Ha! Ha! Ha!

As a history teacher and lover of films, I occasionally like watching cartoons that have been banned, as they tell us a lot about our society and how far we have come over the years. What was perfectly acceptable decades ago is now, in some cases, seen as gross and inappropriate. Occasionally, these cartoons which have been removed from screening aren't particularly offensive but often, as in the case of this cartoon, they are so god-awful it's hard to imagine that people would have laughed at and enjoyed these films! Thirteen of these cartoons have been packaged together on a DVD entitled "Cartoon Crazys: Banned and Censored" and while the print quality of many of the cartoons is less than stellar, it's a great chance to see how sensibilities have changed.

This cartoon starts off in a rather clever and innocent way. You see the Fleischer Studio where the Betty Boop cartoons are made. Betty is on the drawing pad and the illustrator (supposedly Max Fleischer himself) is leaving for the day. Once gone, the ink well bounces about and Koko the Clown comes bounding out of it. Unfortunately, though, he has a bad toothache and so it's up to "Betty the Pusher" to solve the problem! In a very weird and very inappropriate scene, Betty plays dentist and gives Koko laughing gas. Not only that, but the gas ends up going everywhere and getting all the neighbors stoned as well. And, since everyone is having a wonderful time and the gas is so much fun, you assume the cartoon encouraged the audience members to give it a try themselves! Fortunately, this seeming endorsement of becoming a stoner was pulled from the market as it really shows no down side for drug use!! It's all pretty creepy, but the cartoon is also better than usual for a Betty Boop cartoon due to its clever introduction.

...but I keep hearing it was 'banned for drug use' but can find no evidence of such ban.

In any case, people have used laughing gas recreationally since its discovery over 200 years ago. It's rapid effects and rapid dissipation along with relatively low toxicity keep it popular.

The use of rotoscoping, a technique for 'tracing' live action, pen & ink ad the admixture of photographic and animation mixed in the beginning and end of the film is unusual.

Max and Tex Avery were both noted for their utter disregard for 'reality' realizing and frequently stating that you 'can do anything in a cartoon.'

Animated animals, plants and objects permit a cartoonist to say things about society which might otherwise go unheard due to immediate recognition and reaction by prejudice.

Fleischer were responsible for some brilliant cartoons, some of them still among my favourites. Their visual style was often stunning and some of the most imaginative and ahead of its time in animation.

The character of Betty Boop, one of their most famous and prolific characters, may not be for all tastes and sadly not as popular now, but her sex appeal was quite daring for the time and to me there is an adorable sensual charm about her. That charm, sensuality and adorable factor is not lost anywhere here, and she is very well supported by the ever fun Koko.

'Ha Ha Ha' is perhaps, as said in the summary, Betty Boop at her most bizarre, so much so that one is amazed at much the cartoon gets away with, but it is so deliciously entertaining that it is a case of bizarre not actually being a bad thing. As much as it doesn't matter so much that the story is thin and doesn't make much sense, nor did it need to as it's not that kind of cartoon.

As ever, the animation is still incredibly good, the detail is immaculate, there are the typical imaginative moments like with the laughing tombstones for instance (both hilarious and creepy) and everything is beautifully drawn. Every bit as good is the music, which is full of zippy energy and lyrical elegance.

Content-wise, much has been said about the strangeness, but 'Ha Ha Ha' is also an extremely clever and funny cartoon and up there with the most risqué (very ahead of the time for back then and even now it would be one of a kind) and surreal. The voice acting from Mae Questel is fine.

In conclusion, delicious fun and an example of bizarre not being a bad thing. 10/10 Bethany Cox

This is a marvelous cartoon blending some live action footage with animation with incredible results. These days, animation is all too often no more than an excuse for marketing tie-ins or is one long commercial altogether. With some exceptions (Animaniacs is one of the good ones), the truly off-the-wall zaniness has vanished from most cartoons these days. Back in the 1930s, when even Disney would do some truly bizarre things, the Fleischers did marvelous shorts such as this one! Here, Betty and Koko do splendid and surreal things with ink and a bit of laughing gas to make seven minutes quite memorable and enjoyable. I always liked Koko anyway, but here he's especially delightful! In print and available. Well worth watching. Most highly recommended.

..that's what it is. No plot, just a series of increasingly bizarre sight gags strung on one premise: Betty Boop tries to treat KoKo's toothache with laughing gas, and as they're both overcome by the fumes and forget to turn the machine off, the gas pours out into the city. Typewriters, cars, mailboxes, bridges and finally a whole cemetery full of tombstones grow mouths and burst into uproarious (in the tombstones' case, echoey and ghostly) laughter. Finally the giggling KoKo and Betty return to their ink bottle, which too grows a face and begins to laugh. Mere description can't give any idea how *weird* this cartoon is..don't miss the knock-down-drag-out duel between a pair of pliers and a set of false teeth!