Betty im Flunkerland

One of the amusing Betty Boop black-and-white cartoon shorts from Fleischer Studios, "Betty in Blunderland" (reusing the "Blunderland" title from "Felix the Cat in Blunderland" (1926), which I have unfortunately been unable to see as of yet) crams as many references to Lewis Carroll's Alice books as it can in under seven minutes while all the while Betty sings "How Do You Do" to the books' cast of characters. Being Betty, this is also remarkable for introducing sexual humor to the famous children's narrative, including her skirt flying up as she falls down the rabbit hole.

Her Wonderland, or "Blunderland," adventure is framed, as per the books, as a dream--here, after she falls asleep working on a Wonderland jigsaw puzzle of Alice and the White Rabbit (a mise-en-abyme). The White Rabbit rises from the puzzle and enters Wonderland through the looking glass, with Betty in her dream state following suit. No time is wasted on Betty, like Alice, finding her surroundings confusing. Her passage to the dreamscape's populace is streamlined by a subway station through the rabbit hole and a cat serving as soda jerk for "Shrink-ola" to get through the tiny door. When the Jabberwock shows up and captures Betty, her adventure is soon over as the rest of Wonderland's inhabitants come to her rescue.

Betty is relaxing on the floor putting a "Wonderland Jig-Saw Puzzle" together. After she gets one of the final pieces in, a rabbit, the grandfather clock reminds her it is time for bed. The rabbit gets up out of the puzzle and walks through a mirror. Betty follows it and winds up in "Blunderland," on this takeoff of the famous Lewis Carroll story.

Betty makes the famous trip that Alice did, with variations of course. There are some cute and funny sight gags in here, as she gulps down a "Shrink Ola" soda and enters the tiny world of wild sights and sounds.

This is very entertaining as Betty meets the Mad Hatter, Humpty Dumpty (huh?) and all kinds of characters. Of course, she entertains them all with song and dance and we get the usual chase scene at the end with a big bad creature hauling off with Betty.

That last part was weak, which was a shame because the first half of this made this look like it was going to be a spectacular cartoon. It was still good, but not as good as it appeared it was going to be.

This cartoon short is an interesting adaptation of a great children's story. Instead of Alice playing the lead role as always, we have Betty Boop living in Alice's Wonderland...or, more appropriately, Blunderland.

It starts off with Betty putting together an Alice in Wonderland jigsaw puzzle, when suddenly the White Rabbit in the puzzle leaps out and dashes into Betty's mirror, which Betty follows and is led into the Rabbit's world.

Filled with fun, song, and the one and only Jabberwocky, this little cartoon may only be entertaining for those who can watch an old black and white, while others who enjoy color might be disappointed and bored. But if you like Alice in Wonderland and Betty Boop, then why not?

Betty in Blunderland (1934)

*** (out of 4)

Fast and fun short has Betty Boop putting together a Wonderland puzzle when the rabbit comes to life and helps take her to the real place. Once there Betty walks around meeting new creatures and getting everyone in the mood to sing. BETTY IN BLUNDERLAND isn't the greatest short ever made but it's certainly a very charming one thanks in large part to the imagination of Dave Fleischer who really keeps this thing moving. I think the best moments happen towards the end once Betty shrinks down to size and enters Wonderland. There are all sorts of great images including some dancing lobsters, the Mad Hatter and even the great Humpty Dumpty makes an appearance, although I'm not sure what he has to do with Wonderland. The film also contains Betty doing a terrific music number where she sings "Everyone Says I Love You" (which IMDb lists it as being sung as "How Do You Do?"). Fans of Betty should certainly enjoy this short as the animation is top-notch and there's no question that Betty is very charming throughout.

"Betty in Blunderland" is a visual delight. Although it is a takeoff of "Alice in Wonderland", it actually bears more similarity to the 1933 film version than the book--probably because BOTH were made by Paramount Studios. And, hard as it might seem, they actually managed to cram a lot into only about 6 minutes! The cartoon begins with Betty up late working on an Alice in Wonderland puzzle. Suddenly, the white rabbit pops out of the puzzle and disappears through the mirror--and Betty follows. What comes next are lots of characters and highlights from the story. As far as the story goes, there isn't a lot of it--it's more a visual feast as you watch all the craziness on the screen. And, combined with great animation, there is ample reason to give this one a look.