Christmas Comes But Once a Year - Max and Dave Fleischer (1936)

Once again I am going to post a cartoon from Christmas past in the days leading up to the holiday. I always loved this old classic. I’m posting it again because it’s a great example of the quality of the animation in the 1930's. And, Max and Dave Fleischer were two of the best.

They often worked separately on various projects, though their best works are probably the collaborations they produced with the Popeye cartoons and Betty Boop series. They also made a boatload of feature cartoons like this one, which is a wonderful little story about an orphanage on Christmas morning. If you have seen this before, I hope that you enjoy it once more. 

"Christmas Comes But Once a Year" - Max Fleischer (1936)

This is one of those old cartoons that you watch as a kid and never forget. When the children at the orphanage wake up on Christmas morning they are thrilled with the store bought gifts which await them. But that joy gives way to disappointment as the toys break one by one. As a result they are inconsolable.

As their wailing reaches epic proportions Professor Grampy happens to be passing by on his self-propelled sled; he is an inventor. When he ascertains the cause of the children’s trouble he takes only a few seconds to come up with a solution. He’ll build newer and better toys, using the wreckage of the toys they have and some assorted things from around the house.

The Christmas miracle he performs isn’t so much about the material things in life as it is about what we do to help one another in our times of need. Well, that sounds nice. But in reality; at least in the case of this cartoon; it really was all about the toys!

Beautifully animated with all the fluidity you expect from these classic Fleischer cartoons, this is a Christmas classic that will always stand the test of time.