We are introduced to two sawdust stuffed dolls. They love each other but the girl is pursued by an evil guy with bad intentions. But ultimately it has to do with sacrifice. There is some nice music along the way and some swing dancing. It's a nice story.
3 Reviews
Cute short better than most of the general run of Columbia animated shorts
llltdesq14 February 2014
Warning: Spoilers
This short was nominated for an Academy Award for Animated Short. There will be spoilers ahead:
The plot of this short is straightforward, but there is some subtext here. The little girl lives in very rough and limited surroundings and is clearly poor. Her toys are worn and well used. Her entertainment is found in her imagination.
The story is a love story and the course of true love seldom runs smoothly. Two rag dolls are smitten with one another and another toy decides to break them up and take the girl for himself.
The girl, of course, makes it clear she wants nothing to do with the creep, so he grabs her and takes off. Much hijinks ensue and the chase is on.
Things take a turn for the worse and things look dim for our lovers, but true love wins out and everything ties up neatly at the end. The ending is cute and charming.
This short isn't in print, but can be found online and is well worth searching out. Recommended.
The plot of this short is straightforward, but there is some subtext here. The little girl lives in very rough and limited surroundings and is clearly poor. Her toys are worn and well used. Her entertainment is found in her imagination.
The story is a love story and the course of true love seldom runs smoothly. Two rag dolls are smitten with one another and another toy decides to break them up and take the girl for himself.
The girl, of course, makes it clear she wants nothing to do with the creep, so he grabs her and takes off. Much hijinks ensue and the chase is on.
Things take a turn for the worse and things look dim for our lovers, but true love wins out and everything ties up neatly at the end. The ending is cute and charming.
This short isn't in print, but can be found online and is well worth searching out. Recommended.
Must've Been a Dull Year
boblipton2 January 2012
This Bob Wickersham cartoon was nominated for an Academy Award, which strikes me as strange. Gremlins were infesting Termite Terrace, Lantz was near the peak of his Swing Symphony Series, there were, I would guess, the usual half-dozen identical Tom & Jerry cartoons and Tex Avery turned out RED HOT Cinderella, DUMB-HOUNDED and WHO KILLED WHO? and they needed to eke out the list with this piece of earnest cheese urging children to be imaginative? Yes indeed, it's a cartoon. Let's try not to have fun and we'll let you make the cut before we give the award to Tom and Jerry, like we always do.
There's nothing wrong with this cartoon. It's a perfectly competent Columbia Pictures cartoon turned out during one of their frequent periods when no one quite knew what they were trying to do, especially not the people involved in actually making them. It has good production values, but it is clearly directed by people who are aiming it at children and who have no more idea of what children actually want than the jade plant in my living room does.
There's nothing wrong with this cartoon. It's a perfectly competent Columbia Pictures cartoon turned out during one of their frequent periods when no one quite knew what they were trying to do, especially not the people involved in actually making them. It has good production values, but it is clearly directed by people who are aiming it at children and who have no more idea of what children actually want than the jade plant in my living room does.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
