Dancing on the Moon

I realize that my summary is VERY judgmental, but most of the cartoons of the 30s were, compared to those of the 40s and 50s, really crappy. Most tended to have lots of singing and dancing as well as cutesy characters. Edgy, they were not! "Dancing on the Moon" is just such a cartoon--full of cutesy characters and jam-packed with LOTS of singing from start to finish. Folks of the 30s might have enjoyed this, but you'd be hard-pressed today to find any kids who would sit still for this boring stuff! And, if you showed it to prisoners, Amnesty International would raise a fuss!

The cartoon begins with a god-awful song ("Dancing on the Moon") and it continues throughout the film. There isn't a lot of plot--just lots of animal couples taking a Buck Rogers-style ship to the moon where they cavort about and smooch. That is, all but a sad cat whose girlfriend is left behind. That's all there is to it--cutesy animals singing and singing and singing. Yuck. The only reason I even gave this one a 3 is because the Cinecolor (another form of Two-Color Technicolor) was innovative and interesting and, as usual, the Fleischer studio did nice quality animation--even if it did make most things look orangy and greenish and the plot was pure torture.

Not one of Fleischer's masterpieces, but it's one of his most imaginative and towards the top end of his output. There's no fault to be had with the animation, which with the spectacular lunar landscapes and the lavish colours are a treat for the eyes and perhaps the most notable asset with Dancing on the Moon. It's also technically innovative, with the animated characters amidst the live backgrounds, it's evident that the model work for the landscapes was extensive and the rocketship is very cool indeed.

The music is very 30s, which certainly was not a problem because I adore 30s music. The score is whimsical and energetic while the title song is catchy(every time when viewing Dancing on the Moon, the song is in my head for days after) and plain irresistible. The choreography is highly imaginative and agreed somewhat reminiscent of Busby Berkeley but smaller in scale. Dancing on the Moon is never laugh-out-loud hilarious, but the gags are still entertaining and the visuals in the gags are quite witty. The story is cute, if less sentimental than a lot of other Fleischer cartoons, and charming and the animal characters have endearing personalities, always did feel a little sorry for the feline groom. The voice acting is good. In fact, Dancing on the Moon's only caveat(personal opinion, but it is also an opinion that is shared by others) is the ending, it is rather cruel and doesn't fit really with the tone of the rest of the cartoon.

All in all, not one of the best Fleischer efforts but highly imaginative(especially the visuals) and it is certainly one trip to the moon worth taking. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Just watched this Max Fleischer Color Classics cartoon on the Classic Cartoons blog. Like many of Fleischer's Technicolor cartoons of this era, this one has backgrounds of models done on a tabletop that achieves that 3-D effect of an animated character appearing in live-action. Here, those backgrounds are of moon craters. Various newlywed animal couples are singing the title song as well as, well, dancing on the moon (obviously, this was way before the historic moon landing of 1969 since everyone here is breathing healthy in space). Actually, a feline groom is missing his bride since she narrowly missed her ride. That's all I'll say except that while the musical number is pretty entertaining and there are some amusing gags, the final punchline isn't funny and in fact may be a bit too cruel for the young 'uns. If you're a Fleischer completist, however, I do recommend Dancing on the Moon for one look.

It's the story of dancing and singing animals who are making their honeymoon... on the moon.

There's a problem. The cat's wife miss the ship, and stay alone on earth.

It's quite cute but a little bit cruel in the end.

This cartoon is part of the Color Classics series that Fleischer Studios did when they decided to try and out-Disney Disney, with varied degrees of success. This one owes as much to the lush musicals of the early 1930s as it does to any animated studios and has the typically grand visual effects that were one of the Fleischers best assets. Here, even when trying to be sweet and sugary, there's a little dart or two just to keep things from getting too saccharine. Good effort and one of the better Color Classics. I just wish they'd been more inclined to stick to their own strengths-the odd and wonderfully idiosyncratic shorts they did so well. In print on the Somewhere In Dreamland DVD set. Well worth watching. Recommended.