"Somewhere In Dreamland" - Max Fleischer (1936)

I love this cartoon. But be careful, it just might make you cry. The story concerns 2 poor children who live with their mother. There is no father in evidence. The children’s lives are chiefly concerned with gathering the necessities of life; wood for fire, and anything edible. Their mother does all she can do to provide for them, but with limited resources, there is not much that she can do.

As the children go gathering firewood one day, they are mesmerized by all of the things in the shop windows of the town in which they live. But, they realize that none of these beautiful, and delicious, things are meant for them. They were for other, more fortunate folks. Remember, this cartoon was created during the middle of the Great Depression, so there were likely many kids who saw this cartoon and identified with the plight of the two children.

That night they go home and give their Mother the firewood they have gathered and she serves them a very sparse meal. They allude to all of the things they have seen that day, which only breaks their Mother’s heart, as she cannot afford to feed them well, let alone provide them with such luxuries. The children reassure her of their love and then turn in for the night, singing the song “I’ll See You Tonight in Dreamland.”

Their dreams are filled with every sight and smell which they have coveted for so long. They play in their dream with all of the toys they don’t have, and eat of the foods that they can only wish for. And then it’s morning.

Waking up and looking at their tattered clothes, they realize that it was all a dream; until they look out from their bedroom and see everything that was in their dreams assembled in the usually sparse living room. It seems that all of the town’s merchants have been watching these two children as they toiled daily to help provide for them-selves and their mother. And, as the children slept, these same merchants were preparing a veritable Christmas for them. This is a beautifully crafted and wonderfully conceived cartoon from the Fleischers. The message is pretty clear; every day is Christmas if you just help it along. 

"The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met" - Walt Disney (1946)

One of the greatest things about the old cartoons was that they opened up different avenues of entertainment for millions of kids. As a matter of fact, most kids of my generation were probably first exposed to the classics through cartoons such as this one by Disney from 1946.

The plot is fairly simple; a sailor has brought home stories of a singing whale named Willie, which nobody believes. Professors are called in to study the mammal, and all agree that he has swallowed a man. But when he begins to harmonize with himself in several voices, they are all stumped.

A seagull is dispatched to ascertain the validity of the story, and when it is revealed to be the truth, the Captain sets out to capture Willie. He has dreams of making the whale a star, as well of his own grandeur. In his mind Willie will travel the world, singing opera on stage, and making the Captain rich.

But, in his quest for fame and fortune he kills the whale, ending his own dreams. But Willie goes on to sing forever in the depths of the sea. There are something’s in nature that can never be captured, or caged.

Beautifully directed by Directed by Clyde Geronimi and Hamilton Luske, this cartoon has Nelson Eddy performing all of the singing. This is a wonderful introduction, for children of all ages, to the world of Opera.

"I Heard" with Betty Boop" - Dave Fleischer (1932)

In this 1932 classic from Dave Fleischer, Betty is the waitress at a mining camp. The cartoon begins with real life band leader Don Redman and His Orchestra performing the soundtrack for this entirely musical cartoon. 

Great animation, as always with a Fleischer production, make the machinations of the mine almost life like. And, at the end of the shift, the workers all repair to Betty Boop’s Saloon for some food and entertainment.

Through the dumbwaiter, Betty finds herself down in the mine where she sees not only the workers in action, but runs across some other worldly creatures in the process. With the assistance of Ko Ko and Bimbo, along with some dynamite, she is able to escape the mine, while at the same time planting these other wordly characters back where they truly belong; in the grave and not just underground.

The delightful soundtrack of this cartoon is pure swing, with that big band sound, lending even more fluidity to Mr. Fleischer’s visual efforts. These cartoons are like gems. There is really nothing like them around anymore. That’s why I love You Tube.