John Henry and the Inky-Poo

A beautifully done animation whose message of "persistence" would be lost if done in todays' often sarcastic style of story-telling. Truly artfull clay-mation that still looks great, compared even to todays computer generated offerings.

The GREAT George pal reached his zenith with this stunning post-war short-subject Puppetoon based on the popular negro spiritual/fable. Although the african-american characters are so broadly drawn they could incite scorn, the sheer brilliance and fidelity of the animators to this moody tall-tale allow its acceptance. The intricacy of Pal's detail was never more evident, as he fills the screen with explosive color and propels this story of a 62 inch tall infant who grows to symbolize the limitations of man in an expanding industrial world and is allowed to be heroic in his martyrdom, sadly foreshadowing some of the leaders of the civil rights movement two short decades after this was released. One of the most terrifying shots in film history comes as John Henry's mother pushes away the crowd, screaming, and announces to the world that her son is dead, a victim of the Inky-Poo. Should be required viewing for all the worlds children and its message may be more apropos today than in 1946. A total gem.

I'm a huge fan of Pal's Puppetoons - they remain some of the most outstanding examples of animated films ever made. But this later work appears to have been done mainly to make amends for Pal's series of "Jasper" films, which feature such strong racial stereotypes it is impossible to show them on television today.

"John Henry," while presenting African-Americans in a more favorable light, displays little of the inventiveness and style of Pal's earlier works. Perhaps concerns about being offensive limited his artistic choices. Whatever the reason, this is not one of his better works. Check out his earlier films, made in Holland and England, for extraordinary flashes of brilliance.

George Pal created some incredible animation nd this is one of his best works. Nominated for an Academy Award, this works across the board. The choice of Rex Ingram as the voice was perfect, the script is marvelous and the detail in the puppets is meticulous, as always. Pal's creations are so perfect that they seem real! I'm glad that this is available on DVD. It's also on the old VHS version of The Puppetoon Movie, which is out-of-print but can be found used. Well worh the effort to see. Most highly Recommended

This is a variation on the John Henry story with action figures, with really fine definition. It is modernized but gets a new take on the figure. It doesn't deal with the depressing aspects of the folk tale but it works pretty well.