Balloon Land

Ub Iwerks, the man who helped create Mickey Mouse, was not a success as owner of his own studio, although his output was of a consistently high quality. This is one of his better cartoons from that period which provides a fine example of his lively imagination. The film opens with a deceptively light-hearted sequence in which we are treated to balloon versions of comic icons Laurel & Hardy and Chaplin and also see balloon children being born in Balloon Land. Things turn much darker, however, when two of the kids venture out into the forest, disregarding their elder's advise to stay away from the pin cushion man, a truly frightening creation.

The juxtaposition of gaily coloured, cheerfully drawn balloon characters being popped to death at the hands of the devilish pin cushion man is certainly incongruous, but adds an edge to a cartoon that could so easily have gone the way of Walt Disney's far more soppy Silly Symphonies. It's a shame Iwerks didn't succeed as an independent - you can't help feeling that his imagination was never really given free rein once he returned to the Disney Studios following the collapse of his own studio.

"Tickles me the way they rate me!"-- The Pincushion Man.

And how WOULD you rate the Pincushion Man? He's a man made of pins, and he lurks in the woods outside of Balloon Land. Now, he does not like the Balloon People. In fact, from birth the Balloon People are warned against this evil dweller. Of course, once in Balloon Land, the deep-voiced villain goes on an alarmingly cheerful rampage.

Dark, horrific, but very intriguing. This is well worth watching, but it may traumatize you! Just take heart, and realize that the Pincushion Man is not real and you are not a balloon. The voice work is very well done, as is the animation. The Pincushion Man is easily up there on a list of top cartoon villains.

While not one of my favourites, Ub Iwerks was responsible for a lot of interesting work. Especially when working with Walt Disney, his oldest friend and one of his best, and co-creating one of animation's most famous characters in Mickey Mouse. His career since opening his own studio had interest value but the quality was variable, often being successful in the animation and music but wanting in the story and variable in gags, lead characters and tone.

1933 to 1936 saw twenty five cartoons, mostly based on famous fairytales and familiar stories, as part of Iwerks's "ComiColor" series. The "ComiColor" series is very much worth watching and interesting, as is the case with many series some cartoons are better than others but there are no real animation nadirs. 1935's 'Balloon Land' is one of the very best cartoons of the series, only put 'Jack Frost' above it.

'Balloon Land' doesn't actually have much wrong with it. There is much more of a story than some of the other cartoons in the series and other Iwerks works, and feels much more than just a series of gags and events. It doesn't feel saccharine and has some substance. It is slight though and maybe a bit too simple.

However 'Balloon Land' has enough freshness to stop it from being stale. It avoids the over sentimental factor and is never dull. There are a lot of imaginative visuals and the transitions are smooth.

There are a few amusing moments that aren't too corny and never repetitive, it's very charming, is touching at times and there is a genuine likeability and cuteness without being over-sentimental. Plus the conflict is entertaining and frightening. The characters are nice enough in 'Balloon Land', the best being the deliciously wicked Pincushion Man who by default steals the cartoon. Billy Bletcher sinister vocal characterisation is a big part of why.

Furthermore, the animation is great. Meticulously detailed, fluid in drawing, vibrant in colour and often rich in imagination and visual wit. The music is cleverly and lushly orchestrated, is infectiously catchy and adds a lot to the cartoon.

Concluding, very well done. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Balloon Land (1935)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

The title refers to a land where everything from the houses to the people are made out of balloons. The people are trained to fear the Pincushion Man because he can obviously kill them. Two newly formed kids decide to test that theory by going into the woods where the Pincushion Man follows them home and starts to terrorize the community. This two-strip Technicolor short from U.B. Iwerks is actually an incredibly dark little picture considering that the entire subject deals with the possible death of these people and there's a sequence where the Pincushion Man goes on a murdering rampage through the city. This was certainly a highly entertaining film thanks in large part to the characters who were either lovable (the balloon people) or downright hated (Pincushion Man). Another very big positive was the wonderful colors used for everyone. I watched this with my son and he said they looked like ICEE colors and he was pretty much correct.

This is a great cartoon from my childhood, because I remember having it on VHS when I was a kid. But it was lost over the years, and I haven't been able to find it since, but it was my favorite Ub Iwerks cartoon: Mickey Mouse's father (my favorite Disney character). At first, I didn't know that Ub created Mickey-until now, that is. I also would like to point out the excellent voice characterization of Billy Bletcher as The Pin Cushion Man, who was also The Big Bad Wolf and Peg-Leg Pete from Disney.

I kind of love the concept of using babies as an alarm. You know, take their bottles away, and then... WAHHHHH!!!