The Puppetoon Movie
Encyclopedia
The Puppetoon Movie, released in June 1987, is an animated film that pays tribute to the Oscar-winning Puppetoons
of George Pal
. Written, produced, and directed by Arnold Leibovit
and Arnold Leibovit Entertainment, The Puppetoon Movie is composed of animated sequences featuring George Pal's Academy Award winning Puppetoons
Tubby the Tuba
, Tulips Shall Grow, John Henry and the Inky Poo, all of which were also Oscar nominated. Pal's body of work known as Puppetoons received an Academy Award in 1943. A new tribute animation sequence features Gumby
, Pokey, and Arnie the Dinosaur.
It is important to note that in 1943, at the 16th Annual Academy Awards, George Pal received a Special Oscar "for the development of novel methods and techniques in the production of short subjects known as Puppetoons."
The original release of The Puppetoons Movie contains 11 Puppetoons that Pal produced in the 1930s and 1940s. The Expanded DVD version has 12 additional Puppetoons.
The Puppetoon Movie first appeared at the American Film Institute Film Festival. Later it was released by Expanded Entertainment. Since then, it has appeared on Showtime, and in various prestigious film festivals in London, Annecy (France), Sitges (Spain), Tokyo, and Melbourne.
Voices for the main characters are performed by Dick Beals, Art Clokey, Paul Frees, Victor Jory, and Dal McKennon.
The following shorts are featured as part of the movie. The first four listed (in pairs of two) are not presented in their entirety, and are actually presented as one lengthy sequence. (The opening title and credits for "The Little Broadcast" are shown, but the titles and credits for the other three are not)
After all the shorts, Gumby and the others meet other characters who George Pal animated, such as the Pillsbury Doughboy
and the Alka-Seltzer
mascot Speedy. Gumby then thanks George Pal for making all this possible, and everybody cheers. The screen pans out and shows a creature in silhouette with red eyes that looks similar to a gremlin
, who looks at the audience, says "George Pal!", then climbs up a support beam while laughing like a maniac. Afterwards, the credits start to roll.
The following are included as bonus shorts on the "Special Expanded Edition" DVD. Three of these bonus shorts also appear as part of the movie, but were not presented completely uncut. All bonus cartoons retain their original theatrical openings and closings, complete with Paramount
logos
Puppetoons
George Pal's Puppetoons were a series of animated puppet films made in Europe in the 1930s and in the U.S. in the 1940s. They are memorable for their use of "replacement" animation: using a series of different hand-carved wooden puppets for each frame in which the puppet moves or changes...
of George Pal
George Pál
George Pal , born György Pál Marczincsak, was a Hungarian-born American animator and film producer, principally associated with the science fiction genre...
. Written, produced, and directed by Arnold Leibovit
Arnold Leibovit
Arnold Leibovit is an award-winning writer, producer, and director of feature films and musical productions. An acting member of the Producers Guild of America, he has written, directed, and produced several feature films, including The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal, a biopic of George Pal, and...
and Arnold Leibovit Entertainment, The Puppetoon Movie is composed of animated sequences featuring George Pal's Academy Award winning Puppetoons
Tubby the Tuba
Tubby the Tuba (1947 film)
Tubby the Tuba is a 1947 American animated short film from Paramount Pictures, directed by George Pal as part of his Puppetoon series. It was based on the original song by Paul Tripp and George Kleinsinger. The film features narration by Victor Jory....
, Tulips Shall Grow, John Henry and the Inky Poo, all of which were also Oscar nominated. Pal's body of work known as Puppetoons received an Academy Award in 1943. A new tribute animation sequence features Gumby
Gumby
Gumby is a green clay humanoid character created and modeled by Art Clokey, who also created Davey and Goliath. Gumby has been the subject of a 233-episode series of American television as well as a feature-length film and other media...
, Pokey, and Arnie the Dinosaur.
It is important to note that in 1943, at the 16th Annual Academy Awards, George Pal received a Special Oscar "for the development of novel methods and techniques in the production of short subjects known as Puppetoons."
The original release of The Puppetoons Movie contains 11 Puppetoons that Pal produced in the 1930s and 1940s. The Expanded DVD version has 12 additional Puppetoons.
The Puppetoon Movie first appeared at the American Film Institute Film Festival. Later it was released by Expanded Entertainment. Since then, it has appeared on Showtime, and in various prestigious film festivals in London, Annecy (France), Sitges (Spain), Tokyo, and Melbourne.
Voices for the main characters are performed by Dick Beals, Art Clokey, Paul Frees, Victor Jory, and Dal McKennon.
Film Synopsis
The film opens on a film set, where Gumby and his friends are filming a dinosaur movie. A ferocious Tyrannosaurus Rex named Arnie charges on set and is about to devour a young doe named Barbara when suddenly, he removes his false teeth and lets the doe go out of sympathy. Gumby cuts the scene and questions Arnie on his hesitation to act ferocious. Although Arnie knows it is all just acting, he feels unfit for the part because it just isn't him. He explains that he once was a ferocious T-Rex, but thanks to the divine influence of George Pal, he has reformed and is now a vegetarian without a bad bone in his body. Gumby fails to understand the profound effect of George Pal on Arnie's persona, so Arnie and Pokey show Gumby a set of George Pal shorts to show him the significance of the artist, thus starting The Puppetoon Movie.The following shorts are featured as part of the movie. The first four listed (in pairs of two) are not presented in their entirety, and are actually presented as one lengthy sequence. (The opening title and credits for "The Little Broadcast" are shown, but the titles and credits for the other three are not)
- The Little Broadcast and The Big Broadcast of 1938
- Hoola Boola and South Sea Sweethearts
- The Sleeping Beauty
- Tulips Shall GrowTulips Shall GrowTulips Shall Grow is a 1942 American animated short film directed by George Pal, about a Dutch boy and girl whose idyllic existence is destroyed when they are overrun by a group of mechanical men called "The Screwballs", who lay waste to everything they touch; it is generally recognized as a...
- Together in the Weather
- John Henry and the Inky Poo
- Philips CavalcadePhilips CavalcadePhilips Cavalcade is a 1934 animated short film in the Puppetoon series. It was directed by George Pal.-Plot:This took place where the people start singing and a woman Philippa Ray sings a song on the microphone. There were people dancing in playing instruments. In the on the stage four men are...
- Jasper in a JamJasper in a JamJasper in a Jam is a short film in the Puppetoon Series by George Pal. It starred the voice of singer Peggy Lee, and was directed by Duke Goldstone.-Plot summary:...
- Tubby the TubaTubby the Tuba (1947 film)Tubby the Tuba is a 1947 American animated short film from Paramount Pictures, directed by George Pal as part of his Puppetoon series. It was based on the original song by Paul Tripp and George Kleinsinger. The film features narration by Victor Jory....
After all the shorts, Gumby and the others meet other characters who George Pal animated, such as the Pillsbury Doughboy
Pillsbury Doughboy
Poppin' Fresh, more widely known as the Pillsbury Doughboy, is an advertising icon and mascot of The Pillsbury Company, appearing in many of their commercials. Many commercials from 1965 until 2004 conclude with a human finger poking the Doughboy's stomach...
and the Alka-Seltzer
Alka-Seltzer
Alka-Seltzer is an effervescent antacid and pain reliever first marketed by the Dr. Miles Medicine Company. It was developed by Treneer in Elkhart Indiana. Alka-Seltzer is marketed for relief of minor aches, pains, inflammation, fever, headache, heartburn, sour stomach, indigestion, and hangovers,...
mascot Speedy. Gumby then thanks George Pal for making all this possible, and everybody cheers. The screen pans out and shows a creature in silhouette with red eyes that looks similar to a gremlin
Gremlins
Gremlins is a 1984 American horror comedy film directed by Joe Dante, released by Warner Bros. The film is about a young man who receives a strange creature—called a Mogwai—as a pet, which then spawns other creatures who transform into small, destructive, evil monsters. It was followed by a sequel,...
, who looks at the audience, says "George Pal!", then climbs up a support beam while laughing like a maniac. Afterwards, the credits start to roll.
The following are included as bonus shorts on the "Special Expanded Edition" DVD. Three of these bonus shorts also appear as part of the movie, but were not presented completely uncut. All bonus cartoons retain their original theatrical openings and closings, complete with Paramount
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
logos
- What Ho, She Bumps
- Mr. Strauss Takes a Walk
- Olio for Jasper
- Philips CavalcadePhilips CavalcadePhilips Cavalcade is a 1934 animated short film in the Puppetoon series. It was directed by George Pal.-Plot:This took place where the people start singing and a woman Philippa Ray sings a song on the microphone. There were people dancing in playing instruments. In the on the stage four men are...
- Jasper's Derby
- Hoola Boola
- Ether Symphony
- Aladdin and the Wonderful LampAladdin and the Wonderful LampAladdin and the Wonderful Lamp is a 1979 Bollywood film directed by I.V. Sasi. The film stars Kamal Hassan, Rajnikanth, and Srividya ....
- The Magic Atlas
- Jasper and the Haunted HouseJasper and the Haunted HouseJasper and the Haunted House is a 1942 American animated short film in the Puppetoon series released as a Madcap Model by George Pal. It is an early entry that features the popular yet controversial Paramount Puppetoon characters Jasper and his friend/nemesis Professor Scarecrow and...
- The Big Broadcast of 1938
- Ship of the Ether