cult cartoons

“Bambi Meets Godzilla” is a 1969 animated short created solely by Marv Newland. The film took two weeks to make and is less than two minutes in length. It was preserved by The Academy Film Archive in 2009. The music is “Call To The Dairy Cows” from Rossini’s opera “William Tell” and the final chord of The Beatles “A Day in the Life” slowed down as half speed. As part of the ending credits Newland thanks Tokyo for their help in obtaining Godzilla for the film. There have been two sequels to the short “Bambi’s Revenge” 1971 and “Son of Bambi Meets Godzilla” 1999. The film was often paired with “Thank You Masked Man”.

Bambi vs godzilla 1:39

“Thank You Masked Man” was made in 1968. The less than eight minute cartoon was produced by John Magnuson and based on a comedy routine by Lenny Bruce. In the film townspeople get angry when, after apprehending the criminal, the Masked Man never sticks around long enough for townspeople to thank him. When a small boy manages to actually thank him the Masked Man likes the accolades and soon demands appreciation whenever he does a good deed. The routine descends into Bruce’s pushing the boundaries of homophobic fears. The film itself also ran into the same prejudices. For a time even the gay community felt that the movie was homophobic. It has since garnered a following and was shown with “Bambi Meets Godzilla” and was screened at an in-person showing of “Blazing Saddles” with Magnuson and Newland.

Thankyou masked man 7:19

“Mickey Mouse in Vietnam” was made in 1968. At a little over a minute long it is an underground American animated short. It received an award from the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen in 1970. At one time the film was believed to have been lost until in 2013 it was uploaded to You Tube. Since then the entire short with sound has been discovered and uploaded by another You Tube fan. The film centers on the Disney character Mickey Mouse and his “stint” in the Army during the Vietnam War. The music in the short is “The Gonk” by Herbert Chappell, which was popularized by George A. Romero's horror film “Dawn of the Dead” 1978 and again by “Shaun of the Dead” 2004 with Simon Pegg.

Mickey mouse in vietnam 1:15

“Bring Me the Head of Charlie Brown” was created in 1986 by Jim Reardon while he was a student at CalArts. Jim later became director and story board consultant for “The Simpsons”. He was also a co-writer for the cartoon movie “Wall-E” 2008. In the film the Great Pumpkin puts a contract out on Charlie Brown. The rest of the gang tries to cash in on it. The film is rough and looks unfinished. The ending credits music “Charlie Brown” is erroneously credited to the The Platters. The song was actually done by The Coasters. A disclaimer is also at the end of the credits: The creator of this picture wishes to state that he does not in any way wish to tarnish or demean the beloved characters of Charles M. "Dutch" Schulz's comic-strip, "Peanuts". No malice or damage to their goodwill was intended. So please don't sue me, because it will drag through the courts for years, and I haven't got a lawyer - and besides, you've already got half the money in the world, and I haven't got any. OK?

Bring me the head of charlie brown 3:19

“Schoolhouse Rock” was a series of three minute cartoons that aired on the ABC network. The shorts aired during Saturday morning children’s programming hours. Themes covered grammar, science, mathematics, civics, economics and history. The original vignettes ran from 1973 to 1984. The first of these cartoons was “Three Is A Magic Number” which aired January 1973. In 1993 to 1996 the original cartoons were again aired along with new ones. The series was the brain child of David McCall. He noticed that his son was having problems learning multiplication in school but had memorized every song lyric by The Rolling Stones. He and musician Bob Dorough as well as animator Tom Yohe put together education, animation and some catchy lyrics creating the Schoolhouse Rock series. One of the most memorable of these was “I’m Just A Bill” sung by Jack Sheldon. The short first aired March 1976.

I'm just a bill

“Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies” are animated comedy shorts produced by Warner Brothers from 1930 to 1969. The characters created by the series include Buggs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweetie Pie, Speedy Gonzales, Elmer Fudd, The Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote, Michigan J. Frog, Tasmanian Devil, Yosemite Sam, Foghorn Leghorn, Marvin the Martian, Sylvester the Cat, Pepe LePew, Gossamer the Monster, and Witch Hazel just to name a few. In all there are about 65 characters in the Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies stable. Looney Tunes was created first in 1930. Merrie Melodies began in 1931. Everyone has a favorite character. I have several.