Le petit mécano

1936 was a very solid year, well actually quite a bit more than that, for Fleischer Studios and one of their most consistent. Not perfect mind, with for example a post-code and toned down Betty Boop when her later cartoons became comparitively bland and being nowhere near as daring. It also however boasted some of the best cartoons in the Popeye series, in one of the series' best periods and most consistent years quality-wise.

'Play Safe' is one of the best non-Popeye cartoons from this period, only saying that just in case anybody is wondering because 1936 was a very prolific year for that series. It also is one of the best of the very uneven "Color Classics" series, made before the studio declined badly from around 1940 with most of the "Stone Age" and "Animated Antics" cartoons and then the worst of the Gabby series. It is a great cartoon and doesn't play it safe.

Story-wise, 'Play Safe' is unoriginal but there is very, very little that is wrong with it.

There is so good that is good and even great, its best elements fantastic. Two elements stand out and they are a consistently good asset, even in the mediocre at best cartoons. Can't decide which is even better between the music and animation, with them being equally fantastic. The music is not once discordant or at odds with the action, which as a musician myself is a fear of mine. Instead it adds a lot to it, with the right amount of lushness, whimsy and eeriness matching beautifully the charming, adventurous and suspenseful elements present throughout 'Play Safe', plus it actually sounds appealing and beautifully orchestrated. Loved the three dimensional look of the animation and its best moments are indeed dazzling in a way that is quite imaginative. Of the equally superbly done colours, backgrounds and drawing (all detailed and smooth) the vibrant and atmospheric colours stand out in particular. The dream sequence is just incredible, have not seen a dream sequence this well animated, clever or inventive.

Despite the lack of originality, that doesn't stop the story from never being dull. It is chockfull of charm, while the lesson is never preachy (an oft-danger fallen into a lot), sentimentality and saccharine over-cutesiness is avoided, the suspense is not once too dark or too scary and has genuine tension timed well and the characters are ones in a "Color Classics" cartoons that are actually interesting and likeable, my favourite being the dog. 'Play Safe' is not a comedy-laden cartoon or rich in gags, this is a case of it not mattering because it was not about that.

Altogether, great. 9/10

A real sweet little cartoon. We see a young boy playing in his yard with toy trains. He LOVES them and dreams of riding one. Sleeping nearby is an adorable big, old dog watching over him. A real train stops on tracks outside the boys backyard. He tries to get out and see it but the dog stops him. He manages to tie the dog and get out. He starts examining the train and, while onboard, the train starts. He falls off and lands on the rail. He then proceeds to have an incredible dream sequence chockful of animation, models and some incredible 3-D images. Meanwhile the dog is frantically trying to get loose and wake the boy up...because another train is coming. It all ends happily though. A thoroughly wonderful cartoon for children and adults. It cautions children to play...but play safe. Well worth seeing.

Just watched this restored Max Fleischer Color Classic with French credits on the DVD collection "Saved from the Flames". It concerns a boy who plays with toy trains who tries to get on a real one but is kept from doing that by a St. Bernard that watches him. Of course, that doesn't last for long! I'll stop there and just say if you're familiar with these Fleischer cartoons then you probably won't be surprised by a sequence that has real train models in the background during a dream sequence. And that there are some faces on inanimate objects that talk. All in all, this was quite an entertaining cartoon that should provide quite a lesson for children who don't always follow instructions. Oh, and the 3-strip Technicolor process is so awesome! So on that note, I highly recommend Play Safe.

Play Safe is absolutely fantastic. The title may make the direction this cartoon is going in pretty obvious, but the anticipation makes this silly little cartoon quite enjoyable. A young boy obsessed with trains sneaks out to play with the real trains that run just a few feet from the fence around his house. When he falls off of one and is knocked unconscious, he has a dream sequence that's, as is typical is a Fleischer cartoon, gorgeously animated in pseudo-3D. Overall, Play Safe is sweet and fun, and I highly recommend it.

An early film from the Fleischer studios using the Technicolor three-strip process which they had been previously restricted from using because of an exclusive deal between Disney and Technicolor that had expired a few months before, this is a great looking cartoon which manages to build to quite a suspenseful climax.

The story involves a cute little kid who's wild about trains and who keeps trying to run out of the garden when one flies past but is usually stopped from doing so by a lovable old dog. One day the kid gets out and winds up unconscious on the tracks with a locomotive on its way.

This one is worth watching for a short dream sequence alone which makes use of innovative 3D techniques to fashion memorable images - especially combined with a tracking shot. Even without the technical innovations the film is inventive and enjoyable and not to be missed if you get the chance to see it.