Gulliver’s Travels (Lilliput)
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Gulliver washes ashore on Lilliput and attempts to prevent war between that tiny kingdom and its equally-miniscule rival, Blefiscu, as well as smooth the way for the romance between the Princess and Prince of the opposing lands. In this he is alternately aided and hampered by the Lilliputian town crier and general fussbudget, Gabby. A life-threatening situation develops when the bumbling trio of Blefiscu spies, Sneak, Snoop, and Snitch, manage to steal Gulliver’s pistol.
Nominated for 2 oscars.
August 27th, 2004 at 7:59 am
This film I first saw at Saturday morning picture in London. I enjoyed it then and I have enjoy it again. The cartoons are fresh and are well worth learning from. For many years my wife humed a song from the film without a clue were it came from now we do.
Thank you for allowing us to revisit our childhood.
September 11th, 2004 at 8:56 am
Definitely worth downloading if you like animated stuff.
October 27th, 2004 at 6:49 am
Not sure why I dont remember seeing this growing up, I saw >every other cartoon ever made;-)…but this was very nice to see.
November 8th, 2004 at 5:41 am
For me, this animated movie is a masterpiece. So many details in the characters and events.
I also think it was great to draw Gulliver after a living man (don’t know which actor or person they take as the model), it gives another dimension to the movie.
November 14th, 2004 at 9:35 pm
This animated edition of Swift’s classical utopian fable “Gulliver’s Travels” is not only an amusing, if incomplete, rendition of the old tale, but also provides the viewer with an interesting insight into the differences between what is produced by the modern animation industry and what was produced by its counterpart in the 1930’s.
The first thing that stands out is the length of the scenes. Compared to recent Disney releases, such as “The Road to El Dorado”, where the length of the scenes are short, choppy and contain myriad angles and special effects, Gulliver’s Travels is far more sedate. Its various angle shots are few and the film’s scene length hints at a time when children and adults had more patience and longer attention spans.
Obviously there is little point in taking the time to download a film unless one can be assured of reasonable audio and visual quality – you want to be able to actually see what is being displayed on your screen and hear what is filtering through your speakers. By the same token, some degree of tolerance is to be expected from the viewer for the technological limitations of the era that, for example, invariably captured sound with a typical “monotonal pitched hollowness” so characteristic of the 1930’s microphone devices. Also, it is to be remembered that this film was designed for, and intended to be used in, a cinema theatre in front of a large audience on a large screen, at a time when colour was the exception and not the norm. While people might have been willing to forgive “colour ripples” (where the inking seems to crawl or ripple from one scene to the next as a consequence of each frame being painted by hand), modern audiences are less inclined to be patient or sympathetic with such things.
However, if these elements of production are taken into account in an intelligent and serious way, the sound quality and the visual quality of the download is remarkably good. At times it is difficult to distinguish precisely what is being said, particularly as animated films utilise, by definition, silly cartoon voices. But on the most part the dialogue is intelligible. There are no problems with the video component of the download, being mostly crisp and clear. I recommend the MPEG4 download as a good trade-off between size of the file and playback quality. (The MP4 codec is available for free on the internet, and is only about a megabyte in size).
As for the film itself, one of the most noticeble peculiarities is that the dialogue is comparitively sparse when considered against the backdrop of a modern cartoon or animated film, where the characters seem to talk non-stop.
Another interesting facet is to note the stong theatrical and operatic influence on the production, which is seen in several dancing scenes, musical scenes and other very lengthy scenes of action and movement. It is important to point out that these very lengthy scenes may serve to diminish viewer appreciation of the story as a whole. At the time “Gulliver’s Travels” was made, it was clearly envisioned that the audience would appreciate simply looking at amusing characters doing amusing things, which might not necessarily contribute to the overall plot.
The moral quality of the film is also interesting, being virtually obsolete by the standards of our age. For instance, it is assumed from the outset that marriage is the only acceptable relationship between men and women, that powerful giants ought not to abuse their influence and position, but ought to lower themselves to be subordinate to the interests of those weaker than themselves. The film also assumes that rivalry between nations is a natural condition but one which may be curbed and softened by the careful and thoughtful application of limited force. Certainly, more than anything else, this provides the viewer with a deep and meaningful insight into the pysche and social condition of the period.
As animated films go, it is not breakneck amusement with subtle intrigues as a plot device, and consequently it may not hold the viewer’s attention as readily as other films – especially at one scene where the Lilliputians are trussing Gulliver up with a complex arrangement of ropes and scaffolding, a process that seems to last for a terribly long time – but altogether it is a worthwhile acquisition that no serious collection of historical films can afford to lack.
January 25th, 2005 at 1:20 am
I feel a little bad about correcting Mr. Landless’ critical view of this film in that “The Road to El Dorado” was produced by Dreamworks skg Studios and not Disney. That being said his review was great.
I am 65 years old (nee: 1939), at this writing, and Gulliver is the same age. I can remember my Mother taking me to the re-release of it when I was about 5 at the Fox Theater in Oakland, California. The Disney studios used the Multi-Plane camera to do “Snow White” 2 years earlier and the Flischers use the “Register and Shoot” method which is simple two Dimension.
The film was done by the Fleischer Brothers, Dave and Max, who also invented Popeye the Sailor and other memorable characters for Paramount (Famous Studios).
Another film they made was “Hoppity Goes to Town”. Dave was killed in World War 2 and the features ceased. It is said that had he lived, he would have given Walt Disney real competition. You have to remember that the film industry was only about 38 years old and sound came in in 1929 with optical tracks.
This has always been one of my favorite films, but as mentioned in another review, the song “Alls Well” is omitted. This comes in when the little guy discovers the “Giant on the Beach” and long before the two Kings are talking about the forthcoming wedding. This sequence is short but adds to the story and sets the mood of the character (Fear).
I have seen this film several times and have rented it for my kids to see and now my grandson who is just 2 years old.
Yes, Gulliver is a classic film and well worth adding to your collections. It has sustained over the years and hopefully for many more.
February 18th, 2005 at 3:39 pm
this film is one of those that the characters movement are fliud and alive sometimes you wonder how they did it with no computers its all hand drawn hand inked. never mind the singing overlook that and enjoy it for what it is a cartoon
October 26th, 2005 at 8:08 am
this film is great. I love the nostalgia it creates in me. I first saw it when I was about 7, in 1983. We then bought it when it came out on video and it was one of my treasured films, but years later, I came to think about it and hunted for it on dvd which I have now. While it isn’t as pitch-perfect as say Snow White, or Pinocchio, it does have an unmistakeable charm, and it is beautiful to look at. I love old animation. It’s so crafted and cared for. The fact that every single thing you see for an hour and a half was drawn by someone lends a relevance to it that you just can’t obtain with CGI cartoons of today. Personally, computer animated films to me are a gimmick, and are becoming so realistic in looks, that why not film them in real life?? So settle back with a beer in the warm and spend an hour and whatever with this movie. It’s great, inoffensive, charming fun that will live on for a long time yet
May 25th, 2006 at 9:07 am
The Fleischer Bros were great, Paramount animation not so great.
Together they chopped this story up into tiny fragments and missed the point of the story all together.
This is not the anti-war story it should of been, but a mushy comic love story.
It’s well drawn but still is badly done.
Great for kids, bad for me.
Probably good for you because you never read Jonathan Swift, but you should.
May 25th, 2006 at 10:40 pm
Gulliver seems to be mostly an attempt by the Fleischers to not be themselves but be like Disney.
Shamus Culhane worked on this picture after leaving Disney and in his comments about it in his autobiography “Talking Mice and other People” regards it as somewhat disappointing.
This print seems to be missing a major scene near the beginning.
Fleischers’ second feature “Hoppity Goes to Town” is much more characteristic of them and far better. I hope it shows up here someday.
Someone below said Dave Fleischer died in WWII? No, he died in 1979 after a long career.
September 6th, 2006 at 12:55 pm
a combination of the traditional fleischer studios and early disney studios animation styles. they sometimes blend well together , sometimes not. young children usually like it(i know mine did) but most adults probably wont. having been raised on a variety of animation styles(warner bros.-hanna/barbera-early anime-early computer graphics) the 35-50 year olds out there (and the very young) havent been weaned on the cartoons of the past decade , which for the most part are either overly complicated , and cannot keep up with demand and are soon lost or forgotten , or they are one in a long list of the same crap half of the foreign market studios are producing for us (pokeman-et. all). given a chance , this film might delight them , but that audience usually wont give up the time to view something in a style that they are not overly familiar with. for those a little older , or a little younger , this is a pleasant little film. grandparents or parents with really young children—this could be some really nice quality time together.
September 7th, 2006 at 8:31 am
thanxxxxxxxxx
January 2nd, 2007 at 1:07 am
Those who write some these reviews, I wonder what they are watching ort if they appreciate classics.
I agree with the positive responders, this is a true classic for both young and old.
Very well done and brings back memories from when I first saw it as a kid on “Family Classics”.
Thanks very much for making this as wel as others of these great movies and cartoons avaiable to the public via Internet archives.
March 22nd, 2007 at 8:58 pm
I’m not sure how thoroughly I skimmed, but there seems to be a missing scene at the beginning where the red-haired character with the high-pitched voice (Gabby?) sings a song (quote: “All’s well, what a rainy day”) while carrying a pail of water. If someone knows where I can find a copy of the movie with this scene I’d appreciate it. I saw the movie growing up and liked it, but this isn’t a review so I’m not rating it.
August 14th, 2007 at 1:32 am
thanxxxxxxxxx
August 17th, 2007 at 11:07 pm
I love this old classic. Great animation compared to a lot of the square, choppy and non life-like cartoons they have today. Good family entertainment. Thank you.
December 5th, 2007 at 3:21 pm
I am currently doing a research paper on what qualities of the novel make it so adaptable to childrens films. This film has been greatly altered so that it is easier to comprehend by young children. However, the directors made explicit use of the first voyage because it is the most appealing visually. Children long to be a giant, because they are faced with the task of being the “little beings” and must rely heavily on everyone else.
December 19th, 2007 at 4:49 pm
This movie was Paramounts attempt to get even with Disney after Snow White came out in 39. And, if I recall correctly, lead animator for Disney, Ub Iwerks, was lured over to Fleischman’s studio at this time. Iwerks was the animator for the early Mickey Mouse. If you perceive a simularity between the dwarves and the Lilliputans — it’s not an accident!
July 15th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
good film. pity the scene where gulliver is first found has been left out for some unknown reason. it brought back a few memories.