Mintz had begun his version of Disney’s Silly Symphonies in 1934 with the Color Rhapsodies in two-component Technicolor. Now the artists at the Screen Gems studio could try to match Disney, not only in elaborate animation, but in hues.
Bon Bon Parade was officially released on December 5. Several print stories at the time said it was perfect for the holiday season, with the plot revolving a poor child being granted his wish to go to Candyland. It’s not really a Christmas cartoon, despite the appearance of Santa and his reindeer, and Joe De Nat using “Jingle Bells” on the soundtrack; the Easter Bunny and a 4th of July scenario also appear.
St. Nick is made of gelatin.
The star of the cartoon isn’t the child or Santa Claus. It’s Technicolor. Colours constantly change and director Manny Gould uses as many as he can. Balls are shot into the air from a cannon, explode and fall. The colours change with each explosion.
One of the balls evidently thinks it’s in the Bronx instead of Candyland. It gives the local cheer, transitioning from blue to purple to red, then exploding again.
At the time of the original release, trade papers rated the cartoon “splendid” and “excellent.” But that’s because those dazzling colours (outside of Disney) were new on the screen. The novelty, of course, eventually wore off, and when the cartoon was re-released in the late 1940s, The Film Daily rated it “fair.”
Strip away the colours, and the problem with the cartoon is easy to see. There’s no story. After the kid is shrunken and seemingly imprisoned forever in Candyland, it’s just what the title says—a parade of things made out of candy to a male chorus singing about it (Ben Harrison is credited with the story). The idea of candy-as-objects wasn’t original, even during the original release.
Still, the use of colour and the effects animation are ambitious, and a restored version of the short is worth a look. A shame only Gould is credited.
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