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78-569: The film was produced by Max Fleischer and directed by Dave Fleischer . It features the songs "We're the Couple in the Castle", "Katy Did, Katy Didn't", "I'll Dance at Your Wedding (Honey Dear)" by Hoagy Carmichael and Frank Loesser , and "Boy Oh Boy" by Sammy Timberg and Loesser. It was Paramount's last animated feature film until Charlotte's Web in 1973. Hoppity the Grasshopper, after

156-501: A 4K restoration of the feature, which was slated for early 2024 but is currently delayed. This will mark the first official home video release of the film in the United States since the 1989 Republic Pictures VHS/LaserDisc as well as the first video release of the film to have Paramount's involvement. Max Fleischer Max Fleischer (born Majer Fleischer / ˈ f l aɪ ʃ ər / ; July 19, 1883 – September 11, 1972)

234-566: A Saturday-morning cartoon show (1978-1983) produced by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera . Mercer also read the lines for the opening segment of the 1980 the live action film ; the film's regular role of Popeye was played by Robin Williams . Mercer also did other cartoon voices. In the Popeye cartoons he also voiced Wimpy, Poopdeck Pappy, and Popeye's nephews. For Fleischer's feature film Gulliver's Travels he voiced King Little, Twinkletoes

312-425: A big success for Fleischer. That same year, Helen Kane filed a lawsuit against Fleischer, Fleischer Studios, and Paramount claiming that the cartoons were a deliberate caricature of her, created unfair competition, and had ruined her career. The suit went to trial in 1934. Judge Edward J. McGoldrick ruled, "The plaintiff has failed to sustain either cause of action by proof of sufficient probative force." In his opinion,

390-588: A cameo caricature in the early Talkartoon , Dizzy Dishes (1930). Fashioned after popular singer Helen Kane , she originated as a hybrid poodle/canine figure and was such a sensation in the New York preview that Paramount encouraged Fleischer to develop her into a continuing character. While she originated under animator Myron "Grim" Natwick , she was transformed into a human female under Seymour Kneitel and Berny Wolf and became Fleischer's most famous character. The "Betty Boop" series began in 1932 and became

468-480: A combined projector and easel for tracing images from a live-action film. This device, known as the Rotoscope , enabled Fleischer to produce the first realistic animation since the initial works of Winsor McCay . Although his patent was granted in 1917, Max and his brothers Joe and Dave Fleischer made their first series of tests between 1914 and 1916. The Pathé Film exchange offered Max his first opportunity as

546-403: A composited image. This was an improvement over the method used by Bray where a series of 8" x 10" stills were made from motion picture film and used as backgrounds behind animation cels. The Rotograph technique went into more general use as "aerial image photography" and was a staple in animation and optical effects companies for making titles and various forms of matte composites. In addition to

624-547: A demonstration film illustrating the Western Electric Variable Density sound recording and reproduction method. Despite the conflicts with Weiss, Fleischer managed to negotiate a new contract with Paramount to produce a revised version of the "Song Car-tunes", produced with sound and renamed Screen Songs , beginning with The Sidewalks of New York . At this early stage in the sound era, Fleischer produced many technically advanced films that were

702-514: A feature just when he was preparing to move the studio from New York City to Miami, Florida . Once in Miami relations between Max and Dave began deteriorating, beginning with the pressures to deliver their first feature, complicated further by Dave's adulterous affair with his secretary, Mae Schwartz. Jonathan Swift's classic novel Gulliver's Travels was a favorite of Max's and was pressed into production. Fleischer and Paramount originally budgeted

780-408: A lot of little bugs!" Fleischer Studios' first feature, Gulliver's Travels , did such impressive business in its first week that Paramount president Barney Balaban ordered another feature for a Christmas 1941 release. Mr. Bug Goes to Town is similar in concept to Gulliver's Travels with its large cast of characters, complicated crowd scenes, and the contrasting scale of tiny characters against

858-621: A metaphoric account of the building and loss of his studio, casting himself as Noah. Following the war, he supervised the production of the animated adaptation of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1948), sponsored by Montgomery Ward . Fleischer left Handy in 1953 and returned as production manager for the Bray Studios in New York, where he developed an educational television pilot about unusual birds and animals titled, Imagine That! In 1954, Max's son, Richard Fleischer ,

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936-538: A new home and invited the bugs to live there. They get to the top, which at first appears to be barren, but the young bugs discover the Dickenses have built a new penthouse with a "Garden of Paradise" just as Hoppity had described. Honey and the rest of the Lowlanders live there happily ever after in their new home. As Ambrose looks over the edge, he remarks, "Look at all the human ones down there. They look just like

1014-565: A number of Popeye episodes, as well as for television's Deputy Dawg and Milton the Monster . Jack Mercer appeared as himself on a 1973 episode of To Tell the Truth , receiving one of four possible votes. Mercer's first wife was Margie Hines , who provided the voice of Olive Oyl from 1939 to 1944. They were divorced in 1950. He later married Virginia Caroll, and the couple remained married until Mercer's death in 1984. Originally

1092-743: A period spent away, returns to an American city ( Manhattan , New York City ). He finds that all is not as he left it, and his insect friends, who live in the "Lowlands" just outside the garden of a cute bungalow belonging to down-on-his-luck songwriter Dick Dickens and his wife Mary, are now under threat from the "human ones", who are trampling through the broken-down fence, using it as a shortcut. Insect houses are being flattened and burned by cast away cigar butts. Old Mr. Bumble and his beautiful daughter Honey (Hoppity's sweetheart) are in grave danger of losing their Honey Shop to this threat. To compound their problems, devious insect "property magnate" C. Bagley Beetle has romantic designs on Honey Bee himself, and, with

1170-750: A poor Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn . He continued his education at evening high school. He received commercial art training at Cooper Union and formal art instruction at the Art Students League of New York , studying under George Bridgman . He also attended the Mechanics and Tradesman's School in midtown Manhattan . Fleischer began his career at The Brooklyn Daily Eagle . Beginning as an errand boy, he advanced to photographer, photoengraver, and eventually, staff cartoonist. At first, he drew single-panel editorial cartoons, but then graduated to

1248-442: A producer due in part to the fact that Dave had been working there as a film cutter since 1914. Max chose a political satire of a hunting trip by Theodore Roosevelt . After several months of labor, the film was rejected, and Max was making the rounds again when he was reunited with John R. Bray at Paramount Pictures . Bray had a distribution contract with Paramount at the time and hired Max as production supervisor for his studio. With

1326-588: A replacement for Costello, Lou Fleischer heard Mercer singing the Popeye theme song and gave him the job of doing the voice. Mercer's first cartoon was 1935's King of the Mardi Gras . Mercer voiced Popeye for more than 40 years, first for the Fleischers, then for Paramount 's Famous Studios cartoons (1942–1957), then for a series of television cartoons for King Features Syndicate (1961), and finally for

1404-656: A sideshow clown at Coney Island. It was one of the later tests made from footage of Dave as a clown that interested Bray. Fleischer's initial series was first produced at the Bray Studios and released as a monthly installment in the Bray-Goldwyn Pictograph Screen Magazine from 1919 to 1921. In addition to producing Out of the Inkwell , Max's position at Bray was primarily production manager, and supervisor of several educational and technical films such as The Electric Bell , All Aboard for

1482-604: A studio due to the demand for military training films, Fleischer was brought in as head of the animation department for the industrial film company, The Jam Handy Organization in Detroit, Michigan. While there he supervised the technical and cartoon animation departments, producing training films for the Army and Navy. Fleischer was also involved with top-secret research and development for the war effort including an aircraft bomber sighting system. In 1944, he published Noah's Shoes ,

1560-416: A sweet obedient child. He never got to see the entire film until it came out on videocassette, and he watched it frequently throughout his adult life. Paramount later re-released Mr. Bug as Hoppity Goes to Town . The film cost $ 713,511 to make, but by 1946 had only made $ 241,000 back, and was withdrawn from circulation. Under the reissue title, Hoppity has had multiple re-releases on home video throughout

1638-818: A year, the Fleischer brothers started experiencing mismanagement under Weiss and left the company in late 1928. Inkwell Films, Inc. filed for bankruptcy in January 1929, and Fleischer formed Fleischer Studios, Inc. in March 1929. Fleischer first set up operations at Carpenter-Goldman Laboratories in Queens with a small staff (see Fleischer Studios ). After eight months, his new company was solvent enough to move back to its former location at 1600 Broadway, where it remained until 1938. At Carpenter-Goldman, Fleischer began producing industrial films including Finding His Voice (1929),

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1716-549: The Superman series has been grossly overstated for decades on the basis of Dave Fleischer's UCLA 1968 Oral History interview by Joe Adamson. The actual figure stated in Fleischer's 1941 contract was in the $ 30,000 range, twice the cost of a Popeye cartoon. Superman was a "serious" type of cartoon that was not being made by rival studios which features anthropomorphic comic animal characters. The science fiction/fantasy elements of Superman appealed to Max's interests, finally leading

1794-497: The Motion Picture Country House in 1967. Fleischer died from arterial sclerosis of the brain on September 11, 1972, two months after his 89th birthday. In the announcement of his death, Time Magazine labeled him the "dean of animated cartoons". His death preceded the reclaiming of his star character, Betty Boop, and a national retrospective. The anthology film The Betty Boop Scandals of 1974 started

1872-730: The "Stereoptical Process", a precursor to Disney's Multiplane animation. This technique used 3-D model sets replacing flat pan backgrounds, with the animation cels photographed in front. This technique was used to the greatest degree in the two-reel Popeye Features Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor (1936) and Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves (1937). These double-length cartoons demonstrated Fleischer's interest in animated feature films. While Fleischer petitioned for this for three years, it

1950-462: The "baby" technique of singing did not originate with Kane. Fleischer's greatest business decision came with his licensing of the comic strip character Popeye the Sailor , who was introduced to audiences in the Betty Boop cartoon short, Popeye the Sailor (1933). Popeye became one of the most successful screen adaptations of a comic strip in cinema history. Much of this success was due to

2028-457: The 1970s (most with inferior image quality) to its DVD release by Legend Films , in which the studio re-titled the film again to Bugville (presumably to position against Pixar 's A Bug's Life ). The film was acquired in the 1950s by National Telefilm Associates (which became Republic) and enjoyed a renewed popularity as a staple on local "movie classics" shows such as Family Classics on Chicago's WGN. The film (as Hoppity Goes to Town )

2106-567: The 36 Song Car-Tunes 12 used the De Forest Phonofilm sound-on-film process, the first of which was My Old Kentucky Home in 1926. This preceded Walt Disney 's Steamboat Willie (1928), which has been erroneously cited for decades as the first cartoon to synchronize sound with animation. The Song Car-Tunes series lasted until early 1927 and was interrupted by the bankruptcy of the Red Seal company—just five months before

2184-518: The Beescout, Insects) and Margie Hines (Insects). Singer Kenny Gardner and actress Gwen Williams portrayed "The Human Ones", Songwriter Dick Dickens and his wife, Mary. The film received a book adaptation which was released around the same time - it features new characters along with the ones from the film and goes further on key plots. For example, in the film Honey is aware of Beetle's romantic interest, expressing dislike to him but willing to make

2262-555: The East Coast, extending as far west as Cleveland, Ohio . During this period, Fleischer invented the " Follow the Bouncing Ball " technique in his Ko-Ko Song Car-Tunes series of animated sing-along shorts. In these films, the lyrics of a song appear on screen and theater patrons are encouraged to sing along with the characters. An animated ball bounces across the top of the lyrics to indicate when words should be sung. Of

2340-620: The Fleischer Renaissance with new 35mm prints of a selection of the best Fleischer cartoons made between 1928 and 1934. This was followed by The Popeye Follies . These special theatrical programs generated interest in Max Fleischer as the alternative to Walt Disney, spawning a new wave of film research devoted to an expanded interest in animation beyond trivial entertainment. Notes Citations Also, he appears in Walt

2418-555: The Fleischers' previous film, Gulliver's Travels ), was restored from the original three-strip negatives by the UCLA Film and Television Archive , and a few art-house theaters have recently screened the restoration (which features the original titles). Turner Classic Movies channel debuted the film on October 21, 2012, transferred from an original 35mm Technicolor release print owned by the Museum of Modern Art Department of Film , for

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2496-605: The Inkwell Films, Inc. and partnered with his former animator Hal Seeger , to produce 100 color Out of the Inkwell (1960–1961) cartoons for television. Actor Larry Storch performed the voices for Koko the Clown and supporting characters Kokonut and Mean Moe. While Max appeared in the un-aired pilot, he became too ill to appear in the series, and, in poor health, he spent the rest of his life attempting to regain ownership of Betty Boop . Fleischer and wife Essie moved to

2574-463: The Moon , and Hello, Mars . And it was as production manager that Fleischer hired his first animator, Roland Crandall , who remained with him throughout the active years of Fleischer's studio. Out of the Inkwell featured the novelty of combining live action and animation and served as semi-documentaries with the appearance of Max Fleischer as the artist who dipped his pen into the ink bottle to produce

2652-501: The carrier pigeon, and the bumbling spies Sneak, Snoop, and Snitch. He played supporting characters Mr. Bumble and Swat (the Fly) for Fleischer's second feature Mister Bug Goes to Town . He was also regularly cast with Pinto Colvig (who voiced Gabby from Gulliver's Travels and the spinoff Gabby film series). Mercer also played numerous supporting characters in Fleischer's Superman series of 1941–1942. Mercer's natural voice

2730-573: The check, and the Dickens house is foreclosed . Days pass, and with nothing improved, nearly everyone in the lowlands loses faith in Hoppity's claim. Mr. Beetle discovers that a skyscraper will be built on the site, destroying both the Lowlands and his own property. He schemes to "gift" the other bugs his soon-to-be worthless property on the condition that Honey marry him. When he realizes that Hoppity

2808-576: The clown figure on his drawing board. While the technique of combining animation with live action was already established by others at the Bray Studio, it was Fleischer's clever use of it combined with Fleischer's realistic animation that made his series unique. In 1921, Max and Dave established Out of the Inkwell Films, Incorporated, and continued production of Out of the Inkwell through various states-rights distributors. "The Clown" had no name until 1924, when Dick Huemer came aboard after animating on

2886-406: The construction crew demolishes the wall, freeing the envelope. Hoppity comes to Honey's rescue, battles Beetle and his henchmen, and wins. Hoppity tells everyone what happened and manages to get the check to Mr. Dickens. "We're the Couple in the Castle" becomes a massive hit. Meanwhile, Hoppity leads an exodus from the Lowlands to the top of the skyscraper, where he believes the Dickenses have built

2964-463: The disappointing box-office of this film and the initial failures of Walt Disney 's new films Pinocchio and Fantasia (both 1940), they cancelled any potential animated feature projects. Harlan Ellison described vivid memories of having to outwit his family in order to see Mr. Bug Goes to Town for free on his birthday in his book Harlan Ellison's Watching . He credits his exploit as having fostered his rebellious nature rather than remaining

3042-470: The early Mutt and Jeff cartoons. He set the style for the series, redesigning "The Clown", and named him "Ko-Ko". Huemer created Ko-Ko's canine companion, known as Fitz, and moved the Fleischers away from their dependency on the Rotoscope for fluid animation, leaving it for special uses and reference points where compositing was involved. Because Max valued Huemer's work, he instructed Huemer to make just

3120-474: The film Gulliver's Travels at $ 500,000—the same miscalculation made by Disney with Snow White . The final cost for Gulliver's Travels was $ 1.5 million. It played limited engagements with only 24 prints in 36 theaters during the 1939 Christmas season, but grossed more than $ 3 million during the Christmas week, giving Paramount a profit of $ 1.5 million before going into foreign release. But Fleischer Studios

3198-573: The film first in the UK on January 23, 1942, under the name Hoppity Goes to Town, in California on February 12, 1942, double billed with Sullivan's Travels , and on February 19, in New York City as a main attraction . The latter two releases were only screened for a week before being pulled from theaters. Animation historian Jerry Beck argued that Mr. Bug 's performance at the box office

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3276-540: The first time on television in a special hosted by Robert Osborne and Jerry Beck dedicated to rare animated films, including Gulliver's Travels , Lotte Reiniger's The Adventures of Prince Achmed , the UPA cartoons, and the silent cartoons of 1907 to 1932 of the New York studios. The film appeared again on the channel in June 2015. Kino Lorber will release the film on Blu-ray under license from Paramount Pictures, who did

3354-612: The full strips "Little Algie" and "S.K. Sposher, the Camera Fiend". These satirical strips reflected his life in Brownsville and his fascination with technology and photography, respectively—both displaying his sense of irony and fatalism. It was during this period he met newspaper cartoonist and early animator, John Randolph Bray , who would later give him his start in the animation field. On December 25, 1905, Fleischer married his childhood sweetheart, Ethel (Essie) Goldstein. On

3432-414: The gigantic human world. In Mr. Bug , the environment is central to the picture. While the lead characters, Hoppity the grasshopper and Honey Bee, do not lead the story as clearly as Disney characters do, it is the situation that propels the plot combined with colorful supporting comical characters. Mr. Bug Goes to Town was beset by problems due to the rift between Max and Dave Fleischer that began during

3510-627: The help of his henchmen Swat the Fly and Smack the Mosquito, hatches plans to make Honey marry him or eliminate Hoppity as a romantic rival. Hoppity discovers that the songwriter and his wife are waiting for a "check thing" from the Famous Music publishing company for the songwriter's composition, "We're the Couple in the Castle". With this money they can repair the fence, saving the bug community, but C. Bagley Beetle and his henchmen intercept and hide

3588-402: The high-pitched and loud voice of the wife of one of the Fleischers after he mistakenly thought she had left the studio. When William Costello , the original cartoon voice of Popeye (1933–1935), became difficult to work with, he was dismissed. Mercer had begun imitating Costello's interpretation of Popeye, and he practiced it until his voice "cracked" just right and he had it down. Searching for

3666-460: The key poses and have an assistant fill in the remaining drawings. Max assigned Art Davis as Huemer's assistant and this was the beginning of the animation position of "inbetweener", which was essentially another Fleischer "invention" that resulted in efficient production and was adopted by the entire industry by the 1930s. It was during this time that Max developed Rotoscoping , a means of photographing live action film footage with animation cels for

3744-411: The mere mention of Disney's name, Max would mutter, "that son-of-a-bitch". Fleischer won a lawsuit against Paramount in 1955 over the removal of his name from the credits of his films. While Fleischer had issues over the breach of contract, he had avoided suing for a decade to protect his son-in-law, Seymour Kneitel, who was a lead director at Paramount's Famous Studios. In 1958, Fleischer revived Out of

3822-669: The musical Jack Mercer Winfield Bennett Mercer (January 31, 1910 – December 7, 1984), known professionally as Jack Mercer , was an American voice actor. He is best known as the voice of cartoon characters Popeye the Sailor Man and Felix the Cat . The son of vaudeville and Broadway performers, he also performed on the vaudeville and legitimate stages. Mercer began his work in cartoons as an " inbetweener ", an apprentice animator at Fleischer Studios . Mercer liked to imitate voices, including one close call when he mimicked

3900-686: The outbreak of World War I , Max was sent to Fort Sill , Oklahoma to produce the first Army training films on subjects that included Contour Map Reading , Operating the Stokes Mortar , Firing the Lewis Machine Gun , and Submarine Mine Laying . Following the Armistice , Fleischer returned to Bray and the production of theatrical and educational films. Fleischer produced his Out of the Inkwell films featuring "The Clown" character, which his brother Dave originated; he had worked as

3978-488: The perfect match of the Fleischer Studio style combined with its unique use of music. By the late 1930s, a survey indicated that Popeye had eclipsed Mickey Mouse in popularity, challenging Disney's preeminence in the market. During its zenith by the mid-1930s, Fleischer Studios was producing four series, Betty Boop , Popeye , Screen Songs , and Color Classics , resulting in 52 releases each year. From

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4056-430: The production of Gulliver's Travels . From that point on, they communicated with each other via internal memos while working in the same building. Running a major animated cartoon studio solely by written communique turned out to be "a sort of tragicomedy". Paramount was acutely aware of the problems between the Fleischer brothers and structured their contract for the completion of Mr. Bug in an unusual way, allowing for

4134-748: The recommendation of Bray, Fleischer was hired as a technical illustrator for the Electro-Light Engraving Company in Boston. In 1909 he moved to Syracuse, New York , working as a catalog illustrator for the Crouse-Hinds Company, and a year later returned to New York as art editor for Popular Science magazine under editor Waldemar Kaempffert . By 1914, the first commercially produced animated cartoons began to appear in movie theaters. They tended to be stiff and jerky. Fleischer devised an improvement in animation through

4212-470: The resignation of either brother following its completion. When Paramount renewed the Fleischer contract on May 24, 1941, a clause stipulated that the brothers deliver signed letters of resignation to Paramount to be used at the studio's discretion. Post-production concluded in Hollywood just before Thanksgiving, and Dave tendered his resignation one month before the scheduled release. Mr. Bug Goes to Town

4290-414: The result of his continued research and development that perfected the post-production method of sound recording. Several of these devices provided visual cues for the musical conductor to follow. As dialogue and songs became major elements, more precise analysis of soundtracks was possible through other inventions from Fleischer such as "The Cue Meter". Max Fleischer's Betty Boop character was born out of

4368-462: The sacrifice if it means everyone can live safely on his property away from the broken fence. In the book, Hoppity is made aware of this fact by Ambrose the Bee Scout, making Beetle's conflict with Hoppity more apparent from the start. Whether this was part of the film's script is unknown. The film also inspired a Mr. Bug Goes to Town board game and a series of trading cards. Mr. Bug Goes to Town

4446-620: The second of six children of a tailor from Dąbrowa Tarnowska , Aaron Fleischer, who later changed his name to William in the United States, and Malka "Amelia" Pałasz. His family emigrated to the United States in March 1887, settling in New York City, where he attended public school. During his early formative years, he enjoyed a middle-class lifestyle, the result of his father's success as an exclusive tailor to high society clients. This changed drastically after his father lost his business ten years later. His teens were spent in Brownsville ,

4524-454: The start of the sound era. Alfred Weiss, owner of Artcraft Pictures, approached Fleischer with a contract to produce cartoons for Paramount. Due to legal complications of the bankruptcy, the Out of the Inkwell series was renamed The Inkwell Imps and ran from 1927 to 1929. This was the start of Fleischer's relationship with the huge Paramount organization, which lasted for the next 15 years. After

4602-432: The studio into maturity and relevance for the 1940s. The early returns on Gulliver prompted Paramount president Barney Balaban to order a second feature for their 1941 Christmas release. This second feature, Mr. Bug Goes to Town , was unique, having a contemporary setting. Most importantly, it was technically and artistically superior to Gulliver's Travels . Paramount had high hopes for its Christmas 1941 release, which

4680-558: The theatrical comedy films, Fleischer produced technical and educational films including That Little Big Fellow and Now You're Talking for A.T.&T. In 1923, he made two 20-minute features explaining Albert Einstein 's Theory of Relativity and Charles Darwin 's Evolution using animated special effects and live action. In 1924, Fleischer partnered with Edwin Miles Fadiman, Hugo Riesenfeld and Lee de Forest to form Red Seal Pictures Corporation, which owned 36 theaters on

4758-443: The time-consuming and tedious process of cel inking. While ahead of his time, that same year Fleischer and Paramount experienced lost revenues owing to the failure of the new series Gabby , Animated Antics , and Stone Age , all launched under the leadership of Dave. After Republic Studios allegedly failed to develop Superman as a live-action serial, Max acquired the license that fall and initiated development. The cost for

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4836-532: The very beginning, Fleischer's business relationship with Paramount was a joint financial and distribution arrangement, making his studio a service company supplying products for the company's theaters. During the Great Depression , Paramount went through four bankruptcy reorganizations, which affected their operational expenses. As a founding member of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers , Fleischer

4914-457: Was a Polish-American animator and studio owner. Born in Kraków , Poland, Fleischer immigrated to the United States where he became a pioneer in the development of the animated cartoon and served as the head of Fleischer Studios , which he co-founded with his younger brother Dave . He brought such comic characters as Koko the Clown , Betty Boop , Popeye , and Superman to the movie screen, and

4992-449: Was affected by a five-month strike , resulting in a boycott that kept the studio's releases off theater screens until November. Having a paternal attitude towards his employees, Max took it personally, as if he had been betrayed, and thus developed an ulcer. Following the strike, Max and Dave Fleischer decided to move the studio for more space and to escape further labor agitation. In March 1938, Paramount approved Max's proposal to produce

5070-427: Was asked for his resignation. Dave had resigned following the completion of Post-production on Mr. Bug in late November 1941. Paramount finished out the remaining five months of the 1941 Fleischer contract with the absence of both Max and Dave Fleischer, and the name change to Famous Studios became official on May 27, 1942. Paramount installed new management, among them Max's son-in-law, Seymour Kneitel . Unable to form

5148-524: Was aware of the technical advancements of the industry, particularly in the development of color cinematography. Due to Paramount's financial restructuring, he was unable to acquire the three-color Technicolor process from the start. This created the opportunity for Walt Disney , who was then a small fledgling producer, to acquire a four-year exclusivity. With this, he created a new market for color cartoons beginning with Flowers and Trees (1932). In 1934 Paramount approved color production for Fleischer, but he

5226-532: Was directing 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea for Walt Disney . This brought about the honorary luncheon that united Max with his former competitor and reunited him with several former Fleischer animators who were then employed by Disney. This meeting of the former rivals seemed cordial, and Max remarked that he was very happy making educational films at this point in his career. However, in his collection of memoirs entitled Just Tell Me When to Cry , Richard relates how, at

5304-636: Was left with the limited two-color processes of Cinecolor (red and cyan) and Two-Color Technicolor (red and cyan) for the first year of his Color Classics . The first entry, Poor Cinderella (1934) was made in the two-emulsion/two-color Cinecolor Process and starred Betty Boop in her only color appearance. By 1936, Disney's exclusivity had expired, and Fleischer had the benefit of the three-color Technicolor Process beginning with Somewhere in Dreamland . These color cartoons were often augmented with Fleischer's patented three-dimensional effects promoted as

5382-416: Was likely not hampered by the attack on Pearl Harbor, but more likely by its very limited marketing and release by Paramount. Nevertheless, it resulted in the film becoming a financial failure. Paramount reorganized Fleischer Studios as Famous Studios not long after. Before the film's release, Walter Lantz , Paul Terry , and Leon Schlesinger all considered producing animated feature films, but after seeing

5460-411: Was nearby and overheard him, he seals Hoppity inside the envelope with the Dickenses' check, hiding it in a crack in a wall. Construction begins while everyone is at the wedding of Beetle and Honey; a weight from a surveyor's level that rips through the chapel causes the terrified bugs to flee back to the Lowlands, not realizing their own homes are endangered by the construction crew. Hoppity escapes when

5538-572: Was not until the New York opening at Radio City of Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (February 1938) that Paramount executives realized the value of animated features and ordered one for a 1939 Christmas release. The popularity of the Popeye cartoons created a demand for more. To meet Paramount's demands, the studio was challenged with rapid expansion, production speed-ups, and crowded working conditions. Finally, in May 1937, Fleischer Studios

5616-541: Was officially released by Republic Pictures on VHS and LaserDisc in May 1989. In Japan, the film was released on December 19, 2009 as part of Studio Ghibli 's Ghibli Museum Library . A DVD was released in April 2010 by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment in Japan, and it has been reported to be a restoration using NTA re-release elements. Recently, Mr. Bug , along with many other Fleischer-produced cartoons (including

5694-457: Was penalized $ 350,000 for going over budget, and the contract did not allow Max and Fleischer Studios participation in the foreign earnings. This was the beginning of the financial difficulties of Fleischer Studios with reduced royalties due to this debt to Paramount. In 1940, Max was relegated to business affairs and continued technical development. His efforts resulted in a reflex camera viewfinder and research into line transfer methods to replace

5772-482: Was previewed on December 5, 1941 in advance of its scheduled Christmas release. While it was well received by critics, theater operators rejected it. Two days later, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor signaled America's entrance into World War II , and the film was shelved until the following year. Three weeks later, Paramount president Barney Balaban activated Max Fleischer's resignation. Paramount finally released

5850-606: Was relatively high-pitched for a man, and he was able to do some of the female voices as well. Beginning in 1958 Mercer also provided all the voices for the Felix the Cat TV cartoons, including The Professor and Rock Bottom, produced by former Paramount animator Joe Oriolo . Mercer later worked with Oriolo on The Mighty Hercules . In addition to his vocal talents, Mercer was also a prolific comedy writer. He wrote hundreds of scripts for various cartoon series at Paramount , including

5928-470: Was responsible for several technological innovations, including the rotoscope , the " follow the bouncing ball " technique pioneered in the Ko-Ko Song Car-Tunes films, and the " stereoptical process ". Film director Richard Fleischer was his son. Majer Fleischer was born July 19, 1883, to a Jewish family in Kraków , (then part of Austria-Hungary : Austrian Partition ). He was

6006-552: Was the first animated feature to give screen credit to the voice actors. The voices were provided by actor Stan Freed (Hoppity) and Pauline Loth (Honey). The supporting characters were voiced by members of the studio staff including Jack Mercer , the voice of Popeye (Mr. Bumble, Swat the Fly, Insects), and storymen Tedd Pierce (C. Bagley Beetle, Insects), Carl Meyer (Smack the Mosquito), Pinto Colvig (Mr. Creeper, Insects), Gwen Davis and Jean Rhys (Mrs. Ladybug), Mae Questel (Buzz

6084-429: Was well received by critics during its December 5 preview. However, the exhibitors rejected it, fearing that it would not do business because it was not a Disney animated Fairy Tale. And with the bombing of Pearl Harbor two days after the preview, the original Christmas release due in three weeks was cancelled. With the cancellation of Mr. Bug Goes to Town , Max was called to a meeting with Balaban in New York, where he

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