Van Beuren cartoons vary between odd and bizarre. Red Riding Hood (1931) falls in the “bizarre” category. There’s the scene where grandma ...

Cubby Bear notices a tack in the path of his bike in Bubbles and Troubles . No problem. His bike can jump over it. Because this is a 19...

Debate, if you want, that A Toytown Tale (1931) is a Christmas cartoon. Yes, it has “Silent Night” (and “Jingle Bells”), and snow and toys,...

“Pre-Code” does not mean “Pre-Code.” The Motion Picture Production Code did not suddenly appear in 1934. There was a code in 1930, and othe...

You have to wonder what took place during story sessions at the Van Beuren cartoon studio. Jolly Fish is a 1932 short starring Tom and Jer...

Van Beuren cartoons are at their best when weird stuff happens out of nowhere. Not an awful lot weird happens on In the Park , a 1933 Tom an...

On paper, it looked like a great idea. Amadee Van Beuren decided to get out of the third-rate cartoon business, and hired Three Little Pigs...

Unexpected, funny things used to happen in early 1930s Fleischer cartoon, like a plant being watered, coming to life and waving “Thanks!” In...