About 70 years ago, acclaimed children's book author Dr. Seuss created a story about a little boy who can only speak in sound effects called Gerald McBoing Boing. Then, around the same year the book was published, the United Productions of America adapted the short story into an animated short, which ended up so successful that it won the studio their first Oscar for Best Animated Short. Its success even led to a few more cartoons and other media to be featured in later on. But now that the short's success has lived on past the ages, it's time to look back and see what made this charming tale work so brilliantly in the first place.
As previously mentioned, the short tells the story of a young boy named Gerland McCloy, whose parents were shocked to discover that he could only speak in sounds instead of real words, including "boing boing". Just like the best of Seuss's work, the mere subject is not explored logically so much as psychologically, as this peculiar case of newborn language becomes more than just an oddity to the McCloys, let alone everyone little Gerald meets in real life. The level of tolerance from poor Gerald's own family decreases from minor annoyance to full blown concern and even neglect, as evident by one particular heartbreaking scene that was nearly cut by the film's director Robert Cannon. Of course, there is a happy ending after all of this turmoil, even if it does rush itself a little bit, but if not for the clueless knowledge of adults of what to do with an undorinary child, this tale of boing-boings would not have been as emotionally effective. Through careful writing and planning by storymen Phil Eastman and Bill Scott, the origin story of Gerald McBoing Boing manages to provoke just as much pathos as laughter.
In addition to the clever storytelling, the iconic minimalist art direction UPA would soon become renowned for plays a heavy hand in the film's charm. With the basis being from the mind of Ted Geisel, the character designs, layouts and background colors come off as highly simplified yet precisely defined. Considering the titular character is a little boy, the world around him only appears to be what it is based on where Gerald goes to, be it his own home, a school or even out in the cold. The color palettes are also nice touches thanks to Jules Engel and Herbert Klynn, as the setting can go from fully polished and opaque to almost non-existent, depending on the mood of the scene. Even Gail Kubik's otherwise jumpy music score can have its moments of sympathetic intensity, with the solid albeit limited character animation from UPA's finest animators back then to spice the momentum up. While UPA partially made these artistic innovations to break away from the realistic approach Disney solidified in animation, they ended up topping that by translating Seuss's own illustrations into another artform.
It's hard to say whether or not this short will be remembered in the 2020 decade, but given how timeless its themes and environments are, Gerald McBoing Boing has no problem standing out in the crowd as a well crafted visual adaptation of a lesser known Dr. Seuss classic. Seeing as how it's still ranked as one of the finest achievements from both UPA and stylized animation, it's no wonder animation historians and critics are still singing the cartoon's praises as time goes on. And given its place in the National Film Registry, there's no telling how sooner or later it will bring future generations back towards it.
As previously mentioned, the short tells the story of a young boy named Gerland McCloy, whose parents were shocked to discover that he could only speak in sounds instead of real words, including "boing boing". Just like the best of Seuss's work, the mere subject is not explored logically so much as psychologically, as this peculiar case of newborn language becomes more than just an oddity to the McCloys, let alone everyone little Gerald meets in real life. The level of tolerance from poor Gerald's own family decreases from minor annoyance to full blown concern and even neglect, as evident by one particular heartbreaking scene that was nearly cut by the film's director Robert Cannon. Of course, there is a happy ending after all of this turmoil, even if it does rush itself a little bit, but if not for the clueless knowledge of adults of what to do with an undorinary child, this tale of boing-boings would not have been as emotionally effective. Through careful writing and planning by storymen Phil Eastman and Bill Scott, the origin story of Gerald McBoing Boing manages to provoke just as much pathos as laughter.
In addition to the clever storytelling, the iconic minimalist art direction UPA would soon become renowned for plays a heavy hand in the film's charm. With the basis being from the mind of Ted Geisel, the character designs, layouts and background colors come off as highly simplified yet precisely defined. Considering the titular character is a little boy, the world around him only appears to be what it is based on where Gerald goes to, be it his own home, a school or even out in the cold. The color palettes are also nice touches thanks to Jules Engel and Herbert Klynn, as the setting can go from fully polished and opaque to almost non-existent, depending on the mood of the scene. Even Gail Kubik's otherwise jumpy music score can have its moments of sympathetic intensity, with the solid albeit limited character animation from UPA's finest animators back then to spice the momentum up. While UPA partially made these artistic innovations to break away from the realistic approach Disney solidified in animation, they ended up topping that by translating Seuss's own illustrations into another artform.
It's hard to say whether or not this short will be remembered in the 2020 decade, but given how timeless its themes and environments are, Gerald McBoing Boing has no problem standing out in the crowd as a well crafted visual adaptation of a lesser known Dr. Seuss classic. Seeing as how it's still ranked as one of the finest achievements from both UPA and stylized animation, it's no wonder animation historians and critics are still singing the cartoon's praises as time goes on. And given its place in the National Film Registry, there's no telling how sooner or later it will bring future generations back towards it.