Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor (1936) User Reviews

Still ahead of the game

[Spondonman · 8/10 · 15 January 2005]

Along with the Ali Baba one this is my favourite Popeye cartoon, I must admit partly because it's 3 times as long as most of the cartoons in the Canon. It gave much more scope to the Fleischer's to ...fleish it out a bit, less frenetic movement - some of the time!

All you should love about these Paramount Popeye's - if you're reading this - is here in spades (with Technicolour), from the marvellous panning 3d opening displaying Bluto's island and denizens to the incessant rambling mutterings of Popeye, Bluto, Olive and Wimpy. The storyline and animation are both amusing and inventive in the usual unusual Fleischer manner, and not a second is wasted. Although it's definitely not for the pc and over zealous animal rights activists!

Best bit: The savage looking giant two-headed caveman crooning a sweet lullaby to Popeye lying dazed in his lap.

Popeye Pop's Sindbad

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 27 December 2015]

Of course, most of the Fleischer Popeye cartoons were pretty much the same. In this one, a setting is created where Bluto can hold forth as Sindbad the Sailor. He is the master of a bunch of creatures from the Arabian Nights mythology, lions, the Roc, a fire breathing dragon, and some others. Of course, sometimes lust gets you in trouble. When he spots Olive Oyl, he can't resist her. If he had not intervened, he would have been fine. But, then, it wouldn't be a Popeye cartoon. One of the odd sidelights is Wimpy, chasing a duck with a meat grinder (the duck had stolen his last hamburger). There are a host of special punches used by our sailor. Anyway, lot's of interesting characters for us to enjoy.

"The biggest buzzard I ever saw!"

[Foreverisacastironmess123 · 8/10 · 1 September 2017]

This has gotta be one of Popeye's best adventures ever and it's certainly one of the real gems of the old Fleischer cartoon library. In terms of quality the animations that the studio was putting out at this time were easily giving the works of Disney a run for their money! This very old but no less beautiful short that in-part inspired the special effects of a wonderful classic movie has such an enchanting visual design and use of colour to it and the rich small details in virtually everything as well as the plethora of screeching chained up beasts is fantastic. I especially enjoy the use of the 3-D like effect they used in a couple of the sequences, to me it still looks pretty cool and it was accomplished through a fascinating process of filming the animated cells against an actual physical model, and it was a technique the Fleischers pioneered that really gave a little added sense of depth and magic to whatever animation it was used in. It sadly wasn't used all that much after their time, which is a bit of a shame as I find it quite a beautiful and impressive effect in its own way even today. It seemed a bit odd to me how Sind(D?)bad was portrayed by Bluto who is a big blowhard of a bullying jerk and most definitely not a likable hero type, as his hilarious bragging song about how great and mighty he is adequately demonstrates, but on the other hand he does have a whole island of mythical monsters under his command that he conquered fair and square so he is technically mighty, he just didn't have to be such a jerk about it! It has some good funny sight gags and stuff like the creepy Italian double-headed ogre and when Popeye gets squeezed and turns so beat red that he actually turns into a beet for a second! My favourite bit of animation is when the gigantic roc flies over and demolishes Popeye's boat. This is still a terrifically fun short cartoon that's still great to watch a good eighty years after it was made! The fantasy adventure atmosphere and the magical story book-esc imagery really made it special and different and much more than the average Popeye short. Definitely worth a look-see if you're a fan of the character, if you're a fan of the traditional heroic image of Sinbad the Sailor though..probably not so much! 🏝

Strong to the finish.

[Pjtaylor-96-138044 · 7/10 · 6 December 2021]

'Popeye The Sailor Meets Sindbad The Sailor (1936)' is a short film in which Sindbad is interrupted from singing a song about how great he is when he spots Popeye on a nearby boat singing about how great he is. This irks the big fella, who seems to think their can only be one great sailor in the world, so he sends one of the creatures he has captured to wreck the spinach-chomping sailor's ride and steal Olive Oyl while he's at it. Thus ensues a battle between Popeye and Sindbad, one that's stuffed with inventive visual gags and plenty of narcissistic singing. The 'rubber hose' animation is incredibly energetic and enjoyable; the piece is a blast to look at. It does pretty much what you'd expect a Popeye short to do, but that doesn't mean it doesn't do it well. It's an entertaining experience from start to finish. 7/10.

Dazzling early animation feat still entertaining

[Popeye-8 · 10/10 · 16 April 1999]

Using the Fleischer Brothers' special 3-d backgrounds, Paramount's "Sindbad" is an impressive animation feat, as well as an entertaining and funny cartoon. It has made virtually every "greatest cartoon" list, with no apologies.

"Hey, we gotta save Olive Oyl!"

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 16 November 2016]

One of the benefits of catching old time cartoons on Turner Classics is that every once in a while, the TCM host will have a guest on who knows something about the subject's history. In this case, the grandson of Max Fleischer was interviewed by Ben Mankiewicz prior to the airing of this and another one of the Popeye shorts. In his statements, Mark Fleischer explained how his grandfather had a professional rivalry with Walt Disney (even though they never met), and how both men had a difficult time convincing studios to go with a feature length animated film. Max Fleischer was able to prevail upon Paramount to at least go beyond the one reel format with this sixteen minute story. Disney won the larger argument when his production company released "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" the following year.

Not having seen this one before, I was impressed with the colors and animation involved, particularly with the moving background that gave the picture a 3-D effect without the glasses! The beasts and plants on Sindbad's island were quite creative and gave Popeye and his crew a run for the money. The familiar characters of the Popeye franchise are on hand here, with Olive Oyl in her usual share of precarious predicaments, and J. Wellington Wimpy does all he can to maintain his hamburger supply. The temperamental bully Bluto is a stand-in for the title character Sindbad, (uncharacteristically spelled with a 'd" in the middle), who does his best to make life difficult for the Popeye crew.

Another interesting tidbit from Mr. Fleischer - the original Popeye comic strip showed Popeye gaining his increased fighting strength by rubbing the feathers of a chicken! Max Fleischer didn't think the concept would work in an animation format, so he came up with the can of spinach as a substitute. I'd say that was a pretty good decision, how many Moms do you think were elated that their kids would actually go for eating their spinach if it meant being as strong as Popeye?

I'm not a real Popeye fan but this is a classic!

[Boba_Fett1138 · 9/10 · 21 January 2005]

I never really liked watching Popeye, not even as a kid. However I've always enjoyed watching this 16 minutes long Popeye adventure, I've watched it many times and it still hasn't lost any of its power.

I think the reason why I like this cartoon so much is because of the story. It really reminds me of an adventure from the Greek Odyssey by Homer, I always enjoyed watching cartoons and life action movies about the Odyssey when I was a kid.

The animations are not bad, especially not the backgrounds and those for the giant bird, which also happens to be my favorite part of the movie.

There are some spectacular moments and I still think that this movie is very watchable for children these days even though the cartoon is almost 70 years old(!).

9/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Popeye in Technicolor & 3D!

[richardchatten · 6/10 · 31 July 2017]

'Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor' was the first of three Popeye specials in Technicolor; anticipating Disney's development of the multiplane camera for 'The Old Mill' (1937) by a year by animating its characters on glass in front of actual models lit in vivid colours. The resulting look is quite remarkable, notably during a lateral track following Popeye prowling through a cave - which along with the giant Roc and two-headed giant were probably the features that inspired the young Ray Harryhausen - and visually quite different from the results produced by Disney's multiplane camera; which instead separated flat cells into planes rather like a 3D movie.

Due to the trouble and complexity involved the 3D scenes are in fact actually used only sparingly during 'Sindbad'. The exotic setting and Pop Art colours aside, the action itself is the usual scrap between Bluto (here playing Sindbad) and Popeye; and the very occasional medium shots of its characters remind one that animated films of the 30's still tended to follow the framing in long shot favoured by Méliès.

The Fleischers' efforts were rewarded with a nomination for the 1936 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Subject; although as usual they lost out to Disney (for the Silly Symphony 'The Country Cousin'), and after two more 'specials' they went back to less technically flamboyant Popeye shorts while instead channeling their creative aspirations into their first feature, 'Gulliver's Travels' (1939), in which Popeye didn't appear.

The Best Popeye Cartoon

[zetes · 10/10 · 20 July 2001]

That I can think of anyway. This Popeye cartoon is the funniest and most exciting short ever made, counting Disney and Warner Brothers, too. I especially like the songs, Sinbad's (Bluto) theme, and the song that the two-headed giant sings as he beats the tar out of Popeye. The best scene has Popeye taking care of Sinbad's giant bird.

Clash of the Legends

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 9 July 2015]

This cartoon from almost 80 years ago is a work of superlatives. It is among the most famous, most successful and longest cartoons from the entire Popeye franchise and that is quite an achievement looking at how long and enduring this one was for over 20 years in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. And maybe this one here is even number 1 in these categories I listed. However, it was not number 1 at the Academy Award as it lost to the Disney entry that year, but a nomination is a success already too.

I personally would say that this is a very competent work. The voice actors all had strong careers and there is nothing I need to say about Dave Fleischer I guess. It's an earlier Popeye film and the characters are the same as usual. The action is not that different either. Olive gets abducted by Bluto (Sinbad) and Popeye has to save her. When all hope is lost, he gets out the spinach and finishes his enemy. One difference here is that the first almost five minutes were entirely about his antagonist. Actually, this was mostly because they had to fill the really long runtime for cartoons back then, but it also served as nice preparation for their duel. Before Popeye fights Sinbad at the end and proves who the greatest sailor is, he has to take care of some of the villain's henchman. Not too common either. So there are definitely some differences compared to all the other Popeye short films. I enjoyed this watch. There was nothing truly great about it, but it was pretty entertaining, had good animation and seeing all the animals was nice as well. Recommended.

Little Sailor Man Still Enthralls

[Ron Oliver · 10/10 · 29 June 2000]

A POPEYE Cartoon.

POPEYE THE SAILOR MEETS SINDBAD THE SAILOR when our spinach-munching hero pilots his ship too near the isle of the bearded braggart. After being attacked by Sindbad's foul pets, and with Olive Oyl in the clutches of the villain, it's time for Popeye to go into action...

This was the first in a series of 3 excellent two-reel cartoons, created by Max Fleischer, in which Popeye & his friends are interpolated into the classic stories of The Arabian Nights. They feature great animation - notice the fascinating 3-D backgrounds - and taut, fast-moving plots. Meant to be shown in movie theaters, they are miles ahead of their Saturday Morning counterparts. Jack Mercer is the voice of Popeye; Mae Questel does the honors for Olive Oyl.

Lovely animation can't change the fact that this is just another Popeye film

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 13 March 2009]

In this film, Bluto plays 'Sindbad' (that's how they spell it in the movie)--a bad dude who scares all the animals and two-headed monsters in his domain. When a ship with Popeye, Olive and Wimpy nears his land, he kidnaps Olive and Popeye comes to the rescue (wow, I didn't see THAT coming!).

I don't get it. Although this is a lovely cartoon to look at and it's about twice the normal length, it's still only Popeye!! So, no matter how nice this Technicolor looks as well as the wonderful 3-D look, you can't get past the fact that it's a by-the-books Popeye cartoon where he meets Bluto and kicks the snot out of him thanks to spinach by the end of the film. Considering this also happened in 30423048 other Popeye cartoons, I wasn't impressed at all by the story. Yet, somehow, it was Oscar nominted (it must have been a slow year). I wanted something different--not the same old recycled toon with more impressive technical aspects.

Overall, not much in the way of plot but at least it's interesting for historical reasons, as it's the first Technicolor Popeye.

not as good as i had hoped

[disdressed12 · 5/10 · 3 November 2008]

this is only the second animated Popeye short i have seen,the first one being With Swee' Pea,which i thought was pretty good.this one,i didn't like as much.it doesn't stack up too well,in my opinion.there's a lot of action,but i didn't find a lot of it all that funny.Bluto(Popeye's nemesis)plays Sinbad as a blow hard ego maniac.he has a few singing numbers,which are very brief,but i found them irritating.this feature is around 15 minutes long,and i found it a bit slow,even boring.With Swee' Pea was much more lite hearted,and "Sinbad" was much darker than i was expecting.i guess it's really a matter of taste.for me,Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor is a 4.5/10

the same

[Kirpianuscus · 18 April 2021]

All the flavours of childhood. This is the basic gift proposed by this exceptional Popeye animation in which the fights, dialogues, humor and forms of violence - extreme - are pieces of nostalgic and just comfortable short film , same fresh / refreshing like in 1936.

Good Looking Cartoon

[gavin6942 · 6/10 · 21 January 2016]

The legendary sailors Popeye and Sindbad (strangely not the more common spelling Sinbad) do battle to see which one is the greatest.

Popeye cartoons have never been anything special. This one looks great, and is better than average. The use of Technicolor gives Popeye -- and especially the backgrounds -- a rich look they do not usually have. But beyond that, there is still no real story other than the usual Popeye versus Bluto (this time as Sindbad).

Producer and special effects artist Ray Harryhausen stated in his Fantasy Film Scrapbook that "Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor" was a major influence on his production of "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad". That is quite a thing to say. What was the influence? Perhaps the colors?

Even after 65 years, this is an exceptional piece of work

[llltdesq · 10/10 · 19 September 2001]

This cartoon is visually astounding even after 65 years. Longer than the typical Popeye being done at the time (by quite a bit), it justifiably received a great deal of fanfare and notice on its release and is considered one of the finest animated shorts ever made by a great many people (including me). This runs on Cartoon Network occasionally and is well worth getting a look at. I believe it has at least once or twice been available on VHS. Most highly recommended.

Peopeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor review

[JoeytheBrit · 6/10 · 21 April 2020]

And eventually beats him up. Popeye was nothing if not consistent...

One of the best dam Popeye cartoons ever!

[emasterslake · 9/10 · 19 October 2006]

This as well as "Popeye and the 40 thieves" is a classic.

The story begins with an uncharted island filled with beasts and monsters. The ruler is Sinbad the Sailor(aka Bluto) who considers himself to be the greatest Sailor of the seven seas. But out of the blue Popeye, Wimpy, and Olive came sailing into Sinbad's territory. Sinbad sends a Rohk Bird to destroy their ship and kidnap Olive Oil.

After the shipwreck, Popeye and Wimpy went to shore, to rescue Olive. When he finds her he meets face to face with Sinbad. He says that he's the greatest sailor of the 7 seas, but Popeye tells him that he's wrong about that. Sinbad sends his beasts on Popeye, who were easy to defeat. Outraged and full of anger, Sinbad challenges Popeye to a fight to determine who really is the Greatest Sailor of the 7 seas.

This was the very first Popeye cartoon to be done in Technicolor and has some scenes done in 3-D scenery to give it a stand out look. It's also one of the few Popeye cartoons to be more than 15 minutes long.

In my opinion it's one of the best Popeye cartoons that ever existed. And a must see for the Popeye fans.

Even after 85 years, a dazzling and entertaining piece of animation that makes Popeye an instant classic.

[criti-cally · 10/10 · 23 June 2020]

Adapted to the screens by Fleischer Studios, Popeye was able to surpass Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse at the 1930s box office and still remains an ingenious animated series. Fleischer Studios (who created the characters like Koko the Clown, Betty Boop, Bimbo, and was the first to adapt Superman as an animation film) was founded in 1921 by brothers Max Fleischer and David Fleischer until it was acquired by Paramount Pictures in 1942.

Unlike other studios of the time, especially Disney, who's characters were anthropomorphic animals, Fleischer's character were relatively more human, and much different from Disney's in concept and execution. They focused more on the surrealism, dark humor, adult psychological elements, and sexuality. The environments they used were more urban and gritty and were a reflection of the great depression. This made their characters more relatable even for the adults, who enjoyed them equally as the kids, thus giving these cartoons their popularity and mass appeal.

This particular episode I'm reviewing was the first Popeye cartoon ever made in Technicolor. Part of the "Popeye Color Specials", a trilogy of technicolor features consisting of 'Popeye The Sailor Meets Sindbad The Sailor' (the name Sindbad uncharacteristically spelled with a 'd' in the middle) , 'Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves', and 'Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp'. Each feature being over 16 minutes (3 times longer than the regular Popeye cartoon of those times, and thus considered a big-budget adaptation), they were often billed in cinemas alongside/above the main feature.

This was the only episode in the series and the only Popeye cartoon that was nominated for an Academy Award in 1936 for the Best Short Subject: Cartoons category (it lost to Walt Disney's Silly Symphony: The Country Cousin)

This feature starts off with Sindbad the Sailor (played by Bluto) who steps out from his island home, singing of his greatness:

"I'm Sindbad the Sailor, so hearty and hale I live on an island on the back of a whale It's a whale of an island - that's not a bad joke Its lord and its master is this handsome bloke! Who's the most remarkable extra-ordinary fellow? Sindbad The Sailor!"

From the first moment, the scene is set that Sindbad who may be a great sailor at one point, now has an hypertrophic ego and wants everyone to praise him. He has captured all kinds of exotic creatures and animals from his different conquests and adventures as trophies and makes them constantly sing praises for himself. His trophies include the giant vulture like bird Rokh, the two headed cycloptic giant Boola, and plenty of lions and snakes amongst others.

This is until the day Sindbad hears an uncanny tune of Popeye the Sailor, sailing on a ship near his island. Popeye is steering his ship, happily singing his song,

"I'm Popeye the Sailor Man, Popeye the Sailor Man I'm strong to the finich, cause I eats me spinach I'm Popeye the Sailor Man!"

along with J. Wellington Wimpy, who's making one hamburger after another and inhaling them with each breath and Olive Oyl, who's sitting on the ship's deck and enjoying the wonderful ocean breeze.

Sindbad notices the beautiful Olive Oyl on the ship and like his other trophies, he wants her too, setting his evil intentions. So he sends his giant bird, Rokh, to capture Olive and capsize Popeye's Boat. After capturing her, he forces Olive Oyl to dance for him by firing buckshot at her feet with a pea-shooter. Popeye sees this through his telescope and comes to the rescue of his beloved girlfriend with Wimpy following behind albeit unwillingly.

As the two great sailors meet, there a clear tension between the two with both trying to prove who is mightier. Popeye just wants Olive back, but Sindbad doesn't and so he challenges Popeye to a string of challenges including battling with Rokh and Boola, as Popeye emerges victorious from them all. Now the final battles ensues between Sindbad and Popeye, where relying on his spinach, Popeye finally defeats Sindbad and rescues his girl in a clear victory of the good over evil.

Overall the story is amusing, inventive, interesting, formulaic (as with all Popeye cartoons) and beautifully paced with there never being a dull moment and not a single second is wasted. The humor, verbal wit and the sight gags (like wimpy spotting a duck and wanting to grind it for meat for his hamburger) makes this short even more entertaining. The best parts are wild and hilarious with clever twists such as that of Popeye taking care of Sindbad giant bird Rokh.

The music is especially great, with lots of merry energy and lush orchestration and makes the impact even better without being too cartoonish. The songs in the feature including Sindbad's and Popeye's theme as well as the song sung by the two headed giant, cradling Popeye, fits beautifully in the film and is infectious on its own.

One of the best parts of this short I'd say is it's animation. Even after more than 80 years the animation is still magnificent and beautifully drawn with a good amount of visual detailing to not make it appear cluttered or saturated and is given lively and smooth movements. The most adventurous feat in the animation considering the time this was made is the depth effect. The scenes of the movie were shot on tabletop, where there is combination of 2D and 3D animation. Miniature sets were built on a stage and then the characters were animated and superimposed over this background, so that various object could pass in front/behind them. This creates an impression of depth and quality to viewer which gives the effect of moving backgrounds with a 3D effect and rich colors. The marvelous panning of the opening scenes displaying Sindbad's island and Popeye making an entrance to the island through its underground Mario Bava-esque eerie caves are clear and beautiful examples highlighting the stunning pseudo 3D depth effect of the animation. The studios must be very proud of their depth effect because they do show it off at every opportunity and it works!

It's no wonder that in 1994 this film short was ranked at #17 on the '50 Greatest Cartoons Of All Times' and since has been deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library Of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.

An interesting fact I learnt during my research for this review, is about the spinach-eating trope used for Popeye.

In the original Popeye comic strip, Popeye gained his powers by rubbing the head of a feathery chicken character (Bernice the Whiffle Hen). It was later attributed to Popeye eating spinach by Fleischer in the animated series.

There is a frequently circulated story about Fleischer's choice of Spinach, of all the available vegetables, to give Popeye his strength. This was based on a faulty calculation of the iron content in spinach. As per the story, a scientist misplaced a decimal point in an 1870 measurement of spinach's iron content, leading to an iron value ten times higher than it should have been. (In actuality it was not a slipped decimal point but and actual measurement error). Although, this faulty measurement was corrected in the 1930s, the myth of extraordinarily high iron content in spinach persisted on, which prompted Fleischer to use Spinach as the main source of Popeye's strength.

Such was the popularity of Popeye at a time, that it boosted spinach sales across the country! Mothers started using Popeye as a role model for healthy eating for their children, and even a 2010 study revealed that children increased their vegetable consumption after watching Popeye cartoons. Such was the positive effects of Popeye on the spinach industry, that the spinach growing community of Crystal City (Texas) even erected a statue of the character in recognition its effects!

It's a shame Fleischer studios didn't have the same fate as that of Disney, because it's arguably one of the most progressive and best studios from the Golden Age of Animation. Anyone's time is much better spent watching this than the bad cartoons they air on tv these days. Comparing this 16-minute animation with those 30-45min animations is like comparing healthy food (spinach) with junk food.

Popeye The Sailor Meets Sindbad The Sailor is a short, must watch for everyone, even if its just to rekindle our childhood memories.

My favorite of the "specials"

[yet · 10/10 · 16 April 2009]

As others have written, the restored episode is a beauty to behold, with complete titles and fabulous Technicolor! With the classic voices of Jack Mercer, Mae Questel and Gus Wickie, Popeye takes a suspenseful journey to a lost island with the usual cast of suspects.

With the restored footage clearly visible, Popeye's comments in the cave make much more sense. The sound is still a bit muddy in places, making Boola's (or is it Boolas' ?) dialog hard to follow.

Wimpy wanders through the scenes oblivious to the goings on, while Sindbad menaces Olive Oyl in quite a bit more sinister a manner than Bluto in other shorts.

My favorite gag, "...with gravy!"

A Vintage Watch, Gets a 4/10

[Zooha-47207 · 4/10 · 18 February 2024]

Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor gets a 4/10 from me. Looking at it through today's lens, it's kind of a mixed bag. For its time, sure, it was pretty cool - you've got to give credit to the classic animation style and the effort that went into it.

The story's about Popeye going up against Sindbad (who's actually Bluto in disguise) and, as you'd expect, it's filled with all the typical Popeye shenanigans. There are some fun moments, especially if you're into that old-school cartoon vibe.

But let's be real watching it now doesn't give you that much of a kick. It's neat to see how animation has evolved over the years, but as for the entertainment factor, it's kinda on the low side. The pacing feels slow compared to modern cartoons, and it might not hold your attention like newer stuff does.

So, yeah, it's a decent watch if you're curious about classic animation or if you're a big Popeye fan. But if you're looking for something with a bit more oomph or a faster pace, you might find it a bit underwhelming.

Ranked 17th Best Cartoon of All-Time

[springfieldrental · 8/10 · 24 August 2023]

By 1936, Fleischer Studio's Popeye was quickly becoming the most popular animated cartoon character, surpassing even Walt Disney's primary money-maker Mickey Mouse. The Fleischer brothers, Max and David, decided to capitalize on their cash cow by expanding Popeye's presence on the screen by giving him longer cartoons. His first two-reeler 'featurette' was November 1936 "Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor." It was Popeye's first Technicolor cartoon, after Disney's monopoly with the three-strip system expired earlier in the year. So popular were the eventually three-produced Popeye featurettes that theaters front-ended their evening's main motion picture with the Fleischer cartoon, foregoing the normal 'B-Grade' movie in their double billings.

"Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor" was voted 17th of the '50 Greatest Cartoons of All Time,' the highest of the three Fleischer studio films on the list. Movie reviewer Jeremy Clarke was impressed with Fleischer's use of color as well as the new techniques they innovated for the cartoon. "The level of gratuitous visual invention is a joy to behold, so much so that you may find yourself freezing the film and going back and re-watching specific gags," Clarke wrote.

Even though the Fleischers had invented the 'Steroptical Process,' or the 'Setback Table' system, "Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor" saw a vast improvement in the technique which made segments of the cartoon appear as three-dimensional. Miniature drawn objects were placed on a small revolving stage, then the characters' animation was superimposed in front and behind the moving shrubs, rocks and other items to give the frame depth. Walt Disney was perfecting a similar innovation with his multi-plane camera that equally lent a 3D effect.

The first in the 'Popeye Color Featurette' series, "Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor," introduced Sinbad, a dead-ringer for Popeye's arch-nemesis, Bluto. Sinbad kidnaps Olive Oyl on his private island while sinking Popeye's boat with J. Wellington Wimpy on board. Popeye faces the challenge of rescuing Miss Oyl while contending with Sinbad. Wimpy was oblivious to all the rough stuff surrounding him as his insatiable appetite forces him to chase down a duck with his meatginder.

Voice specialist Jack Mercer was new at applying his vocal cords to Popeye's character. Lou Fleischer knew his brothers were sick of the antics of William Costello, the original voice of Popeye, and heard animator Mercer singing the Popeye song. Lou pegged him as a dead-ringer to Costello's interpretation of the sailor man, and switched him as Popeye's replacement. Mercer became the sailorman's voice for the next 45 years, as well as other characters' voices, including Felix the Cat. Another voice specialist in "Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor" was Mae Questel as Olive Oyl. Before that, she was the voice for Betty Boop. Her Olive's "Oh dear" expressions as Popeye's girlfriend began in 1933. Questel is familiar with today's movie buffs as playing Aunt Bethany in 1989's "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation."

A tale of two sailors

[jamesrupert2014 · 8/10 · 21 January 2019]

Popeye, Wimpy (both voiced by Jack Mercer) and Olive Oyl (voiced by Mae Questel) are out boating when they are spied by self-proclaimed "remarkable, extra-ordinary fellow", Sindbad the Sailor (voiced by Gus Wickie). Captivated by Olive's spindly beauty, the beefy bad-guy sends his tame Rokh to sink the boat and kidnap the spaghetti-limbed siren. Popeye escapes the wreck and, towing Wimpy, swims to Sindbad's island just in time to save a shrieking Olive from the bounder's unwanted advances. Challenged to prove who is the better man, Popeye fights the great bird, then a two-headed Borsht-belt giant, and finally Sindbad himself. Can a timely can of the squinting sailor's favorite leafy performance-enhancing substance save the day? If you're not sure, you must be new to the Popeye-verse. This 16 minute 2-reeler is a colour 'feature-length' version of Fleischer Studios' classic short cartoons and follows a similar trajectory: the constantly muttering sailor is challenged (often by his nemesis Bluto (who greatly resembles Sindbad) over the attentions of the lovely Olive), engages in battle, and when on the ropes and near ignominious defeat, downs the inevitable can of spinach that renders him indomitable. The Sindbad feature is a great example of the fantastic animation produced in the 1930's, with great characters, surreal backgrounds, catchy music, and humour for all generations. Good fun!

Fascinating!

[JohnHowardReid · 9/10 · 9 March 2018]

CAST: Popeye (the spinach-eating sailor), Olive Oyl (the irresistible damsel), J. Wellington Wimpy (the hamburger fiend), Boola (the two-headed giant), Rokh (the mighty eagle), and Sindbad the Sailor (the most remarkable fellow).

Voices: Jack Mercer (Popeye), Mae Questel (Olive Oyl), Gus Wickie (Bluto as Sindbad).

Director: DAVE FLEISCHER. Screenplay: Jack Mercer, Dan Gordon, Cal Howard, Tedd Pierce, Isidore Sparber. Adapted from a tale in The Arabian Nights. Popeye, Bluto, J. Wellington Wimpy and Olive Oyl based on characters created by Elzie Segar. Photographed in Color by Technicolor by Charles Schettler. Head animator: Willard Bowsky. Animators: George Germanetti, Edward Nolan. Music: Sammy Timberg. Song: "Sindbad the Sailor" (Wickie) by Sammy Timberg, Bob Rothberg, Sammy Lerner. Song: "I'm Popeye the Sailor Man" (Mercer) by Sammy Lerner. Producer: Max Fleischer.

Copyright 27 November 1936 by Paramount Pictures, Inc. Presented by Adolph Zukor. U.S. release: 27 November 1936. 2 reels. 16 minutes.

SYNOPSIS: Sindbad (ingratiatingly enacted by Gus Wickie's Bluto) is the heavy in this one. Spying Olive Oyl basking on the deck of a passing yacht, he sends his giant eagle to wreck the boat and carry her off to his island stronghold.

NOTES: Fleischer's first two-reel cartoon and also his first in color, was nominated for Best Cartoon, but lost out to Walt Disney's Country Cousin.

COMMENT: The first reel, laying the groundwork for all the obligatory fisticuff action in the second, is the best. More lively, more imaginative, more entertaining. Some really memorable material here confirms Flesicher's repoutation as the crown prince of animators. Elaborate multi-celled action, breathtaking tracking shots, wonderful background settings and inventive directorial touches like the eagle's wings blocking the screen, lend credence to Fleischer's claim to rival Disney.