Burning Questions
Oooooooo! Fire with legs! Experienced effects animators used to say flame was the hardest thing to realistically simulate in cartoons, but unrealistic fire is running all over the place in old toons. As soon as something catches ablaze, said flame sprouts limbs and starts indulging in all sorts of anthropomorphized antics.
Dave Fleischer directed “Ding Dong Doggie” in which a shape shifting inferno suddenly transforms into an entire football team. Burt Gillette directed “Moth and the Flame,” a Silly Symphony starring a flame that does Clark Gable impersonations. And Tex Avery… man, Tex Avery directed “Red Hot Rangers” where the conflagration that lays waste to thousands of woodland acres is personified as a character so cute and adorable, you’d swear he scampered out of an old Harvey comic book (see above.)
Personally, I like it when the artists push the smoldering envelope, and give their animated flames the works — arms, legs, eyeballs, you name it, plus lots of charisma. Nothing like an over the top cartoon to ignite our imaginations!
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On April 19th, 2006 at 12:00 am
“Moth and the Flame” and “The China Shop” were two of my favorite Silly Symphonies, Unfortunately they never made on to the Silly Symphonies DVD. I have them on VHS, still in good condition (second copy, the first was watched over and over and over by my kids and I. I would love to see a remastered digital copy of the “Moth and Flame” if you can ever podcast it.