Swing You Sinners!

THE STORY & GENRE -- Bimbo tries to rob a hen-house, then gets his comeuppance from ghosts & demons. Fleischer Studios.

THE VERDICT -- Wow, this is weird! I LOVE IT.

FREE ONLINE -- Two versions available. The original Paramount and the UM&M re-release. Online, the UM&M is clearer and there doesn't seem to be any content difference other than the title cards.

Very innovative animated film from Dave Fleischer, which, while not as extraordinary is Bimbo's Initiation from the following year, also puts the character in spooky situations and explores animation surrealism in a radical way Disney, Looney Tunes, Woody Woopecer, and so forth would do only later. The nice film is divided in two quite different parts, both with the aforementioned elements of surrealism. In the former, which comprises just a third of it, Bimbo has problems with a chicken (which eventually becomes clear that he wanted to steal) and law and order. The second and larger part is a creepy musical where Bimbo flees from death, which is represented by multiple creatures, ghosts, monsters, and animated objects, in an accelerated sequence of run and horror.

In one of the Fleischer Brothers more famous Talkartoons was its September 1930 "Swing You Sinners!" Designed by a couple of newly-hired animators, Ted Sears and Willard Bowsky, the cartoon introduced a surreal quality to cartoons never seen on the screen before. Its final product was a testament to the Fleischers' more liberal outlook when they green-lit this wildly abstract cartoon. The short film looks at death and the moral consequences its lovable pup, Bimbo, has to pay for attempting illegal acts. The dog tries to steal a chicken, only be to chased by a cop into a cemetery. There, the ghosts of the dead rise up to dole out punishment to Bimbo. Motion Picture News wrote, "The clever cartoon pen of Max Fleischer again demonstrates itself in this Talkartoon. An off-stage chorus sings the lyrics to the rhythm of the action and the result is usually diverting."

The Fleischer Studio was undergoing a staff changeover at the time, where the more conservative animators were leaving for its competitors while younger, more daring animators were taking their place. The studio, which later introduced Popeye the Sailor Man to the public, became one of the leading cartoon creators for theaters. The publication 'Cracked' in 2012 listed "Swing You Sinners" as the top "Five Old Children's Cartoons Way Darker Than Most Horror Movies."

A masterpiece of animation, SWING YOU SINNERS! Teems with Depression era cynicism and dark, surrealist humor. That makes it both a great time capsule of 1930s popular culture and a wonderful bit of jazzy nightmare fuel. It's a great example of why I love cartoons from the early 1930s so much-- they not only embraced the talkie revolution, but married sound to expressive, creative visuals unlike the more static live-action productions of the same period.

If you're a fan of animation, this is a must watch. The animation itself is perfect and there's so much going on with such cool designs on par with other works by Fleischer's.

The sound design is perfect with an awesome song to boot.

There isn't much story at all, but it flow seamlessly and it really doesn't need any at all.