Upa - The Jolly Frolics Collection

Cartoon lovers will rejoice to find this set of the little-seen UPA theatrical shorts. They were previously released on VHS as Columbia cartoons, as were the UPA Mr. Magoo titles, but this is the first DVD collection. A few of these shorts used to even be shown on projectors in schools, notably "The Unicorn in the Garden" by Thurber, and "The Tell-Tale Heart" based on the story by Poe. The reason they were shown, however, was because of the bold, minimalist, modern look UPA began giving its cartoons from the late 'forties" 'till the late 'fifties. They also tried to make every short look different, and for a while, to have different characters. This didn't really work, so there were repeat characters, especially Mr. Magoo, who, after winning an Academy Award, became a runaway favorite. Seen now, some of the stories fall a little flat, some of the characters are not the best, and some of the designs seem rather unfinished. That said, imagine them on the big screen, or if you can, watch them that way. Imagine them for what they were meant to be, the cartoon accompanying a movie that plays at the corner cinema and then is gone. Imagine them before the days of VHS recorders, and you'll see why people wanted to see them again. Since they were one-offs, not series with recurring characters, audiences didn't know what to expect, and the UPA logo at the beginning of a reel was almost like a character itself, leading to a surprise cartoon. This was the opposite tactic of the other studios, like Disney and Warner Bros, which played on success of a popular character. The early UPA title sequence is itself a work of art. This set includes 38 "Jolly Frolics" theatrical shorts on three DVD discs in a tri-fold slipcase, with a fourteen page booklet. The booklet suggests three books for further reading. They are When Magoo Flew: The Rise and Fall of Animation Studio UPA , Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons; Revised and Updated (Plume Books) , and Cartoon Modern: Style and Design in 1950s Animation . Why? Because Adam Abraham, author of the first book wrote the two page intro to this set; Leonard Maltin, who wrote the second book provides commentary on six cartoon shorts. Jerry Beck, who helped research that book, also put this set together and provides commentary. The third book, Cartoon Modern, is a dazzling coffee table book about the modern era of '50s cartoons UPA helped launch. Because these cartoon shorts are so individual, viewers will have their favorites. One always mentioned in cartoon books is the original Gerald McBoing Boing short by Dr. Seuss, and here is also the "Madeline" cartoon by Ludwig Bemelmens. But I was knocked out by the backgrounds on "The Wonder Gloves" and the loose design aesthetic on "Fudget's Budget", to name two lesser-known shorts. The only Mr. Magoo short included here is the first one, "The Ragtime Bear", from 1949, which won an Academy Award. But that's because of the forthcoming Mr. Magoo theatrical cartoon set, which is a companion to this collection. This set is branded "Turner Classic Movies Vault Collection", and like TCM, it's a class act which, along with Abraham's book, will help to restore UPA to its rightful place in animation history

Thank you TCM. This package is quite a treat including a good selection of the UPA cartoons presented in chronological order, a well designed booklet containing an essay on the studio as well as data on each film, insightful commentaries on several of the films AND a great selecion of bonus features. This is the first DVD animation set in my collection where the bonus features are available as videos and as computer readabel files.

Great box set of UPA films. Beautifully remastered. Packaging and insert booklet show great attention to detail. Audio commentary for select films are great insight from two of the foremost animation historians, Leonard Maltin and Jerry Beck. Highly recommended for animation and film enthusiasts alike.

I can't say it enough! I saw a few of these cartoons in grade school, around 1968 or 9, on a projector, unicorn in the garden and the frankie shot johnny. At the time, I felt there was something odd and unusual, and now, as an artist and graphic designer, I appreciate them so much more, also recapturing a bit of my childhood memories.

The technical quality of the UPA Jolly Frolics Collection of cartoons is great, although I don't see the vibrant colors of the Disney or Looney Tunes of the period. This is mostly due to a different style of animation, probably, but these don't seem to be fully restored. A few scenes here and there within the cartoons are blurred---very few, though. And despite the buildup of these UPA cartoons and their animators in the introduction by Leonard Maltin, the plotlines and characters are just ho-hum for the most part. The artwork is interesting simply because it is different from the major studios' artwork at the time, and I can certainly see the influence this style had on Jay Ward and the later Rocky & Bullwinkle animators. Only two of these cartoons really stood out to me, The Tell-Tale Heart (which is now on the National Film Registry) and Madeline, which is based on the classic children's book. I love classic short cartoons, but was overall disappointed with these from UPA.

There is a book called WHEN MAGOO FLEW: The Rise and Fall of Animation Studio UPA (by Adam Abraham -- also CONVENIENTLY available here at Amazon!) which is a marvelous history of UPA and its crazy motley of Anti-Disney-ite animators, writers, producers, directors, and storyboarders (if that's a word). But it, like this DVD, is FAR more than just Magoo-centric. After reading the book, I was aware that I'd not really paid attention to the stylistic brilliance of the cartoons (Magoo and others) when I was a kid. And I'm old enough to remember many of these 7-minute gems in movie houses! To have an opportunity to once again SEE the product resulting from the trials and tribulations behind-the-scenes of this Little-Studio-Engine-That-Could, and to connect the cartoons with the devilishly complicated politics, policies, and commitment which sparked such inventiveness was a GREAT experience. I wasn't aware of how many contemporary "real" artists of the period held the UPA work in such high esteem, for example. Or that there were a great number of political cartoons involved. Dated? Of course. Silly? Wonderfully. Sly and provocative? Surprisingly so. If you are a movie-going cartoon lover, this collection is a real treat, particularly combined with Mr. Abraham's tasty treatise.

good

I had been looking forward to this purchase and it didn't disappoint. I just wish that it were longer - I loved every minute of it. UPA's cartoonist were ahead in terms of design and effect. This is a must for any serious cartoon collector

I recommend this 3 disc set for lovers of animation, it was great to see the first Mr Magoo cartoon and the Fox & Crow cartoons + Gerald McBoing Boing, who even had his own TV Show back in 1956. A very worthwhile treasure for your collection.

Watching the cartoons in this collection took me back to a time when you used to get a cartoon in movie theatres before the main feature. I recognized quite a few of them. The animation is on par with Looney Tunes shorts of it's day. Good stuff !