Bottles

"We don't feel like safe and tidy/No one here will change our di-di/That's the reason why/All we do is cry...." These 1930's MGM Harman-Ising cartoons, with their lush Technicolor hues, are still waiting to be discovered by cartoon fans. Many have but the thinnest of story lines to hang onto, but the musical numbers in this one--to say nothing of the innumerable puns (the "baby bottles," the "shaving mug," the "smelling salts," etc.) take the prize for sheer invention. (Or, perhaps, sheer audacity.) Genuine suspense, too, in the climax. So when's Time/Warner going to put out the "Happy Harmonies" shorts into a complete DVD collection??

Love animation, it was a big part of my life as a child, particularly Disney, Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry, and still love it whether it's film, television or cartoons. While Hugh Harmon and Rudolf Ising didn't go into daring, controversial subject territory very often, when they did the results were often quite surprising in a good way. Their output was inconsistent, some very good and more cartoons but also some rather mediocre ones, which was apparent in the Happy Harmonies series.

One of the best Happy Harmonies cartoons is one of the most daring and imaginative ones 'Bottles'. It did remind me a little of 'Pipe Dreams', which also tackled a bold subject where one really thinks of the consequences of doing what is being addressed even at a time where attitudes were different at the time. Except to me, 'Bottles' is the superior cartoon, it is not as ahead of the time or racy in content but it is more inventive and there is more of a "know what approach to take to the material" sense.

Sure, 'Bottles' is slight in story and the times where it goes into cute territory does go too far on the cutesiness and felt out of place (the baby bottle song could easily have been left out.

The animation however is great, have not seen surrealism done this imaginatively, colourfully and uncompromisingly in animation for some while. It disturbs but also intoxicates. The music is outstanding, lush, characterful with the odd haunting moment.

'Bottles' never fails to be entertaining and the surrealistic creepiness while very, very strong is not overdone or too traumatising. Loved it when the poisons came to life and the duet sequence is memorable. While the story is best forgotten, the cartoon is always very energetic and highly atmospheric. The objects/characters have a lot of personality.

In conclusion, very well done and surprisingly so. 8/10.

1936 was the year Harman and Ising began to create good cartoons, but they remained wedded to a sentimental childishness that stopped them from achieving great cartoons. Ising would eventually overcome that, but Harman never quite did. Here, the problem is that we know the main character is sleeping, so his dreaming peril is not as frightening as it might be.

The best thing about their cartoons from this period is their lush use of Technicolor. While this is not so over the top as TO SPRING, it shows some excellent visual glosses.

The middle of this cartoon is a common one for Harman-Ising and for Schlesinger in this period: the contents of a bookstore, row of billboards or, in this case, the various brands in a drugstore. Some of them are still current. Enjoy spotting the ones you know.

Harman and Ising largely developed the midnight in the store trope during their WB years. Disney also utilized it, but not to the extent that Harman and Ising, and by extension WB, did.

BOTTLES continues this idea; this time in a chemist's laboratory. This short strongly benefited from the use of three-strip Technicolor, which was recently unleashed to Hollywood after Disney's trial period ended. Much like Disney's earlier short THE CHINA SHOP, the glass/ceramic characters are convincingly animated as such.

The mood goes from sinister to light hearted, much like what Disney would achieve in the features.

One of the best Happy Harmonies and most polished of the inanimate objects come to life cartoons.

In a stormy night, a pharmacist in a drug store mixes a concoction and falls asleep. Various inanimate objects come alive while he is miniaturized.

This MGM Happy Harmonies cartoon is created by Hugh Harman. It's 10 minute. It's fun but it's always going to be a dream. It's really an exercise in having fun with the variety of bottles. As in most cartoons of that era, there are some old fashion racial insensitivity which is par for the course. If Aunt Jemima is only changing now, one can't expect better from this 85 years old cartoon. The bigger issue is that it's never not a dream. The ending is inevitable.