Rankin Bass' Swiss Family Robinson

Just sit right back, and you’ll hear a tale. The tale of a fateful trip, that started with…the Swiss Family Robinson? OK, the full non-musical version. Despite synopsis would be shorter than the song.

The Swiss Family Robinson got shipwrecked, and crashed safely at a group of rocks at an island nearby.

5 years later, the youngest one hasn’t gone through vocal puberty. A Pelican has a note on its leg to reveal another strand passenger. They found the passenger named Emily Montrose, as she rides on ostrich. The ostrich’s ride them all back to the family Robinson, as Emily’s ostrich deal with a snake.

I was aware of the story of Swiss Family Robinson with a family trapped on an island, though I didn’t have such an interest. There was a Disney version, but it’s one of many live-action films that people mentioned the least aside from the Ostrich Rider. Even then, Disney already had an Ostrich rider then with Harpo Marx in a Polo Match then, and has a video game version of an Ostrich rider now with Prince of Persia. Hell, even the book cover of this episode would have the ostrich and the youngest boy. That’s how small their impression is!

The description of the Swiss Family Robinson is the example of a “perfect family”, which people have grown less favor for good reason; they’re less realistic and relatable. These families can be easily compared to The Brady Bunch, The House on Prarie Hill, Stepford Wives, and all the family in 50’s live TV shows. Any other stories involving a small family would either have cabin fever without pancakes, have extreme melodrama, go insane for hunger, or deal with a Black Puff of smoke.

This is why families in films became more relatable by being mostly dysfunctional or otherwise. Families such as Duckman, the McCalister in Home Alone, The Incredibles, and the Simpsons. Speaking of which, which version of Swiss Family Robinson was Bart talking about? 

“It’ll be like the Swiss Family Robinson, only with more cursing!”

-Bart Simpsons.

This film, as well as this story is boring. The family interaction isn’t interesting, the brothers interacting aren’t.

Emily started to get interesting, but by time she got connected to the Robinson, she just mostly stood there. Granted, there’s nothing she can do against a snake, but her time alone in the tropical island could have made her either crazily savage or female Tarzan. We rarely ever get a Jungle Gal, that isn’t a Morphing Japanese School Girl voiced by Rika from Digimon season 3.

Maybe I just can’t get interested in any Robinson, as proven with Lost In Space and Meet The Robinson. The only Robinson I can be interested is Edward G. Robinson (OK, less on him, but more on Chief Wiggum) and Tony Robinson of Blackadder. Just skip this Swiss Family Robinson, you’re not missing much!

Next up is Sleeping Beauty. Please this better be a step up from this!

The Ballad of Paul Bunyan

Now let’s talk about the Ballad of Smokey the Bear! Wait- I already review that film with a little miracle with a gorilla of a threat of the close size. What I meant to say, “Let’s talk about the Ballad of Paul Bunyan”.

Uncle Fred tells the Ballad of Paul Bunyan. A bully giant of a gorilla brute named Panhandle Pete is running/ ruling the lumberjack business. (OK, this one is less hairy)

Two of his workers named Watson Stump and Kelly found a “giant” baby at Contrived Convenient Currents. (It’s a clean current this time around.) The workers became two uncles to raise the giant baby named Paul Bunyan.

As Paul grew, while Watson and Kelly is barely notice from their absence for 20 years, Paul found a meteor. There was something very magical about the meteor, something very special that Paul can make an axe out of. So Paul discards his homemade football, and start carving his axe with his bat. (OK, the last part was Homer Simpsons’ origin of the Wonder Bat in reverse. He did make an axe with the meteor though.)   

Paul decided to challenge Panhandle Pete to a contest to be the chief Easter Bun… I mean the best giant lumberjack.

The contest is probably the most entertaining of the film.to see two giants fight in different challenges with Log Roll, Arm Wrestling, and Log Chop.

There isn’t much to spoil in this version, but Paul Bunyan wins, and made the Niagara Falls.

“Niagara Falls. Slowly I turn, step by step, inch by inch….”

-reacted by Moe of Three Stooges, Abbot of Abbot & Costello, people in Hardcore Kid’s review of Top Cat (including Linkara, and me dressed as supposedly Harvey Finevoice, but end up looking like Elroy Blues.), etc..

Paul Bunyan isn’t that interesting of a good nature character, as of Panhandle Pete. Somehow we spent more time with Watson and Kelly than the title character, and most they did on-screen was giving him a clothing at certain age.

I hate to compare it to Disney version, as it kept boosting their favors’, but their Paul Bunyan is told better. The Ballad was told by different people who were involved in different era of Paul. First was during Paul’s childhood with the entire town raising him, second was during his start of his career, and third was at his competition with Virgil with his chainsaw that he realistically (to an extent given the giant size) lost the battle, as have most legend. Just to show technology can beat the old ways of progress. Paul has lost, but he still continues his life with his bully, Babe. Speaking of Babe, that bull was only seen as a statue in this version. So timeline with the legend, Niagara Falls was the first thing made by Paul before he made Babe? On a side note, it’s funny that in the Disney version that some of the residence was voiced by Dallas McKennon, who voiced the first Tony the Tiger, while one of background music is sung by the Mellomen, and the voice of Paul Bunyan is one of them as Thurl Ravencroft, the second voice of Tony the Tiger.

Now if you want a funny version, you’ll obviously guess I choose the Simpsons version with Homer Simpsons as Paul Bunyan.

The Rankin Bass’ version of Paul Bunyan, you may like it in an OK sense, unless you’re a strict environmentalist that would hate the sight of anything involve harming trees, even the behind the scenes of the animation process with the large amount of papers to sketch out every frame of a scene, then you may hate this film and story. As shown as minority.

Let’s switch from a tall tale to what should be a short story to be made shorter with the Swiss Family Robinson.

Rankin Bass' Puss In Boots

I doubt anything from this film would get a cat meme, because this is Rankin Bass’ Puss In Boots.

A teenager boy named Jacque and his cat came to town. What caught the boy’s eyes in the parade is Princess Trophi (OK that’s not her real name, it’s Melody, but that’s what she is, and I need a variety of names for the damsel.) He paid cheaply with one gold coin to a cobbler for new shoes, but the cobbler made a child size shoes. There must have been some magic in those little shoes they bought, for when they placed it on cat’s feet, he became to speak his thought. Thus Tabby the Cat became the Puss In Boots, or Orlando is his real name. Puss In Boots uses his wisdom, luck, and pluck to pretend Jacque to be the Marquise of Carabas. Orlando got to the ogre to for his castle.  

Puss In Boots, at least the cat himself reminds me of Heathcliff, or at least since he exist before Heathcliff’s series exist, in fact, Rankin Bass’ Puss In Boots existed a year before Heathcliff was made into comic form. The closest existing Cartoon Cat I would compare before this film was either Sylvester or Top Cat in terms of the accent and wit.  He’s what makes this special good.

The story is based on the original story of Puss In Boots that this version follows close, a lot closer than the CGI version with William Shatner. Somehow, they both have their human boy hiding naked. (You know, for kids!) Nowadays, when people hear this particular story, they would think Aladdin; the teen boy pretends to be royalty with a supernatural character. Dreamworks Puss In Boots from Shrek 2 would be an upgrade from proto-Heathcliff to Zorro, and by ditching his human. OK, that's quite a stretch since there's many Puss In Boots between this version and Dreamworks version, so later we can judge it through evolution. It would help the characters to have an occupation as a hero/ bounty hunter to be enough to have his own film and TV show. Though upon realizing, Dreamworks’ Puss In Boots wouldn’t work as an ogre hunter since Shrek and Fiona was the only ogre in that film, while questioning where was the other ogre in Shrek 4 Ever? Maybe Puss uses his wit to be a liar that he slayed an ogre, after he left Humpty.

Overall, this is a decent version of the story, and I do recommend this. If you’re not interested in the main human characters, you’ll have a brief fast forward to get to many better parts. If you’re not interested in cat characters, then this is the shortest film for you, mostly dog and people lovers, not counting a Mog.

The next episode is episode 10, The Ballad of Paul Bunyan. Where’s episode 9? I’m saving that for Christmas,

Rankin Bass' Jack O' Lantern

We finish the Halloween Trilogy with the fifth episode of Festival of Family Classic with Jack O’ Lantern.

A grandpa tells the story him and his sister live in a dry farm. They found a living pumpkin named Jack O’ Lantern as it’s a leprechaun in disguise of a seed to grow into a pumpkin. Jack is protecting their farm from the ghost and goblins from a witch named Zelda (no relation to Hilda and Sabrina.) and warlock named Archibald, who’s destroying their crops.

Wait, a leprechaun in a Halloween film? Quick, hide Warrick Davis from a film with Jennifer Gardner. Yes I know Halloween descent from Ireland, despite majority would connect leprechaun closer to St. Patrick’s Day than any other holidays. I hope there isn’t another leprechaun film to be set outside of St. Patrick’s Day.

(Rankin Bass’ Leprechaun’s Christmas Gold.)

Soon I shall review it close to the end of December.

Jack O’ Lantern is a likable Pumpkin Scarecrow, as I haven’t seen the likes of him for Pumpkin Characters. He has a close parallel to Samhain in design and Halloween folklore.

“I AM HALLOWEEN!”

-Samhain from the Real Ghostbuster.

The animals were very distracting. They do something, but mostly at the end. Yet the kids don’t question their grandpa that the animals can speak this whole time. The kids (more on Michael than Colleen) could be taken out of the story, except Grandpa is telling the story and witness Jack O’ Lantern. Then again, it’ll be a short TV episode if it’s just Jack O’ Lantern protecting an empty farm.  

Zelda the Witch is simply the Wicked Witch of the West, specifically the MGM version, not the Tale of the Wizard of Oz. Archibald the Warlock is a decent wimp, more than I can say for Felix the George Bailey in terms of usefulness. If the witch was successful with her spells, then the kids in the story would be burnt or frozen to death, while their grandkids would question how they survive.

“Grandpa, if you got frozen to death, how did you and Grandma survives to today?”

-Grandson, voiced by an impression of Billie Mae Richard.

“Well that’s simple, I wait awhi…..”

-Grandpa, as he fades away whiles he’s about to explain. The grandkids are confused as they fade away too.

 

Now if I had to choose out of the Rankin Bass Trilogy on which is the best and worst, Mad Mad Mad Monsters would be the best, as Mad Monster Party would be the worst. Jack O Lantern would be in-between. It’s not padded with mostly forgettable music, but it’s not mostly funny either. It’s just a simple story to fill in mostly 21 minutes for TV. I give it credit it’s the unique of the three since it’s not a remake of the first version, or relying on popular movie monsters aside from the Witch. I doubt this is one of those stories to be remade a feature length film, as Pumpkin characters are either side character for Oz, an evil icon of a ghost or Yugioh card, or jump into a pool of assuming acid to become Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King.

I’m glad to see this Pot of Gold of a Halloween film, but I’m unlucky to see it as OK, and hard to find it on DVD. Jack O Lantern is up on Youtube for you all to judge for ye self. Happy Halloween and stay tune as I hope to finish the rest of the Festival of Family Classics starting with Puss In Boots, the rest of the non-Holiday specials with the Hobbits, and The Mouse of Mayflower.

Mad, Mad, Mad Monsters

Our second Halloween is Rankin Bass’ first animated Halloween film, Mad Mad Mad Monsters. Not to be confused with Mad Mad Mad Comedian, ironically this is a little funny.

Dr. Frankenstein creates the Bride for the Frankenstein Monster to be married. His assistance, Igor is jealous that he wants a girlfriend.

The Doctor invites all the monsters he knows to his party for the unveiling of his masterpiece. Wait, didn’t summarized this story before? Yes, this is mostly an exact plot to Mad Monster Party. In fact, this may be a prequel, despite continuity barely exist in the 70s. There is a major difference. The party is set at Transylvania hotel. *sigh* A human Hotel Transylvania, not Adam Sandler’s Dracula’s. Speaking of which, Dracula has a son, and the Invisible Man has a wife and son.

It was tricky to find a whole film online. Youtube only have the first 8 minutes. Thankfully, OVGuide has the full version, despite some scenes are out of order and has Jack O Lantern at the end.

Bob McFadden voiced Dr. Frankenstein sound as close as Boris Karloff. Fitting him also voices Franken Berry, and he would later voice Jingle Bell in Year Without Santa Claus. Of course Karloff wouldn’t reprise the role since he died after Mad Monster Party. Surprisingly, Allen Swift lends his voice for this film too, as he was Dracula, Invisible Man, Igor, Frankenstein, and the Werewolf. Dracula voice this version is at a deep Bela Lugosi, which sounds closer than Mad Monster Party’s Dracula that’s high pitch in comparison.

The human in this film is a Mailman Harvey, and the Bellhop, Norman (voiced by Bradley Bolke, who would later voice Jangle Bell). Harvey is the paranoid guy to deal with the monsters rather if they’re real or not. Norman is a monster fanboy, and it’s enjoyable to see his idols stay in the hotel he works for. Somehow they’re more likable straight men than Felix the George Bailey, because they’re useful in their jobs, one fear the monsters as one adore them, and aren’t doing the obnoxious ritual of curing his allergies.

The Bride of Frankenstein has a simple beautiful design, at least overall for the body. The face is mostly hidden through-out the film. When she does reveal her face at the end, she’s kind of adorable. Beautiful and Adorable is one of a perfect combination for a charming maiden. She might have some Klasky Cstupio kind of design, as long I don’t imagine Angelica from Rugrats.

Now, do I like this more than Mad Monster Party? Well that’s a hare to split between a groundbreaking Monster Stop-motion films vs. what could be an animated prequel than a remake.

Little Tibia and the Fibians singing “It the Mummy” is probably better than the Grim Reaper band in music and animation.

I hate to say this, but Phyllis Diller is better than Nagatha, the Invisible Woman. Phyllis Diller is herself, yet she’s part of the plan to be Dr. Frankenstein’s successor, but is a standout than an Alice clone from the Honeymooners. Even Wilma from the Flintstones is more evolved than her. I’m mostly assuming she’s voiced by Rhoda Mann, since they’re only two main and two human women in the film that she voiced all; The Invisible Woman, the Bride of Frankenstein, Rich fat lady, and teenage Karen(?). There’s a scene where the Creature from the Swamp plays in a pool with a woman, who I swear is a grown up Karen from Frosty the Snowman. They do grow up in the most delightful way. 

If I do have to choose which one, it would have to be Mad Mad Mad Monsters as it’s more entertaining, more likable, and it’s funnier to an extent than Mad Monster Party. If you do get to see both versions, check them. For me, this is graveyard smash from Rankin Bass.

Mad Monster Party?

It’s time to review the first of the Rankin Bass’ Halloween Trilogy, the seventh Rankin Bass film, as well as the very first pure Halloween Stop-Motion Movie, Mad Monster Party!

The Doctor Baron Von Frankenstein (played by Boris Karloff) invites all the monsters he knows to his party/ convention for the unveiling of his masterpiece at the Caribbean island; an atomic chemical that’ll explode on contact, even trenched on a living being such as a raven.

The monsters he invites are Dracula, the Mummy, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, the Wolfman, the Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the creature of the Swamp, and a human named Abbot and Castello.. I mean Felix Flankon, the Baron’s wimpy and mostly useless nephew, as I’ll call him Felix the George Bailey.

Residence to Baron Von Frankenstein are his creations of Frankenstein Monster, The Monster’s Mate (played vocally and designed after Phyllis Diller), Francesca (played by Gale Garnet), and zombies with one of them being Peter Lorre named Yetch. The rest of the film would have all the monsters to fight each other to reveal whose Dr. Frankenstein’s successor dead or alive.

While this is the first of the theatrical stop-motion pure Halloween feature length film, it’s the last of Rankin Bass theatrical movie, the last time we hear the great Boris Karloff in Rankin Bass films, but we wouldn’t have another Pure Halloween stop-motion film until probably Corpse Bride. Granted, we had other Halloween films with a mix of stop-motion such as Evil Dead 2, Return to Oz, It, etc., which was natural for special effect at the time before relying on CGI and predictable jump scare. Upon realizing, most of the horror family picture are mostly bombs, along with most of the Disney horror films with Watcher in the Wood, Something Wicked This Way Comes, etc.. I don’t have a theory why Halloween Stop-motion films are a rarity. Maybe there’s no story involving monsters for an hour and half without padding, which this film does with the chef’s scenes, Felix’s repetitive scenes, and most of the music. The songs are mostly forgettable, except Little Tibia & the Fibians’ “It’s The Mummy”. Most of the music’s’ purpose was for padding, as it was said in the commentary. Maybe television was safer to do Halloween specials than to be bombed in theaters.    

The designs are each of the monsters are unique and captured the detail of the Universal Monsters close to the T, even King Kong- oh wait, I mean “It” due to copyright that they won’t acquire years later in TV. The design of Dracula with his monocle would later influence another Dracula five years later, Count Von Count from Sesame Street. Unlike most other monsters films would design the monsters to look like pretty models such as Twilight, “I, Frankenstein”, or Tom Cruise in the recent Mummy film. The setting has a haunting Hammer style of film, gray yet detailed sceneries, and it’s a different tone for Rankin Bass with a mallow sorrow. What are really distracting are the strings on the characters. Majority of Rankin Bass film is where you barely see the strings possibly due to the white North Pole background that helps blend it, but since the background in Mas Monster Party is mostly gray than black, you can easily see the lighting or shadow on the strings. Their flying scenes in the climax are underwhelming. It’s strange that Rankin Bass can animate flying reindeers or reinsnake better than Wright Brothers style planes. Even Puppetoons can do better flying scenes in Tulip Shall Raise.

I first watched this film on all of channel on TCM. Yes, not Fox Family, not ABC Family, and never Freeform to fill in their bottomless list of Hocus Pocus that makes people want to shout, “I’ll watch Hocus Pocus every single Halloween!” It’s TCM. It’s very odd, yet it’s not the only one with The Wacky World of Mother Goose, which I missed it and couldn’t find it on DVD. I was aware of Mad Monster Party when I remember spotting them on VHS in Blockbuster. Though my dad was against renting it as I assume he didn’t like and any non-Christmas Rankin Bass films aren’t worth it. Judging with some of non-Christmas Rankin Bass films I’ve review so far, I can see some of his points.

Mad Monster Party is an interesting Cult Classic film. It’s not a Halloween film I would willingly pop as much as the Simpsons Halloween Specials, Daffy’s Quackbuster, or other underrated Halloween films online. Some scenes drag and go nowhere, but there’s some neat stuff Mad Monster Party has to offer. If you want to see a stop-motion film with all the monsters you know together, you’ll watch this film, but you’ll watch Nightmare Before Christmas more than this film; the groundbreaking Holiday connecting film I’ve grown to hate yet it became a little more favorable overtime. If you wanted to see an animated film of with all the monsters you know together, well in general, you might go to the Hotel Transylvania films or Frankenwennie in terms energy it has more of. In terms of animated 2D version of the similar premise, there’s “Scooby Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf”, or our next film to review, Mad Mad Mad Monster.

If you do have interest in Mad Monster Party, give it a watch for this Halloween, or March in their original film release for some reason.

Rankin Bass' Around the World In 80 Days

Let’s get packing for another tale from Jules Verne with Around the World in 80 Days.

Phileas Fogg made a deal with the Reform Club to travel around the world in 80 Days. He and his partner, Patu will travel through-out Europe, Asia, and US to return to England in 80 Days. Our heroes get chased by Detective Thicks to arrest him for “stealing” Twenty Thousand Pounds. Along the travel, they meet a monkey, an elephant, an Indian princess named Aouda, and other obstacles.

Phileas is a great. He’s always prepared on every part of the journey, even at a few hiccups here and there. If he was too perfect, then he would found every way to travel quicker than 75 Days with plenty of deux ex machina. Someone else such as Santa Claus or XJ9 would travel around the world in 80 minutes. I was almost disappointed that they didn’t go to every place in 80 Days, but only the places that have a means of transportation to get there as possible. That’s pretty much the charm of Jules Verne’s story is the different ways to have an adventure. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is the adventure to the sea, Journey To the Center of the Earth is an excavation, From Earth to the Moon is to space exploration, so this makes Around the World in 80 Days is a global adventure. Though they’re more groundbreaking in live-action than animation in life, unless they made a groundbreaking animated film to adapt Jules Verne least popular story.  

The villain, Detective Thicks is of course forgetfully generic. He’s just a conflict to what could have been a too perfect kind of adventure. If he wasn’t in it, the story would be too perfect that it’s boring. If he’s in it, he may drag unless he’s different than what we got.

Would this animated version get me hooked for the original live action version? It’s most likely no. I was partly introduce to the name with Simpsons, while story was introduce to me in either an episode of Pinky and the Brain, and Tweety’s High Flying Adventure. On a side note, “High Flying Adventure” should be a dead term we need to stop using. However, if you want a funny version of the story, go to The Great Race with the funny villain, Professor Fate, played by Jack Lemon.

It’s an OK version of the story of Around the World in 80 Days. Sorry if many of them would only get an OK review, but it’s what the Festival of Family Classics is all they offer so far. It’s not like they would adapt a terrible story or go lazy with character designs. Ha ha, ha!

*the design of Phileas appeared sliding next to Dr. Staywell (Johnny Appleseed) and Professor Hinkle (Frosty the Snowman).*

Exact character design to be lazy is worst!  

Now let’s travel our next film to review to see some Puss in Boots….wait, we’re in October? Crap, I got bored and depressed in a town and business of nothing! OK, we’ll return to our regularly schedule to review the HALLOWEEN TRILOGY!!! Stay afloat to a party, A MAD MONSTER PARTY?!