Somewhere in Dreamland

Somewhere in Dreamland is very typical of the style of Dave Fleischer--two angelic kewpie-like children live in terrible poverty but dream of a world of limitless candy and toys. In spite of the overly cute premise and the fact that these children are interchangeable with the children in every other Fleischer cartoon, Somewhere in Dreamland is an adorable film, which excellent animation, especially in the dream sequence. For such an early cartoon, the level of detail is quite impressive--when the kids go to bed, both their pajamas and their blankets are shabby and ridden with holes. It's a shame that cartoons like this are no longer very popular--it's hard for kids today to relate to a cartoon where every body behaves incredibly saintly, and the only villain they have to face is the ever-looming Depression. But Somewhere in Dreamland is a lovely gem that remains a tribute to the inspiring optimism of the 1930's.

Somewhere in Dreamland (1936)

*** (out of 4)

Animated short from Dave Fleischer has two poor children crossing in front of a bakery where they see all sorts of great food. They then have to walk home where their mother (voice of Mae Questel) has just hard bread for them to eat. That night they go to bed hungry but dream about a place where there's all sorts of food. I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed this film as at first I wasn't sure much was going to happen. I thought the storytelling was extremely good and I liked all the little points that Fleischer is able to get across without being preachy or having it in your face. I also thought the title song was quite catchy and done in a very good way. As you'd expect, the animated is quite good from start to finish and I really liked the Dreamland sequence because, well, it really did seem like a real dream. I won't reveal the twist at the end but it's quite charming and makes it easy to see why this short has turned up on many Holiday collections.

These are really poor children with a mother who is at her wit's end to feed them. They are out in the cold collecting wood for a fire in their little hovel. They live for their dreams which take them out of this for a few hours. But don't underestimate the love of strangers. This is depression era and many found themselves in this type of poverty. Nice color animation.

The story is of a poor woman with two hungry children who pass by a bakery one day to see all the sweets in the window. They drool over the wonderful food. The baker sees them and goes in to get the poor kids a treat but the children are gone when he comes back - luckily the two men know where the kids live. Meanwhile, the kids arrive home where all their mother has is stale, hard bread to feed them. They eat then off to bed where the two kids dream of a wonderland of baked goods, candy, ice cream, popcorn, a carousel and other sweet delights. The next day the children awake a bit depressed but enter into the kitchen where the baker and his friends have brought a feast for the entire poor family.

A colourful and beautiful little heartwarming tale of a better tomorrow.

9/10.

A lovely Dave Fleischer short animation, seductive for drawings, details, the spoon of nostalgia and the social message, for a dream easy to be assumed by poor people and about generosity.

Sure, an idylic story , its dosis of unrealism being the basic sin, at first sight. But significant, in this case , is the social context, the memories about Great Depression, in its many senses being not so far.

Off course, the children are exactly the same from many films by Mr. Fleischer, reminding, too much, the Renaiscence little angels.

But the care for details defining the trip in Dreamland, the imaginative solutions and the morning after are just beautiful and their are the most significant aspects in this case.

In short, just lovely..