Starring: Max Fleischer
Director: Dave Fleischer
Rating: Six of Ten Stars
After a disagreement about how urgent it is to deal with a mouse in the studio, the Animator (Fleischer) draws a monstrous spider-creature to put Ko-Ko the Clown in his place.
"Trapped" is another fun mix of live action footage and animation, with the fourth wall disintegrating between our world and the animated one. As is often the case, Max the Animator and his creation, Ko-Ko, are at odds over something, but Max seems extra petty this time around. (Watching this one will make you appreciate Ko-Ko's actions better in "The Cartoon Factory".)
When I first watched this "Trapped", I thought Ko-Ko's actions were as badly motivated as the Animator's hostility toward him; Ko-Ko's desire to see that rodent dealt with seemed a bit much--even considering that they're smelly, disease-carrying animals--but then it occurred to me that the mouse was chewing on cardboard and paper, and that Ko-Ko's entire world exists on a foundation of paper. From Ko-Ko's point of view that mouse more than just an annoyance, but something that can literally destroy his world and possibly end his existence. This makes the Animator's reaction seem all the more mean-spirited.
Of course, I could also be overthinking the whole thing, and it's nothing more than the tale of a cartoon clown worrying about a rodent infestation while fighting for his life against a bowler hat-wearing giant spider. Why don't you give me YOUR take after clicking below and spending a few minutes watching some silent movie era cartoon weirdness?
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