Wild Elephinks

Aside from some INSANE geography and biology, this is a very good and enjoyable cartoon. And, fortunately, it does NOT feature Bluto--making this sixth Popeye cartoon a nice change of pace.

Popeye and Olive are on a raft out to sea. Soon they spot land and come ashore. You can only assume it's at an abandoned zoo or that the filmmakers were drunk, as EVERY sort of animal arrives--even though they are often from different continents! Popeye battles moose, elephant, tiger, bear, gorilla and MANY other species! Perhaps folks weren't that astute back in the day, but I assume many of them must have known that they come from three different parts of the world. Regardless, a gorilla kidnaps sexy Olive (??) and Popeye beats the stuffing out of him. In reaction, the rest of the animals attack Popeye and he manages to do what he usually does! A bit predictable but an otherwise very entertaining and well animated cartoon.

Popeye and Olive Oyl are on a wooden raft with Olive's drawers as the sail. They finally land on a tropical deserted island. Olive gets kidnapped by a gorilla while Popeye punches an elephant. He battles a moose. Popeye chases the gorilla and saves Olive. He fights off various animals. The elephant comes back for a second round.

Animal lovers beware. Popeye is getting red paint splashed on him. He's punching the fur coats off the animals. It doesn't get more irksome for the PETA crowd. This is definitely one for the old times and not for the new era. That happens a lot in these oldie cartoons.

Wild Elephinks (1933)

**** (out of 4)

Popeye and Olive Oyl land in the jungle and must fight off various animals including a wild elephant and a gorilla. I'm really shocked to see how much I'm enjoying these early Paramount cartoons but so far they've all been a lot of fun with this one here being one of the best. There's some great action, nice animation and a lot of funny lines including a great exchange of words between Popeye and the King of the Jungle. It seems the gorilla kidnapping Olive subplot is a homage to King Kong.

Basically, Popeye and Olive find their way to a jungle where animals from every continent attack them. A gorilla kidnaps Olive for some reason. From then on it's just a matter of time before all these creatures will meet Popeye's wrath.

Dave Fleischer was responsible for many gems. Ones that were amusing and charming, though over-cuteness did come through in some efforts and the stories were always pretty thin, with appealing characters, outstanding music and visuals that were inventive and with innovative animation techniques.

'Wild Elephinks' is one of the best Popeye cartoons to me. It is extremely well done and never less than very funny, its best parts being hilarious. Have always enjoyed many of the Popeye cartoons a good deal and like Popeye very much, Fleischer's efforts were always well animated and scored with lots of entertainment value and great chemistry between the characters. 'Wild Elephinks' has everything that makes the Popeye series so appealing in its prime era and sees the characters on top form, didn't mind the absence of Bluto at all and feel that with the premise it was the right decision to not have him.

The story is an interesting and beautifully paced one, never being dull, if formulaic (not uncommon with the Popeye cartoons). The humour and gags make it even more entertaining, 'Wild Elephinks' is non-stop fast-paced wildness, boy is 'Wild Elephinks' wild, and laughter, avoiding the trap of repetition.

All the characters are great, Olive Oyl is not underused and she charms and amuses. Those two are spot on and their chemistry drives 'Wild Elephinks' and has so much energy. Popeye is always amusing and likeable and the animals are distinct in personality and have such entertaining chemistry with the two leads, stealing the show even.

Furthermore, the animation is beautifully drawn and with enough visual detail to not make it cluttered or static and lively and smooth movement. The music is also outstanding, lots of merry energy and lush orchestration, adding a lot to the action and making the impact even better without being too cartoonish. Fleischer's direction is always accomplished and his style is all over it.

Voice acting is dynamic and of very good quality, Mae Questel is a good fit for Olive Oyl, the voice that most sticks in my mind for the character and who voiced her the best, but William Costello adds a lot of character as Popeye.

Concluding, splendid. 9/10 Bethany Cox