Gulliver's Travels

CinemaSerf

This is a charmingly told animated version of Jonathan Swift's giant man, shipwrecked onto an island populated by people the size of his thumb. This focuses on the first of his adventures - in the land of "Lilliput", and of his efforts to join this community where he eats the same in a meal as they do in a week. Luckily, their big pal has his uses - not least in dealing with the neighbouring, slightly warlike, kingdom of "Blefescu" - but all that might change when some enemy spies manage to get their hands on his pistol! Can he retrieve it, and re-set the path of true love for the young Prince David and Princess Glory, who might offer a peaceful solution to their respective nation's enmity? Max & Save Fleischer's animations were rarely considered favourably when it came to comparisons with Disney - and, certainly his drawings lacked a degree of detail and vivacity, but this is still an engaging and enjoyable telling of a good story. It has humour, a few "Hap Hap Happy" songs and some decently underplayed moralising (Disney wasn't always so good at at disguising his moral imperatives), and the voice talents of Sam Parker, and the two kings Jack Mercer and Todd Pierce all keep this entertaining. As worth watching now as it was a 80-odd years ago.