Fleischer Classics Featuring Gulliver's Travels Plus Eight Fantastic Cartoons From the Golden Age of Animation Blu-ray / DVD Combo [Blu-ray]

I caught this wonderful old film countless times on a local UHF station as a young boy and had forgotten how much I loved it. I was soooo happy to discover that it had received a legitimate home video release, PLUS it has been remastered AND it'd in High-Def Blu-ray to boot! Remarkable!!! I hadn't seen the film in probably 20 years, but memories of the scenes and catchy music all came rushing back. It was like revisiting an old childhood friend. Gulliver himself is a wonder to behold and the Lilliputians are a fun and lovable bunch. Sadly, many (most?) younger folks seem to have never even heard of this film! It truly deserves better recognition. While the animation is occasionally rough in a few spots, for the most part it is breathtakingly beautiful. Tracing painted cells over live-action footage like Disney did for many of their classic animated films gives "Gulliver" that same unique and beautiful look as many of Walt's best works.The Fleischer Studios could have been a legitimate contender for Disney's crown if only they hadn't gotten too big for their boots. They simply tried too much too soon, before establishing any sort of box office track record. They did more, so much more than this one film, to be sure, but their failure to be the "other" Disney/mainstream animated movie studio, (much the same as the decades later ill-fated Don Bluth Studios), cemented Fleischer's legacy in mainstream minds as the guys who made the 17 Superman animated short films and the B&W Popeye cartoons, and that's a damn shame. Luckily, Thunderbean has included 8 other shorts (including one of their excellent Popeye cartoons) on this disc, which is a nice touch. It will give those unfamiliar with Fleischer Studios excellent examples of just how talented they were and hopefully help underscore the loss that came when they finally closed their doors.The only real downside of "Gulliver's Travels" (which I honestly never noticed until watching it again, as an adult), is how underdeveloped the characters are. There is essentially ZERO background story, character growth or arcs for any of the characters. Gulliver gets one scene where he sits by the seashore and dreams of someday returning home. That's pretty much it. Folks are introduced, the plot rushes along and before you know it, it's over. I never realized as a youngster how one-dimensional the characters were. I have the Kerwin Matthews "3 Worlds of Gulliver" film which is just OK, as well as the excellent 1995 "Gulliver's Travels" TV movie adaption. Oh my. If only the Fleischer Brothers had tackled the entire Gulliver novel the way that the Ted Danson mini-series did. What an amazing film THAT would have made. It would have trumped Disney for sure. But alas, it wasn't meant to be.I am not thrashing Gulliver's Travels. Honest! This film still retains the power to enchant, especially the young (and young at heart). It's an important piece of animation history and a wonderful little film in it's own right. Just don't go in with any preconceived notions if you've never seen it before. The animation IS gorgeous, even more so now thanks to Thunderbean's careful restorative work. Kudos to Steve Stanchfield and his dedicated crew for undertaking such a project. Thunderbean Animation is a small outfit, so it was truly a labor of love. The Blu-ray's liner notes really help fill out the history of the studio and the nuts & bolts behind the feature film. The Blu-ray IS a tad on the pricey side, but the superior quality of this restored edition blows away EVERY other version of this film you're likely to see offered in those $1 DVD bargain bins. Those cheap, washed out, copy of a copy of a copy discs are a travesty! If you love classic animation, THIS is the edition of "Gulliver's Travels" that belongs on your shelf!!! 4 stars for the feature film (with it's beautifully restored picture & soundtrack) plus another star for including 8 more animated Fleischer Studio shorts as a bonus.

The Max Fleischer 1939 animated feature, GULLIVER'S TRAVELS, has been denied proper appraisal for decades. This was largely because it fell into public domain and prints of inferior quality flooded the home video market. Happily, this is no longer the case with this gorgeously restored Blu-ray/DVD Combo Edition from Thunderbean Animation.GULLIVER'S TRAVELS was the second full-color animated feature - Walt Disney's 1937 SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS was the first - and it became one of the top ten most successful films of 1940. Utilizing the rotoscoping process, the animation of Gulliver is smooth and delicately nuanced, and its realism blends well with the more whimsical gesturing of the Lilliputians. The marvelous lighting effects add mood to the scenes, especially when Gulliver is discovered washed ashore. The scene of the tiny townfolk banding together to harness the unconscious giant is a tour de force of organic drawing and technical expertise seldom matched in animated films.Directed by Dave Fleischer, GULLIVER'S TRAVELS is a wonderfully engaging adaptation of the famous Jonathan Swift satirical tale, and features a beautiful music score by Victor Young with songs by Ralph Rainger and Leo Robin.The sources used for this new transfer included the finest 35mm and 16mm elements, resulting in the best possible version we can ever expect to see. The original mono audio track contains some glitches which betray its age, however it's nothing that detracts from enjoying the film.Along with GULLIVER, this edition contains eight vintage Fleischer cartoons and a generous amount of bonus material including the complete Decca record album, a pencil test, original production art, publicity material, and the original trailer, just to list a few.Thunderbean is to be applauded for finally making this timeless classic available in such beautiful condition, and I give it my highest recommendation.

This is a presentation of the best archival footage of this classic film available. While the image still has some visual "noise" as in visible lines and speckles; the overall presentation is a clear and colorful high definition package that is sure to please animation buffs and film musical fanatics. This movie has been in the public domain for years and has regrettably been marketed (as all Fleischer cartoons have been) with little concern for quality. The cheap marketing ploy of so many companies trying to make a fast buck on all the Fleischer animated classics is regrettable, annoying and disgraceful. This package is, however, a clear representation of a company that loves it's own product. Thunderbean has located and transferred the best possible print around and has given it the "Blue-Ray" treatment that it has sorely needed for years!!! Not only has Thunderbean given this classic lots of loving attention, but it has also provided extras that are amazing. The audio extra that lets us hear the original Victor Young Orchestra recordings of the score is a jewel in itself. This Original 78 rpm album has never been in print and lets us hear what an album to film music sounded like before soundtracks were common place. Disney was the only exception to this. I also enjoyed the variety of animated shorts available on this Blue-Ray. In short...if you like animation...if your a film buff...if you love musicals....BUY THIS!!!!