8mm Forum: The First Technicolor Cartoon

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Posted by Guy Taylor, Jr. (Member # 786) on July 30, 2009, 07:42 AM:

Just heard this on our local radio station.

It was on this date today July 30th when "Flowers and Trees" the first ever technicolor cartoon was released by Walt Disney.

That was back in 1932.

Posted by Ricky Daniels (Member # 95) on July 30, 2009, 08:49 AM:

Guy,

Just to clarify this was the first eye popping 3 COLOUR Technicolor cartoon. [Eek!]

Rick

Posted by Guy Taylor, Jr. (Member # 786) on July 30, 2009, 09:01 AM:

You are quite right.

No doubt there was some color tinted cartoons back in the silent period.

I'm not sure if the two color technicolor process had ever been used on a cartoon previously.

If I remember correctly, some of the old Betty Boop cartoons were the two color process. They might of pre-dated Disney's "Flowers and Trees."

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on July 30, 2009, 09:23 AM:

Rick, Guy, you are both right.

There were two strip technicolor color cartoons, and we are lucky enough to be able get one of them on Super 8!

It's "Fiddlesticks", 1930. It went into production late in 1929. The very first cartoon of the Ub Iwerks cartoon studio.

He had just broke with Disney. He was fed up with Disney getting so much of the credit for MIckey, since Ub had completely animated Mickey for his first three or four cartoons, (and most of the later ones as well through 1929), but it became apparant that great solid animation without great characters to invest the gags in wouldn't work, a painful lesson Ub Iwerks learned with his "Flip the Frog" series and other following series.

The cartoon is curious in that it also has a blatant rip-off of Mickey doing a duet, Flip on Piano and the Mouse playing violin, red pants and all! Though he facially doesn't look too much like Mickey, the copying is obvious!

Anyhow, "Fiddlesticks" had a very good range of colors, considering the two strip process. Blackhawk released a very good L.P.P. print of this cartoon in they're "silver box" collection from the early to mid 80's, of which I have a copy.

Also, Walter Lantz did a two strip color cartoon, 1930 as well, which comprised the beginning 6 or so minutes of the "King of Jazz" film, in which it tells how the lead in the film became the King of Jazz, (Paul Whiteman, I believe). It was well animated and it got more great reviews than the film that accompanied it.

Even with two strip technicolor, it was VERY cost prohibitive.

Walt held out until late 1931, when he got word, (he kept in constant contact with the company), that a three strip technicolor process was perfected. He saw the tests, and went ahead with production of "Flowers and Trees". It really was a rather unremarkable cartoon, except for the fact that it was in brilliant color, of course, but back then, that was enough.

Posted by Ricky Daniels (Member # 95) on August 12, 2009, 02:15 AM:

Hey Osi, Thanks for the clarification.

...and guys I've also (in my preview theatre days) run reduction copies of Warner Bros. cartoons from the very late 20's/early 30's made in a 2 color process, probably 2 color Technicolor too?

[Smile]

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on August 12, 2009, 09:04 AM:

Ricky

It must have been the 1934 cartoon, "Honeymoon Hotel" in which two honeymooning Bugs want to get it on, but the hotel staff, a fire and other mis-haps keep them from pitching some "woo". It was the very first color Warners film and it was done in the two-strip technicolor film.

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