Be Kind to 'Aminals'

Be Kind to 'Anminals' (1935)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Popeye and Olive Oyl are in the park feeding birds when they witness Bluto beating up on his over worked horse. This here is another high mark for the series, although I'm sure PETA members would throw a fit about the abuse the horse takes here even though the film is animated. There are plenty of laughs throughout the film including a terrific sequence where Olive is feeding birds with her feet. There's plenty of action as well as we see Bluto beating the horse before finally getting the tables turned. One strange thing I noticed here is that the voice of Popeye was a lot different than in previous shorts and I didn't care for the change too much.

This Popeye cartoon is unusual in that Bluto not only doesn't know Olive Oyl but insults her when he first sees her, calling her a "long-legged scarecrow!" In addition, he tells her to mind her own business. This Bluto is a mean guy, a guy who is mistreating the horse that is pulling he and an over-sized load of produce. The horse is ready to drop but Bluto won't even let the animal get a drink of water, taking a nearby tub of water and drinking it all himself and then constantly whipping the horse and punching him in the face! Wow, this sort of thing wouldn't be shown today, even in jest. This guy is worse than Michael Vick with dogs!

After insulting Olive, Popeye confronts the big lug when he himself gets whipped. Bluto then throws a big bunch of bananas and hits Olive in the head. Wow, this is really different from the norm. In a way, I kind of liked it as Olive could be a pain.

Animal lovers will really enjoy the "justice" at the end of this cartoon!

Note: This was not the voice I have ever heard doing Popeye. It sounded weird. I looked it up here and it's Floyd Buckley, who only voiced one Popeye cartoon - this one.

Popeye and Olive Oyl are feeding pigeons in the park when Bluto comes by with his overloaded vegetable cart. He whips his horse and doesn't let him have any water until Popeye and Olive Oyl fight him.

It's Floyd Buckley's first time voicing Popeye in the cartoons. He played Popeye on the radio, which is probably why he got the gig. He played the Sailor Man four more times in the 1940s when Jack Mercer was in the armed forces. The other regular voices are absent, probably over salary disputes.

Although the number of gags, big and small, seems to be down here, it's still clear that the Fleischers knew Popeye was their biggest star, and put the usual attention to detail into this "message" cartoon.

An absolute shocker of a short. My partner just said: "I'm sick to the stomach watching it." She doesn't want to continue (we've only seen half), and I have interrupted the playing to start this review.

There is a warning at the start of these Popeye shorts (Popeye the Sailor 1933-1938) about how attitudes have changed:

"The animated shorts you are about to see are a product of their times. They may depict some of the ethnic, sexist and racial prejudices that were common place in American society. These depictions were wrong then and are wrong today."

The writer of that note forgot to mention another prejudice: the prejudice that tolerated violence. Apart from the opening minute, the rest is sadistic and cruel. The only features of this cartoon that raised it above 1-star were the title, the "be kind to animals' attitude of Popeye and Olive, and the window it gives into the mindset of a typical 1930's audience: that it was okay to throw punches for no reason and be violently cruel to animals, and that those behaviours can be a source of humour.

Steven Pinker (The Better Angels of our Nature) has documented the fall in violence in society and this short is evidence of same. Brutality such as this, masquerading as humour, wouldn't be acceptable today.

I purchased the DVD and will be keeping it. I'm not suggesting it should be censored or kept from the public, but I certainly won't be showing it to friends in our home-theatre evenings, except as an example of the depravity of 1930's audiences (assuming audiences back then found this type of cartoon funny). I think they would have. After all, blood sports in the Colosseum were considered great entertainment, and bull-fights still operate in Spain.

Aside from my low rating, this cartoon is worth watching as a reminder of how far we have come, and the long way we still have to go regarding violence.

Dave Fleischer was responsible for many gems. Ones that were amusing and charming, though over-cuteness did come through in some efforts and the stories were always pretty thin, with appealing characters, outstanding music and visuals that were inventive and with innovative animation techniques.

'Be Kind to Aminals' is not quite classic Popeye the Sailor. It is still very well done and never less than very funny if not quite hilarious. Have always enjoyed many of the Popeye cartoons a good deal and like Popeye very much, Fleischer's efforts were always well animated and scored with lots of entertainment value and great chemistry between Popeye, Olive Oyl and Bluto. 'Be Kind to Aminals' has much of makes the Popeye series so appealing in its prime era and does nothing to waste the three main characters or make them less interesting.

The story is an interesting and beautifully paced one, never being dull, if formulaic (not uncommon with the Popeye cartoons). The humour and gags make it even more entertaining, 'Be Kind to Aminals' may not handle its subject subtly, getting slightly too brutal at times, and sure times have definitely changed, but it doesn't fall into too much distaste and manages to be entertaining and provoke some thought.

All three characters are great, though Olive Oyl's material is not quite as great as Popeye and Bluto's, though her and Popeye's roles are enjoyable and make them and their cause relatable, with a message that's important and timely. The three are spot on and their chemistry drives 'Be Kind to Aminals' and has so much energy. Popeye is always amusing and likeable enough but for me Bluto is here the funnier and more interesting character.

Furthermore, the animation is beautifully drawn and with enough visual detail to not make it cluttered or static and lively and smooth movement. The music is also outstanding, lots of merry energy and lush orchestration, adding a lot to the action and making the impact even better without being too cartoonish. Fleischer's direction is always accomplished and his style is all over it.

Voice acting is dynamic and of very good quality on the whole, Mae Questel is a good fit for Olive Oyl, the voice that most sticks in my mind for the character and who voiced her the best, but Gus Wickie is even better and gives Bluto so much life. The voice for Popeye does sound very odd though.

Overall, very well done if not for all tastebuds. 8/10 Bethany Cox