Out of the Inkwell

Whatever we think of the Boopster, she is called into being by a black man who has all the negative stereotypes that white producers can come up with. He is lazy and unproductive. He sleeps on the job and has no motivation. When he learns a bit about hypnotism, he is suddenly doing embarrassingly awkward things with Betty his subject. Once she gets control, she puts him in his place!

The title of this film is a reference to a series of cartoons from the 1920s and very early 30s where Fleischer Brothers cartoon characters (such as KoKo) are combined with live action. And, the characters seem to pop right out of the inkwell--and pop back again when the cartoon is finished.

This incredibly strange cartoon begins with a black janitor goofing off on the job--reading about hypnosis instead of working. Using these new powers, he creates Betty from the inkwell and then torments her. However, Betty is sick of it and decides to give it back to him...and then some.

This short is a nice combination of live action, stop-motion and traditional animation. Plus, it's very creative. But, the black man is less than a man--more like a caricature. In many ways, this guy is like Stepin Fetchit or Willie Best--lazy, stupid and to be laughed at. This is awfully sad and offensive. Interestingly, though, in many other ways, the Fleischers were VERY progressive in other cartoons--often featuring famous black musical acts of the day (such as Cab Calloway) when others wouldn't. An odd and interesting curio.

A good deal of the pre-Production Code Betty Boop cartoons are daring and creative, with content that makes one amazed at what's gotten away with. While the later Betty Boop cartoons made after the Code was enforced are still watchable and exceptionally well-made, they are so toned down that they feel bland.

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.

Good news is that she has not lost her charm, despite being significantly toned down, she is still cute and her comic timing is good.

The animation, as always, is extremely good, being beautifully drawn, crisply shaded and meticulous in detail. The music is infectious, lush and dynamic. There are some amusing moments, as well as some creative ones and the mix of live action (which also looks good) and animation works well. The voice work is solid.

However, there is a vast preference for the Betty Boop cartoons that have a more surreal edge to the visuals and sharper and more risqué material. The story is also slight and the janitor character as well as being a less than tasteful caricature is not an amusing or particularly interesting foil for Betty.

In summary, watchable curiosity but there's better Betty Boop cartoons around (as well as worse). 6/10 Bethany Cox