope which revolutionized animation, developed the “Stereo-optical Process” giving scenes a 3-D appearance, and created the “bouncing ball” for sing-alongs. His studio was the first to animate both Popeye and Superman. And he created the iconic Betty Boop, who remains an emblem of American culture to this day.
Yet despite Fleischer’s major and prolific achievements, there is no single archive or collection of his work. That’s something his granddaughter and great granddaughter are working to change.
In late 2022, they began the restoration and screening of their family’s classic cartoons. Their mission is to collect all the Fleischer cartoons that remain today, gather them into a single digital space and restore them so they can be seen by audiences as Max Fleischer intended.
The films will ultimately be made available to everyone and be preserved for all time.
Beginning with the earliest films and those now rapidly deteriorating, over two dozen films have been preserved and restored through the work of Martin Scorsese’s The Film Foundation and a number of private restoration experts.
Films on the restoration list include:
- 160 KoKo the Clown cartoons in the “Out of the Inkwell” and “Inkwell Imps” series (1919-1929)
- Some of the first color cartoons, starting in 1934 with the “A Color Classic” series. These 36 beautifully colored cartoons have long been neglected and are now fading in archives and private collections.
- Nine original “Superman” cartoons. These are the first-ever animated Superman cartoons, shot in vibrant, art deco-style color.
We’re screening this special program during Somerville school system’s February vacation week so film lovers young and old can enjoy these cartoon classics.