Dancing on the Moon

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

Various animal couples board a rocket ship to go to the moon on their honeymoons. It's one dollar per couple. The male cat gets on at the last second but the female cat gets left behind. The male cat gets very lonely as the other couples enjoy their trip. They return to storks bringing their babies except the cats.

It's a Dave Fleischer cartoon in color. It's a mix of animation and some real backgrounds with some shots of the miniature rocket. The mix is fine but it may work better as fully animated. The cat has to be the main character but he's not that compelling. He's crying in most of this. I do like the look of the rocket.

I saw this cartoon before work many years ago on a classic movie channel. The music and lyrics stayed in my head for years as I desperately searched for it. I didn't know what it was or who Max Fleischer was. I now own his whole collection. For early cartoon buffs, this is a delight! What an artist Fleischer was! I would recommend the entire collection to anyone who enjoys this cartoon. So much better than the technologically advanced but flat, boring cartoons of today! These do indeed take you to "Dreamland." On a warm night, when the moon is full, you can still see the little rocket taking off, for a night of fun and frolic way up there. Go ahead... buy your ticket.

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.

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.