Director: Otto Messinger
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars
Felix the Cat and the Animator break the Fourth Wall for seven minutes straight, giving Felix a new girlfriend and sending him to the bottom of the sea in the process.
If you've been around this blog for a while, you know how fond we are of humor that breaks the Fourth Wall. There's some of it in almost every Felix cartoon--over the course of his adventures, he detaches his tail and turns it into a flute or a club, or any number of things--but "Comicalamities" goes further into that territory than any other Felix cartoons I've watched yet.
Like the Koko the Clown films by the Fleischer Bros., "Comicalamities" mixes live action and animation. Also, like in the Koko 'toons, Felix knowns he's a cartoon character and that he can, with the help of the Animator, manipulate and alter his world to fit his needs. Unlike Koko, where the relationship with the Animator is frequently adversarial, he is at Felix's beck-and-call and always helpful.
There is very little about this excursion into strangeness that I don't like. In addition to the Fourth Wall antics--which I won't comment on because it would ruin the fun to not experience them cold--there are some nice visual puns in this film, with the scene of oysters resting on the seabed being my favorite among them. The only complaint I can think to mount against it is that I find the ending rather disturbing. It's probably the bit in the film that makes the most sense, but I still found it borderline horrific.
I've embedded "Comicalamities" for your viewing pleasure. Take a look, and if you disagree with my estimation (or if you agree), feel free to let everyone know in the comments section. (Also, maybe you can tell me what's going on with the Animator pouring ink into the ocean. Is he making it thicker so Felix can climb out? Is he making it darker so the creatures chasing Felix can no longer see him? I don't understand that scene.)
If you enjoyed that, maybe you need to treat yourself to some DVD collections of Felix cartoons that have been curated by film restorer and historian John Carpenter? They are tons of fun!
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You actually posted this on Felix’s 102nd birthday! This is one of my favorite Felix cartoons because of the byplay between Felix and Otto Messmer, and I actually like the ending. I know someone who saw this in a theater at a cartoon revival show, and she laughed out loud at it. I’m not sure about the ink being poured in the sea, either. If I had to guess, I’d say Otto Messmer made the sea darker so the creatures wouldn’t see Felix? Thanks for the post! I did a birthday post on Felix today for my blog, Felixat100.com I’ll look forward to reading your other posts.
ReplyDeleteI would like to claim that I intentionally made a celebratory post, but I had no idea! (The post was actually originally slated for Friday, but I moved it up to keep some variety in the content!) It worked out spectacularly, though, and thanks for letting me know about this date. I will have to make an INTENTIONAL Felix post on it next year. :)
DeleteThanks for stopping by and commenting--and I'll be sure to check out your post and blog!