George Pal
Among the legends of Hollywood, George Pal takes his place as a true visionary, an innovator and a showman who profoundly shaped the art of motion pictures. A peer of Walt Disney, Pal pioneered stop motion animation and went on to virtually invent the modern science fiction and fantasy film genres. Pal's extraordinary genius molded a dazzling array of films, which earned an incredible total of eight Academy Awards and left a cinematic legacy that served as formative inspiration for the movies of George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Gene Roddenberry.
In the Fabulous Thirties, Doc Savage and his five Amazing Adventurers are sucked into the mystery of Doc's father disappearing in the wilds of South America. The maniacal Captain Seas tries to thwart them at every turn as they travel to the country of Hidalgo to investigate Doc's father's death and uncover a vast horde of Incan gold.
An old Chinese man rides into the town of Abalone, Arizona and changes it forever, as the citizens see themselves reflected in the mirror of Lao's mysterious circus of mythical beasts.
The Grimm brothers Wilhelm and Jacob, known for their literary works in the nineteenth century, have their lives dramatized. In the movie they write a family history for a duke which includes reenactments of three of their stories including "The Dancing Princess," "The Cobbler and the Elves" and "The Singing Bone."
A Greek Fisherman brings an Atlantean Princess back to her homeland which is the mythical city of Atlantis. He is enslaved for his trouble. The King is being manipulated by an evil sorcerer who is bent on using a natural resource of Atlantis to take over the world. The Atlanteans, or rather the slaves of Atlantis, are forced to mine a crystalline material which absorbs the suns rays. These crystals can then be used for warmth. The misuse of science has created weapons out of the crystals that can fire a heat ray to destroy whatever it touches.
A Victorian Englishman travels to the far future and finds that humanity has divided into two hostile species.
A team of American astronauts leave their space station on the first mission to Mars, but the captain's religious beliefs may get in the way.
The Leiningen South American cocoa plantation is threatened by a 2-mile-wide, 20-mile-long column of army ants.
The residents of a small town are excited when a flaming meteor lands in the hills, until they discover it is the first of many transport devices from Mars bringing an army of invaders invincible to any man-made weapon, even the atomic bomb.
When a group of astronomers calculate a star is on a course to slam into Earth, a few days before, it's accompanying planet will first pass close enough to the Earth to cause havoc on land and sea. They set about building a rocket so a few selected individuals can escape to the planet.
Shortly before Christmas, a family moves into an apartment where Rupert the squirrel lives in the attic rafters. Just as it seems that the holiday will come and go without so much as a Christmas tree, Rupert acts as the family's guardian angel - not only saving Christmas, but changing their lives forever.
Postulates the first manned trip to the moon, happening in the (then) near future, and being funded by a consortium of private backers. Assorted difficulties occur and must be overcome in-flight. Attempted to be realistic, with Robert A. Heinlein providing advice.
This George Pal Puppetoon (production number U6-1) has circus veteran Wilbur the Lion retired and returned to the jungle, where the wild life does not appeal to him, so he sets out to be captured by hunters.The hunters are none too good, so Wilbur has to basically capture the hunters, in order to accomplish his goal of returning to civilization.
Woody Herman spins a fairy tale about how his Woodchopper Grandpappy Herman chopped the wood necessary to form the clarinet Woody inherited and uses. Grandpappy formed it and put out magical enchanting sounds like the Pied Piper.
Duke Ellington at the piano conducts a group of puppet perfume bottles playing his "Perfume Suite."
In this Puppetoon animated short film (an Academy Award Best Short Subject, Cartoons nominee), Tubby the Tuba is disappointed that his sound limits what he's permitted to do in an orchestra of self-playing instruments that, unlike him, get to play pretty melodies. A chance meeting with a bullfrog changes everything.
In this Puppetoon animated short film, Judy, an enticing blonde, lives across the way from Punchy and uses all her feminine wiles to try to snare him.
In this entertaining Puppetoon animated short film, a young boy, Jasper, gets trapped inside a pawnshop at midnight. All the musical instruments come to life and play jazz. A whooping wooden Indian chief self-animates as well, and goes on the warpath.
Jasper gets tough with the Scarecrow when the latter tries to steal his yo-yo. The Scarecrow, anxious to have the yo-yo just so Jasper will no longer have the yo-yo, tries a new approach, and tells Jasper the sad story of his poverty-ridden childhood, and he never owned a yo-yo. The more he talks about it, the angrier the Scarecrow becomes, so Jasper runs away, and takes his yo-yo with him.
In this Puppetoon animated short film (an Academy Award Best Short Subject, Cartoons nominee), legendary American folklore figure John Henry (voice of Rex Ingram) goes to work for the C&O Railroad, which shortly thereafter buys an automatic steel-driving engine, The Inky-Poo. John Henry matches his strength against the engine, saying that any man can beat a machine because a man has a mind. Can he prevail? In 2015 this film, deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant", was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.
The Scarecrow trades Jasper a handful of beans for his harmonica. Jasper plants the beans and climbs up the resulting beanstalk and, at the top, finds a beautiful girl in a golden cage playing a golden harp. Jasper rescues her from the Scarecrow, brings her down the beanstalk, and spends the rest of his days dancing to the music his girlfriend plays on the harp.
This one features Jasper talking to the Talking Scarecrow. The Scarecrow then tells Jasper in flashback about his show business days. You see many scenes of dancing watermelon men and other minstrel caricatures.
Jasper recovers a valuable horn, blows a few licks of "Flight of the Bumble Bee" and becomes a star.
The Scarecrow and the Crow trick Jasper out of all of his possessions. The Crow reads to the Scarecrow from Jasper's book. The Scarecrow falls asleep and dreams he is on trial for stealing Jasper's property.
1944 animated short film by George Pal, based on the book by Dr. Seuss.
George Pal’s stop motion Puppetoons were peopled with all types of characters. Two of his most popular were a pair of lovestruck kids named Punchy and Judy. Here, down-on-his-luck Punchy obtains a magical straw hat from a plucky talking horse and transforms himself into Aladdin and, with the official permission of DC Comics, Superman. Hoping to impress Judy, Punchy’s delusions of grandeur only land him in jail. The talking horse is a witness at Punchy’s trial and cajoles the judge, arresting Officer Moriarty and members of the jury to test the hat, causing their secret selves to emerge inbound, a hilarious spectacle as their unfettered dreams and desire hold sway.
Jasper is hunting in the jungle with his friend the Scarecrow. They soon spot a rabbit hole, and Jasper points the gun in the opening. What pops out of the hole is Bugs Bunny, saying "Eh, What's up, Doc?" The Scarecrow says "Why, it's Bugs Bunny," Then Bugs says, "Hey I must be in the wrong picture," and he dives back in his hole.
In this George Pal Puppetoon short, Rusty dreams of adventure in an old-West setting.
Jasper receives a musical instrument in the mail and plays a few tunes with the scarecrow.
Oscar nominated 1943 animated short cartoon directed by George Pal and written by Dr. Seuss
The Great Maestro gets to conduct more than he can compose himself to. A Puppetoon animated short film.
In this Puppetoon animated short film (an Academy Award Best Short Subject, Cartoons nominee), a young Dutch couple find their idyllic countryside being overrun by unfeeling, unthinking mechanical men and machines that lay waste to everything in their path. In 1997 this film, deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant," was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.
Mr. Strauss, with the help of the forest animals, composes his greatest waltz.
Jasper's desire for a ripe, red watermelon leads him to fabulous Watermelonland where he meets adventures that lessen his desire for watermelon and increases his wish to be back in the security of his Mammy's arms.
Jasper and the Haunted House is another George Pal Puppetoon about a black boy and his troubles. This time, the scarecrow switches a sign that leads Jasper to a haunted house instead of a deacon's place where he brings a pie.
In this Puppetoon, a wicked witch guards a sleeping beauty in her cloud castle; but while she's away a violin-playing prince sails up in his sky-ship.
Jim Dandy lands on a tropical island and falls in love with a beautiful maiden. Soon a tribe of cannibals kidnap him. A Puppetoon animated short film.
A toy soldier, distracted by a beautiful ice skater, is derelict in his duty and gets discharged. Later, when the screwball army declares war, he lucks into a chance to redeem himself.
Puppet animation of Bert Ambrose and His Orchestra performing. A Puppetoon animated short film.
The H.M.S. Hopeless engages in a pirate ship battle and becomes the H.M.S. Hopeful.
Ether Symphony is a movie that was filmed in 1936 and directed by George Pal. The movie is a Animation and Short.
George Pal animation short of the fable of Aladdin and the Magic Lamp.
And here, in this motion picture short meant to advertise Phillips radios, George Pal gives full rein to his sensibilities. As we see orchestras, bands and singers animated from Britain to the far steppes of Russia, we get a very silly view of how music is produced.
Centuries ago in the past, the witch, who doesn't like Beauty, puts her to sleep, then flies throughout the castle spreading sleep powder, placing all into slumber. Eventually we flash forward to present time: A young hepcat in a convertible tries awakening Sleeping Beauty, and everyone in the castle, with some Big Band music. Will it work? A Puppetoon animated short film.
Puppet animation film advertising Philips Radio sets. A ship steers its way to several international radio stations, where characteristic music is heard - France, Vienna, Rome, Hilversum, Beromünster, Munich and Daventry.
In this Puppetoon animated short film, a variety of music styles are heard as, in various locations, characters dance or sing.
Commercial for zigarettes with animated sequences made by George Pal.
