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Description
Show: Theatrical Film
Episode: Movie
Year: 1941

Writer(s): Dave Fleischer, Dan Gordon, Tedd Pierce, Isadore Sparber, Graham Place, Bob Wickersham, Bill Turner, Carl Meyer, Cal Howard

It's amazing how films that underperform at the box office can become legitimate classics overtime, or even forgotten to the sands of time even if they're good. I mean, Fantasia and Pinocchio: considering they were made during World War II, they seriously didn't make much money. Mr. Bug Goes to Town is an interesting entry in animated film history, to be sure; it may not be the biggest or grandest film of the time, but it does have quite the history to it to make it an admirable albeit imperfect entry.

You see, this movie was released to theatres on December 5, 1941, so it didn't have to compete with Dumbo which was released a month prior, because the Fleischer Brothers KNEW it would crush them hard! Unfortunately for them, history had other plans as two days after, Pearl Harbor was bombed by Japanese Kamikazes and, well, you know the rest. Because of this unfortunate black mark on history, the movie failed, only making back roughly 34% of a nearly $714,000 budget. In today's money, that kind of budget would amount to about $12 million with a measly near-$4 million box office. Yeah, it kind of sunk Max and Dave Fleischer big time, and as a result, Fleischer Studios closed its doors, and they had to move to make Famous Studios in 1942. But does this failure mean the movie itself is bad? No. At the time, this movie was actually only the 6th cel-animated film ever made in America and the 2nd not to be made by Disney after Fleischer's other underperformer Gulliver's Travels.

Beyond the historic significance though, I would happily say this movie is actually very well made for the time, considering the budget constraints it went through regarding Fleischer Studio's financial troubles. Yes, I'll admit the character designs for the bugs might seem a little strange (a pea on a string bean body for Hoppity, our hero), but in a way, they're actually kind of cute to me. The backgrounds of a more modern setting compared to the fairy tale aesthetics of the films of the time don't look half bad either; they even used the same modeling setup as they did for Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor, and it shows! The more contemporary New York setting for the time makes the story more believable than Gulliver, which tried and failed to emulate Disney's style due to a lot of issues behind the scenes and production, and while this film does have some Disney elements, it's largely original in its intent, compared to everything else being based on a pre-existing story.

Mr. Bug Goes to Town has a much more episodic structure than most films of the time as well, allowing it to flow more naturally and give us a better view of the insect world as it intermingles with the human world. We got the bugs desperate to find a new home to love after human development has wrecked their world, and they don't outright call humans "monsters" for this. Rather than the humans being malicious, they simply aren't aware of the bug world, like real people. With their hometown hero Hoppity returning home, the bugs have hope that they can be lead to a new life, but they also have to deal with the evil C. Bagley Beetle and his goons hoping to muscle control of the group through ruining Hoppity's good name and relationship with his sweetheart Honey Bee so Bagley can get her hand in marriage.

Really though, Bagley may be the villain, but he's no better off than the other bugs dealing with the humans; he's in the same boat as everybody else. His penthouse is in an area he claims the humans haven't tread on, so it seems like a good location for them to live. He's simply using underhanded tactics to get his way in the guise of a model citizen or villain with good publicity. This is a film that's able to mix in 3 plots very well and keep each one coherent and flowing smoothly. It also helps that where Gulliver's characters aside from Gabby were dull and low on charisma, the insect citizens all feel quirky and lively with personality. They may not be the strongest in terms character personality, but at least they HAVE personality, and you can understand what they're going through. In that way, this movie feels more like a series of connected stories or episodes as a miniseries than a full film.

The movie actually feels like it has that real Max Fleischer magic to it: it's actually trying to be its own thing and not a Disney copycat (for the most part). We also get a generous amount of pretty funny moments and slapstick that you'd expect from the Fleischer brothers here to lighten the mood of the story, keeping one of Gulliver's few positive aspects. They have this one scene where Hoppity gets electrocuted and… you just got to see it to believe it! There's also everything with Bagley’s henchmen Smack and Swat to keep the mood light and such.

Truth be told, I actually feel more for these bugs than I do the ones in A Bug's Life. We can all understand the struggles of moving and trying to find a new place to live, as anyone can tell you anything can go wrong in the process. While the humans do cause the bugs a lot of grief, it isn't out of malice, but their ignorance of their world. Still, it doesn't change how quickly everyone is to turn in Hoppity after they essentially get washed out of what he claimed was their paradise. They may see the humans as monsters, but we know better and see otherwise. Even though Bagley may not have been able to kill Hoppity directly, he did inadvertently kill his good name through a matter of circumstance where the insect community ends up trusting him!

Speaking of the humans, one of them is a pretty damn good musician! "We’re the Couple in the Castle" is a pretty charming song for the 1940’s. A perfect crooning tune honestly. A lot of the songs, while not the most memorable, sound really good. It helps both the humans Dick and Mary have professional singers as their VAs, the same goes for Hoppity and Honey. And even they get a little plot that puts the bugs at risk with their home being foreclosed upon and a building put upon the bugs lowland property. Considering all the shit these bugs get through and all, it’s no surprise Bagley would trick them into essentially taking his land for free, since his will also be at risk via construction. For some little insects, he and his cohorts are real pests with the lengths they’ll go through not just to hurt Hoppity and the other bugs, but the humans as well by stealing their check needed to keep their home! All for some sweet stinger, eh Bagley?

There are a lot times where the animation of this movie looks spectacular! Beyond the New York landscape, all the humans are given the rotoscope treatment to give them a realistic feel to bridge the two worlds together. Hell, sometimes I mistake the set pieces as if they were live-action! Given the financial troubles Max Fleischer and his crew were going through, they were able to pull off a great final picture all things considered. Hell, the very destruction the bugs endure looks absolutely STUNNING! The sight of watching these cartoony little bugs face a realistic looking construction site setting is nothing short of epic. It almost feels like they're scaling a level in a video game, and Bagley and his cronies get the hardest levels!

The ending especially gives you a nice feeling of relief when Hoppity and his friends finally get their paradise in the skyscraper with Dick and Mary getting their new home after selling that catchy song! It makes all the struggling the bugs went through really pay off! Sadly, with the Pearl Harbor tragedy and the lack of financial security, old Mr. Fleischer and his team had to close up shop when this thing went belly-up in theatres; it didn't even make much when it was reissued in 1946! But I will say this film does have some kind of happy ending for itself in some sense when we go across the seas...

As it turns out, Japan is where this film really took off! Considering how adorable all the bugs look, it doesn't surprise me in the slightest the Japanese would love this film. In fact, it was declared the 13th best animated film EVER MADE over there by a group of 140 animators during the 2003 Laputa Animation Festival. If that name sounds familiar, it should: it got a fully restored from the original three-strip negatives Blu-ray release in 2009 courtesy of a collaboration between Disney and Studio Ghibli! Even earning its own place in the Ghibli Museum Library alongside classics such as Animal Farm, Lupin the 3rd Part 1, The Triplets of Belleville and the Wallace and Gromit shorts! In fact, here in America, it's due for a full restoration this June courtesy of Thunderbean Animation; a company that normally only deals in public domain works! So you can only imagine the deal they had to make with Paramount and Viacom to get this to happen!

youtu.be/H736eBf5Bxo

Mr. Bug Goes to Town is owned by Paramount Pictures and Viacom.

1001 Animations is from

Regulas314

Description
Show: Theatrical Film
Episode: Movie
Year: 1941

Writer(s): Dave Fleischer, Dan Gordon, Tedd Pierce, Isadore Sparber, Graham Place, Bob Wickersham, Bill Turner, Carl Meyer, Cal Howard

It's amazing how films that underperform at the box office can become legitimate classics overtime, or even forgotten to the sands of time even if they're good. I mean, Fantasia and Pinocchio: considering they were made during World War II, they seriously didn't make much money. Mr. Bug Goes to Town is an interesting entry in animated film history, to be sure; it may not be the biggest or grandest film of the time, but it does have quite the history to it to make it an admirable albeit imperfect entry.

You see, this movie was released to theatres on December 5, 1941, so it didn't have to compete with Dumbo which was released a month prior, because the Fleischer Brothers KNEW it would crush them hard! Unfortunately for them, history had other plans as two days after, Pearl Harbor was bombed by Japanese Kamikazes and, well, you know the rest. Because of this unfortunate black mark on history, the movie failed, only making back roughly 34% of a nearly $714,000 budget. In today's money, that kind of budget would amount to about $12 million with a measly near-$4 million box office. Yeah, it kind of sunk Max and Dave Fleischer big time, and as a result, Fleischer Studios closed its doors, and they had to move to make Famous Studios in 1942. But does this failure mean the movie itself is bad? No. At the time, this movie was actually only the 6th cel-animated film ever made in America and the 2nd not to be made by Disney after Fleischer's other underperformer Gulliver's Travels.

Beyond the historic significance though, I would happily say this movie is actually very well made for the time, considering the budget constraints it went through regarding Fleischer Studio's financial troubles. Yes, I'll admit the character designs for the bugs might seem a little strange (a pea on a string bean body for Hoppity, our hero), but in a way, they're actually kind of cute to me. The backgrounds of a more modern setting compared to the fairy tale aesthetics of the films of the time don't look half bad either; they even used the same modeling setup as they did for Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor, and it shows! The more contemporary New York setting for the time makes the story more believable than Gulliver, which tried and failed to emulate Disney's style due to a lot of issues behind the scenes and production, and while this film does have some Disney elements, it's largely original in its intent, compared to everything else being based on a pre-existing story.

Mr. Bug Goes to Town has a much more episodic structure than most films of the time as well, allowing it to flow more naturally and give us a better view of the insect world as it intermingles with the human world. We got the bugs desperate to find a new home to love after human development has wrecked their world, and they don't outright call humans "monsters" for this. Rather than the humans being malicious, they simply aren't aware of the bug world, like real people. With their hometown hero Hoppity returning home, the bugs have hope that they can be lead to a new life, but they also have to deal with the evil C. Bagley Beetle and his goons hoping to muscle control of the group through ruining Hoppity's good name and relationship with his sweetheart Honey Bee so Bagley can get her hand in marriage.

Really though, Bagley may be the villain, but he's no better off than the other bugs dealing with the humans; he's in the same boat as everybody else. His penthouse is in an area he claims the humans haven't tread on, so it seems like a good location for them to live. He's simply using underhanded tactics to get his way in the guise of a model citizen or villain with good publicity. This is a film that's able to mix in 3 plots very well and keep each one coherent and flowing smoothly. It also helps that where Gulliver's characters aside from Gabby were dull and low on charisma, the insect citizens all feel quirky and lively with personality. They may not be the strongest in terms character personality, but at least they HAVE personality, and you can understand what they're going through. In that way, this movie feels more like a series of connected stories or episodes as a miniseries than a full film.

The movie actually feels like it has that real Max Fleischer magic to it: it's actually trying to be its own thing and not a Disney copycat (for the most part). We also get a generous amount of pretty funny moments and slapstick that you'd expect from the Fleischer brothers here to lighten the mood of the story, keeping one of Gulliver's few positive aspects. They have this one scene where Hoppity gets electrocuted and… you just got to see it to believe it! There's also everything with Bagley’s henchmen Smack and Swat to keep the mood light and such.

Truth be told, I actually feel more for these bugs than I do the ones in A Bug's Life. We can all understand the struggles of moving and trying to find a new place to live, as anyone can tell you anything can go wrong in the process. While the humans do cause the bugs a lot of grief, it isn't out of malice, but their ignorance of their world. Still, it doesn't change how quickly everyone is to turn in Hoppity after they essentially get washed out of what he claimed was their paradise. They may see the humans as monsters, but we know better and see otherwise. Even though Bagley may not have been able to kill Hoppity directly, he did inadvertently kill his good name through a matter of circumstance where the insect community ends up trusting him!

Speaking of the humans, one of them is a pretty damn good musician! "We’re the Couple in the Castle" is a pretty charming song for the 1940’s. A perfect crooning tune honestly. A lot of the songs, while not the most memorable, sound really good. It helps both the humans Dick and Mary have professional singers as their VAs, the same goes for Hoppity and Honey. And even they get a little plot that puts the bugs at risk with their home being foreclosed upon and a building put upon the bugs lowland property. Considering all the shit these bugs get through and all, it’s no surprise Bagley would trick them into essentially taking his land for free, since his will also be at risk via construction. For some little insects, he and his cohorts are real pests with the lengths they’ll go through not just to hurt Hoppity and the other bugs, but the humans as well by stealing their check needed to keep their home! All for some sweet stinger, eh Bagley?

There are a lot times where the animation of this movie looks spectacular! Beyond the New York landscape, all the humans are given the rotoscope treatment to give them a realistic feel to bridge the two worlds together. Hell, sometimes I mistake the set pieces as if they were live-action! Given the financial troubles Max Fleischer and his crew were going through, they were able to pull off a great final picture all things considered. Hell, the very destruction the bugs endure looks absolutely STUNNING! The sight of watching these cartoony little bugs face a realistic looking construction site setting is nothing short of epic. It almost feels like they're scaling a level in a video game, and Bagley and his cronies get the hardest levels!

The ending especially gives you a nice feeling of relief when Hoppity and his friends finally get their paradise in the skyscraper with Dick and Mary getting their new home after selling that catchy song! It makes all the struggling the bugs went through really pay off! Sadly, with the Pearl Harbor tragedy and the lack of financial security, old Mr. Fleischer and his team had to close up shop when this thing went belly-up in theatres; it didn't even make much when it was reissued in 1946! But I will say this film does have some kind of happy ending for itself in some sense when we go across the seas...

As it turns out, Japan is where this film really took off! Considering how adorable all the bugs look, it doesn't surprise me in the slightest the Japanese would love this film. In fact, it was declared the 13th best animated film EVER MADE over there by a group of 140 animators during the 2003 Laputa Animation Festival. If that name sounds familiar, it should: it got a fully restored from the original three-strip negatives Blu-ray release in 2009 courtesy of a collaboration between Disney and Studio Ghibli! Even earning its own place in the Ghibli Museum Library alongside classics such as Animal Farm, Lupin the 3rd Part 1, The Triplets of Belleville and the Wallace and Gromit shorts! In fact, here in America, it's due for a full restoration this June courtesy of Thunderbean Animation; a company that normally only deals in public domain works! So you can only imagine the deal they had to make with Paramount and Viacom to get this to happen!

youtu.be/H736eBf5Bxo

Mr. Bug Goes to Town is owned by Paramount Pictures and Viacom.

1001 Animations is from

Regulas314