Goonland

After years of this being the first thing I favorite on DailyMotion, I finally watched this Popeye cartoon. He's looking for his long-lost Pappy who he hadn't seen in about 40 years (probably not much older than that). His ship lands on Goonland which is inhabited by these tall gangly creatures with hair on their bottoms and arms. Popeye disguises himself as them to fool them. I'll stop there and just say this was quite funny with both Popeye's mutterings and some of the visual gags. A nice break from his usual outings with Olive Oyl and Bluto and the way it ends you may or not be able to predict. So on that note, I recommend Goonland.

I usually do not watch Popeye cartoons, mostly because 90% are variations on the same plot--Bluto tries to rape Olive and Popeye eats spinach and beats the snot out of the guy. However, "Goonland" was a nice departure from the formula--and gets points for weirdness.

Popeye is in search of his Pappy--who has been missing since he was a little boy. The trail leads to a very weird place called 'Goonland' and it's inhabited by these semi-humanoid mutes. I thought it was rather funny when Popeye pretended to be one of them to sneak past the guards and get to Pappy. I also really liked listening to Popeye's little aside comments--some of which were pretty funny. And, I liked that Pappy really was a bit of a jerk! All in all, a fun and imaginative film.

Many of Fleischer Studios' cartoons were good to classic. As said a few times already, the best of them had fun and charm and even if there some cartoons that had more interesting characters than others they were always outstandingly scored, very hard to dislike and extremely well made, some of the techniques used even were unique for back then.

This cartoon is not just one of the best late-Fleischer cartoons, of Popeye (and in general actually), but also one of my favourites of Popeye overall. It is always great to have a change of pace once in a while, with Popeye being the one regular character, and the conflict different to usual, and this is one of the finest examples of that. One where one doesn't miss Olive Oyl and Bluto too much. Changes of pace have happened many times with Popeye, both with Fleischer and Famous Studios, and many have been done remarkably well, just that this is a particularly well done example.

Popeye is as amusing and likeable as ever, Pappy is a fun character though his indifference initially takes some getting used to. The conflict provide great entertainment but also a freaky feel brought to life brilliantly. Popeye's mumbling and asides are relished by Jack Mercer, the longest serving voice actor for the character for good reason.

As ever, the music is lush and full of energy with no fault with how it fits with what is going on the gags and animation. The story is one of the least formulaic for a Popeye cartoon and is filled with energy and charm, as well as from beginning to end fun.

Best assets though are the animation and dialogue. The animation is excellent and makes for one of the best-looking Popeye cartoons, just love the meticulousness, fluidity, vibrancy and attention to detail. One can tell hearing the witty dialogue that the writers were having a great time writing the dialogue here, mumbles and asides at their funniest.

In summary, really great. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Pappy left when he saw Popeye as a baby. It's forty years later and Popeye is searching for him on the high seas. He comes upon Goon Island where monsters roam. Humans are not welcome. Popeye finds imprisoned Pappy playing chess with himself. As Popeye loses to a mass of monsters, he loses his spinach. Pappy is able to grab it and come to Popeye's rescue.

I love the design of the monsters. It's a good design that lasts. I wouldn't mind different types of monsters on the island, but there is only so much time in a short. This is really good even if Popeye doesn't have the best opinion of his Pappy.

Some claim that as the 1930s and '40s wore on, the Popeye shorts of the Fleischers lost their touch. I would say that, in light of "Goonland" (1938), this is NOT true. The Fleischer brothers very brilliantly bring the Goons, freakish creatures from E.C. Segar's comic strip, "Thimble Theatre," to life, as they encounter the ever-heroic Popeye on a quest to find his long-lost Pappy (also portrayed faithful to the original character). The music, voice acting, imagery and special effects all contribute to an adventurous, fun, and enduring Popeye cartoon. Very highly recommended! Popeye fans will also be delighted to know that "Goonland" (1938) is available on the DVD collection, "Popeye the Sailor, Volume 2: 1938-1940," which would make an excellent Christmas gift for any Popeye or nostalgic cartoon lover.