Lonesome Ghosts (1937)

 

It's October! 🎃 

Let's start this month off with a cartoon, Disney's Lonesome Ghosts (1937). It's a near perfect film that captures the spookiness and mysterious genre of films decently. 

There's some great backgrounds at the start. My guess is that Bill Herwig did some of the scenes because I researched into the original layouts and sketches and noticed his signature in one of the drawings like the haunted house.

This is the best way to start a cartoon in my opinion. We get to see what's inside and meet the zany and mischievous ghosts. 

I also loved how Mickey, Donald and Goofy looked back in the late 30s when they paired together. In my opinion this their best designs. I miss the simple oval eyes for Mickey and the white sailor hat for Donald. 

I love this few second scene of the trio walking in the snow. Backgrounds also are warm and calming. Animated by the legendary Milt Kahl!

Both Bob Wickersham and Izzie Klein animated my favorite moments of the film where Mickey tries to chase after a ghost and he dashes rapidly in drybrush frames. 

Alot of the shorts from this time period also remind me of The Three Stooges, and watching the other films, like Mickey's Service Station and Boat Builders, I can tell there's obvious tints of inspiration.

I also think the old Disney movies were at their best with camera angles and where to face the character in different circumstances and situations. Like with the multiplane camera, they knew how to make their films even their short subjects cinematic. 

Here's more great backgrounds, smart color scheme too.

I love this cartoon, I would highly recommend it now that Halloween is coming. Here's a few bonus treats for ya. 

Some ink publicity drawings. 

I would also like to credit the animators. 

Izzie Klein, Ed Love, Milt Kahl, Marvin Woodward, Rex Cox, Bob Wickersham, Gerry Geronimi, Dick Heumer, and Roy Williams.

Thanks to Mark Mayerson for the mosaics, feel free to experience his blog, he's done other mosaics and highly check those out.

https://mayersononanimation.blogspot.com/search/label/Mosaics?m=0

It's beautifully remastered on Disney+, but you can also experience it on Toontales if you don't have the app. Your choice. 

https://www.toontales.net/short/lonesome-ghosts/

The Coach - How To Play Football (1944)

 

There's this great sequence from a Disney cartoon called How To Play Football (1944) starring a bunch of Goofy clones. I think it's a decently funny short, but this particular scene with the coach was animated beautifully by John Sibley. 

He's one of my favorite animators of all time. He animated most of the Kinney Goofy shorts and has an expressive yet cool and almost powerful sense of artistic ability. The coach here shows off a very tough and likeable pose.

He does a unique walk, and does a solidly great trick of letting go of the cigar and a second later he grasps it with his teeth. 

The next following frames are a bunch of lively and fun drawings of The Coach's arms flailing around, and anticipation.

So fluid and interesting.

I'm telling you this happens in all of a matter of seconds, these type of scenes are fast paced and erratic, but honestly in an appropriate way.

Here's use of the dry-brush technique. 

This is a fantastic and well-drawn pose. 

So as this one. 

It's gets even better every time. 

This one is especially badass. Yep, I'm saying it. The camera zooms in rapidly here.

I swear when it comes to people complaining how Disney isn't trying to go for a wacky and quirky style of humor, they haven't seen these cartoons. They remind me alot like Avery.

I remember chuckling at the coach's voice when he says "NOW GET OUT THERE and FIGHT!" It's really funny and rubbery. 

Feel free to watch on Toontales. 

https://www.toontales.net/short/how-to-play-football/

Harvey Eisenberg's Mickey And The Beanstalk

 

I'm not a comic geek but I do consider myself discovering comics especially older ones from time to time. It's kinda fun if they make sense, and has some sense of humor.

This is Harvey Eisenberg's Mickey and The Beanstalk comic from 1947, released the same year as the short film. I found Eisenberg's work to be appealing and he's extremely talented. These comics are easily captivating and I find the lettering and narration to be incredible.

Right away, the introduction scene takes place in Happy Valley. I'm learning alot about this particular location. I'm loving the narrator so far. There's alot more character development and conceptual modifications than I imagined. 

I love the narrator pointing out how we didn't expect Donald controlling his temper, since that's what he's most known for in terms of his actions. 

Next we meet The Golden Harp, I honestly felt like she could've had way more potential, because I really like her concept, but she kinda acted like a normal person, which is fine but I just wasn't too big on her scenes. Alot of unique colors in this page. The mysterious shadow has a good shade of purple and light blues.

This was that one scene I remember watching from the short film I admired the best. It was one of those first experiences I had on liking old-school Disney. In the original Fun and Fancy Free movie, the Happy Valley looked dry and depressing. I could mention that this strip uses a natural and joyous blue background, but to me it doesn't work. Still solid though on the other bits, including that one sign near the cow, that's good detail and slice of comedy.

We almost get the same type of reactions from the movie version, except Donald isn't shouting angrily at Edgar Bergen as he breaks the 4th wall. 

I also loved alot of the camera angles and emotion in that film. The part where Goofy and Donald look immensely at Mickey slicing a bean and they look like their sweating is just masterful. I would like to know who animated that entire 2 minute or so scene. 

https://afilmla.blogspot.com/2018/01/prod-2057-fun-and-fancy-free-iii-prod_25.html?m=1

I can freely thank Hans Perk for the excellent drafts. Very useful! 

Anyways back to the comic.

Donald apologizing to his friends will never not be entertaining to me. It's also now canon the cow has an actual name. 

I absolutely love the interactions of all three of these characters. Mickey, Donald and Goofy together was always one of the best that old Disney had to offer. They inspired my characters, Dredd The Moose, Szac and Phillips Bear. 

We still get some excellent drawings and reactions. 

This is what I like about comics, they're not pushing boundaries like trying to only make people laugh or get invested in only pictures. 

The last scene of this image reminds me of the Three Stooges when they sleep. 

Now obviously alot of the Disney books especially the Little Golden ones try to tell the premise like the original movie. I guess it's because these were made when VHS and television weren't releasing/airing these movies yet, and it was better to adapt it in literature. 

Honestly, I might prefer this over the animated version. I remembered watching the Fun and Fancy Free behind-the-scenes documentary exactly a month ago, this was originally going to be a feature film, but was trimmed down to only half an hour. Kinda disappointing, but it's still something. 

The color choice of the green grass is really interesting. I also love how well-drawn the flowers are. It's not easy drawing flowers at all, you have to really see one in order to make it look real.

I like the design of the frog, we get more natural color schemes. Also the 5th panel below where they show Mickey Donald and Goofy as silhouettes is great. 

So much action in this singular page. I chuckled when Donald said "Ya big sissy!" I could imagine almost all the actors who voiced these timeless characters doing these lines. 

I have no idea if I might make a 2 parter of this, it's just a preview of the entire comic. I wasn't originally planning on making this without Michael Sporn's "splog". Once again thanks to him. I'm learning alot from his website feel free to check it out. 

Here's the link to the comics.

http://www.michaelspornanimation.com/splog/?p=3195

http://www.michaelspornanimation.com/splog/?p=3210