The Puppetoon Movie

The Puppetoon Movie
DVD cover
Directed by	Arnold Leibovit
Written by	Arnold Leibovit
Produced by	Arnold Leibovit
Starring	voices of Dick Beals Art Clokey Paul Frees Dallas McKennon
Music by	Buddy Baker
Production company	Arnold Leibovit Entertainment
Distributed by	Expanded Entertainment[1]
Release date	June 12, 1987 (1987-06-12)
Running time	79 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The Puppetoon Movie is a 1987 animated film written, produced, and directed by Arnold Leibovit. It is based on the Puppetoons characters created by George Pal in the 1930s and 1940s which feature the eponymous Puppetoon animation, and features Gumby, Pokey and Arnie the Dinosaur, who host the framing story.[2] Its framing story stars the voices of Dick Beals, Art Clokey, Paul Frees and Dallas McKennon as the main characters.[3]

The original 1987 release of The Puppetoon Movie contained 11 Puppetoons.[4] The 2000 DVD release included 9 additional Puppetoons and the 2013 Blu-ray release added 7 more.[5]

In 2020, The Puppetoon Movie Volume 2 was released on Blu-ray and DVD, featuring 17 shorts not included on any of the Puppetoon Movie releases and The Ship of the Ether.[6]

In 2023, The Puppetoon Movie Volume 3 was released on Blu-ray, featuring 28 shorts, including 7 previously released on The Puppetoon Movie with higher resolution and vastly improved restorations.[7]

Plot

On a film set, Gumby and his friends are shooting a dinosaur movie. However, the Tyrannosaurus rex, Arnie, is reluctant to act ferocious. Upon questioning, Arnie feels unfit for the part, and explains that he once was ferocious, but thanks to the influence of George Pal, he has reformed. Gumby fails to understand the profound effect of Pal, so Arnie and Pokey show Gumby a set of Pal shorts to show him the significance of the artist.

Pal short films featured:

• The Little Broadcast
• Philips Broadcast of 1938
• Hoola Boola
• South Sea Sweethearts
• The Sleeping Beauty
• Tulips Shall Grow
• Together in the Weather
• John Henry and the Inky-Poo
• Philips Cavalcade
• Jasper in a Jam
• Tubby the Tuba

Afterwards, Gumby and the crew meet other characters who Pal animated, such as the Pillsbury Doughboy and the Alka-Seltzer mascot Speedy as well as the titular monkey of the Curious George books and the titular amphibians of the Frog and Toad books. Gumby thanks Pal for making all this possible. The screen pans out and shows a gremlin, who looks at the audience, says "George Pal!" in a raspy voice, then ascends a support beam while laughing hysterically.

Home video

In addition to the film shorts listed above, the following Pal film shorts are also included in the 2000 DVD edition from Image Entertainment and the 2013 Blu-ray edition from B2MP: What Ho She Bumps, Mr. Strauss Takes a Walk, Olio for Jasper, Jasper's Derby, Ether Symphony, Aladdin and the Magic Lamp, The Magic Atlas, Jasper and the Haunted House, and The Ship of the Ether.

The 2013 Blu-ray also includes the following short films previously unavailable on home video (all of which sublicensed by Puppetoons' original distributor Paramount): The Oscar-nominated And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, Sky Princess, Rhapsody in Wood, Date with Duke, Jasper and the Beanstalk, and Rhythm in the Ranks. In addition, the Blu-ray also includes The Great Rupert which was produced by George Pal and the documentary The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal.[8]

A DVD edition from B2MP was released in 2013.[9]

Reception

The film received mixed to positive reviews.[10][11][12][13]

Awards

George Pal's Puppetoon body of work was recognized by a Special Oscar at the 16th Academy Awards in 1944. Pal received the Special Oscar "for the development of novel methods and techniques in the production of short subjects known as Puppetoons".[14]

References

1. "The Puppetoon Movie". Trailers From Hell. 29 July 2019. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
2. Lenburg, Jeff (2009). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons (3rd ed.). New York: Checkmark Books. pp. 216–217. ISBN 978-0-8160-6600-1.
3. "The Puppetoon Movie (1987) - IMDb". imdb.com. 12 June 1987. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
4. "The Puppetoon Movie". DVD Review & High Definition. November 8, 2000.
5. ""The Puppetoon Movie" on Blu-Ray". cartoonresearch.com. 2013-08-06.
6. "'The Puppetoon Movie Volume 2' Now Available on Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack". AWN. December 1, 2020.
7. "'"The Puppetoon Movie" Vol. 3 is Here!". Cartoon Research. August 7, 2023.
8. "The Puppetoon Movie Blu-ray". B2MP. Archived from the original on January 11, 2020.
9. "The Puppetoon Movie DVD edition". B2MP. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019.
10. James, Caryn (June 12, 1987). "FILM - 'PUPPETOON MOVIE'". The New York Times. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
11. "The Puppetoon Movie (Blu-ray): DVD Talk Review of the Blu-ray". dvdtalk.com. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
12. Solomon, Charles (1987-06-12). "Paying Homage To Pal's 'Puppetoons'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
13. "Puppetoon Movie, The (1987) - Home Video Reviews". tcm.com. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
14. "George Pal: A Career in Perspective | Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences". oscars.org. Archived from the original on 2014-01-08. Retrieved 2014-04-05.

External links

• The Puppetoon Movie at IMDb 
• The Puppetoon Movie at the TCM Movie Database
• Arnold Leibovit on THE PUPPETOON MOVIE
• The Puppetoon Movie Volume 2 60 Second Trailer
• The Puppetoon Movie Volume 2 website