A Praça Encantada

This cartoon deserves more than 10 stars, but 10 is the highest this website allows. I had seen the cartoon on YouTube, and discovered that it was part of the 600 Giant Cartoon DVD collection I had purchased some time ago. No matter how many times you watch this cartoon, it will still bring a tear to your eye. It does to me just thinking about it. This cartoon is in a class by itself, and I believe everyone should see it. This cartoon ends with one of the best lines I've ever heard in any movie, cartoon short, or TV show: "There's some that sees with the eyes in their head; and there's some that sees with the eyes in their heart. And that's the Lord's own truth." I would love to have seen this done as live-action, although I think it would have been too powerful. It's powerful enough as a cartoon.

Some of Fleischer's lesser-known works are equally heartfelt. Like someone else had said, the Fleischers were better known for their character-driven cartoons, like Betty Boop, Little Lulu, and Popeye, all of whom had funny and wacky adventures, all good for a laugh or two. The lesser-known cartoons are the ones that tend to stick with you for a long time, and have a more heartfelt message to them. They're lesser-known only for the titles. If you go to any forum or question/answer site, you will find many asking "what was that cartoon with the blind girl and the doll" or "what was that cartoon with the brother and sister who were poor and dreamed of eating ice cream and popcorn", with a few people being able to provide the correct answer.

This was my first look ever at a "Raggedy Ann" animated short, so I had no idea what to expect. Being part of a package of old cartoons put on DVD, I expected some humor. However, this story - and maybe her others (I'll find out) - are not meant for comedy. This is simply an inspirational little movie, a really nice story with nice people and a nice message. It also has some dazzling artwork, although the copy I saw is in desperate need of some "restoration."

In a nutshell, this introduces a rag doll, the famous "Raggedy Ann," to a blind little girl named "Billie." Through the doll, the girl learns to use her imagination and "see" things, for the first time.

It is a very touching sentimental story. At first I thought this was strictly for little girls, but not so: the message and the way it's presented is pretty profound for people of any age and gender.

As far as the Raggedy Ann cartoons go, The Enchanted Square has to be somewhere towards the top. As a child it was enchanting and had a lot of emotional staying power, and it still holds up today as very magical and touching.

Where The Enchanted Square really appeals is in the animation, the music and the way the story is told. The drawing in the animation is very smooth and elegant, and with no signs of roughness or jerky movements. The backgrounds are imaginative in look, are incredibly detailed with every one looking like hours went into making just that one. The colours and shades are well and truly lavish, with the darker colours giving off real atmosphere and the livelier colours being really sumptuous.

Famous Studios regular composer Winston Sharples provides the music score here. Not only does it compliment the whimsy and poignancy of the story and visuals brilliantly, but it's just a wonderful score on its own as well. Rhythmically it has so much character, and once again Sharples shows the remarkable knack of not just matching what's going on screen but actually adding even more to it. The orchestration is lush-sounding and very rich in texture and tone colour, the lusher moments not being too syrupy at all. Sharples' scores often are one of the pleasures of the cartoons they feature in, and often were the best thing about the Popeye and in particular Herman and Katnip cartoons, so the music in The Enchanted Square doesn't disappoint in any way.

The story is just beautifully done and told here. The Enchanted Square could easily have had a story caked in over-sentimentality and corniness, but neither is the case here. Sure the story is sentimental, but never overly so. The emotion here is actually incredibly touching and often tear-jerking, and the whole story is told in a deeply heart-warming way. There is also just the right amount of whimsical charm without being coy or cloying and enchanting surrealism without being too weird or tonally unsettling. The characters are sweet and engaging, with Raggedy Ann being a quite endearing title character, while everything here is written with genuine warmth and charm.

In summary, touching and enchanting. 10/10 Bethany Cox

This is a Raggedy Ann film where she ends up in the arms of a pretty little blind girl. They go to a place called Enchanted Square where there are so many things that she can sense without her eyes. This could be maudlin, but it works very well and has a soft landing. Nice animation for this period.

Here is another great cartoon from my childhood, because I remember having this cartoon on a VHS tape as a kid a long time ago. But alas, it's been lost over the years, and I couldn't find it ever since. Of course, thank God for YouTube. On YouTube, I found a really exquisite high-quality version of this cartoon, and I was impressed that a cartoon from Paramount's Famous Studio could be, well, exquisite, even from them; sorry to repeat "exquisite."

The story is about Raggedy Ann, who was mysteriously thrown in the trash and found by a kind police officer. The officer gives the rag doll to a blind girl named Billie. Raggedy Ann teaches the child about seeing the world through the power of imagination. That is all I have to say about this cartoon, folks. You know, in 1944, Famous Studios did a Raggedy Ann cartoon called "Suddenly, It's Spring," where Ann went up to the heavens to make the sun shine to make the sick little girl who owns her well. Of course, I love this cartoon even more.

As I always point out in my reviews, I don't have a favorite scene because I love this cartoon from beginning to end. And also, I like to point out a message the cartoon has that, to me, is never too cliche.