Robert Reynolds This is a feature-length animated film loosely based on the Swift novel and produced by Fleischer studio. There will be spoilers ahead:Fleischer studio decided to follow Disney's lead after the success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and produce a feature-length film. They chose to do an adaptation of Jonathan Swift novel, albeit very loosely. Parts of the plot work very well and parts don't work well at all. What works is more or less the Gulliver material and some of the added characters (Sneak, Snoop and Snitch work well, for example). There's a romantic subplot which doesn't really work because it's under-developed with a couple of characters who are cardboard in Prince David and Princess Glory. The who war subplot is just silly, but it at least leads to some nice animation.The musical score is very good, with several songs which are enjoyable, such as Faithful/Forever and It's a Hap Hap Happy Day. The animation is nothing short of breathtaking in spots, particularly in the opening sequence when Gulliver is swept overboard and winds up on the beach. The rotoscoping on Gulliver is beautifully done. The film comes to life whenever Gulliver is on the screen. The two best sequences are when Gulliver is being tied down and removed from the beach and later on when the Lilliputians make Gulliver a new outfit.The single most annoying aspect of the film is a character named Gabby. He's the town crier and he's a whiny, annoying jerk and cry baby. Fleischer actually took the character and made eight shorts starring him and the character is still an annoying twit in those. End of sermon.This film is available on a beautifully executed Blu Ray done by Thunderbean Animation and is well worth getting. Recommended.

MartinHafer My assumption is that the Fleischer Studio was working on "Gulliver's Travels" for a very long time before it finally debuted in 1939. In fact, they were probably working on it long before the first full-length cartoon, "Snow White" debuted in 1938. I say this because had they seen just how inferior their product was in comparison, I doubt if the Fleischer project would have ever gotten off the ground. In every possible way, the story pales when viewed side by side with "Snow White". The story is dull, the characters dull, the animation dull and the songs, SUPER-dull in comparison. In fact, comparing the two full-length films is like comparing a Yugo to a BMW. Yes, they are both cars and have four wheels but after that, the differences are huge.The number one problem with "Gulliver's Travels" and other films made since on the same topic is that they usually take a minuscule portion of the famous Jonathan Swift novel and bring it to the screen. And, in the process, they focus on the obvious while ignoring all the metaphor and political allegory intended by the author. So, while Swift intended the Lillipution portion of his story to be an attack on the monarchy and other small-minded individuals, here in the Fleischer story it is just a superficial story--with TONS of Jeanette McDonald and Nelson Eddy sort of tunes tossed in to boot. As a result, it has no depth---none. And so you are left to appreciate the film only on a superficial level--and in this sense, it is also a dismal failure. Terrible songs, adequate animation and little in the way of character development, I could see why kids never grew to love this film like they grew to love "Snow White"...and why the Fleischers soon gave up on the idea of making more full-length films. At best, adequate.

Lancaster_Film In 1699 sailor Lemuel Gulliver's ship is caught in a storm. Lemuel is knocked over board, and washes up on shore in the land of Lilliput, where he is a giant in comparison to the locals.Princess Glory of Lilliput is set to marry Prince David of Blefuscu, but when their fathers argue over wedding details, war is declared between the two kingdoms. When King Little of Lilliput is told of the giant on the beach, he sees Gulliver as the perfect weapon to defeat King Bombo once and for all.Released in 1939, just 2 years after Disney's "Snow White," Gulliver's Travels was the second feature length animation ever produced. The film makers, Dave and Max Fleischer are better known for their work on Popeye and Betty Boop. The brothers feature film making efforts were ill fated however, with Gulliver's Travels released at the beginning of the second world war and their follow up "Mr Bug Goes to Town" released just two days before the bombing of Pearl Harbour, were it not for these events, the work produced at Fleischer's studio may be as famous today as that of Walt Disney.The film is an adaptation of the classic Novel by Jonathan Swift, intended as a biting social satire, Gulliver's adventures span four novels. Most well known is the first regarding his arrival in Lilliput, though Gulliver visits several other mysterious places. The book tells the story of a man finding himself in strange lands, while the film approaches the subject mostly from the Lilliputians point of view.On its release the movie was nominated for 2 Oscars for its soundtrack (Best Animated Feature wasn't a category until 2001) The opening song "All's Well" is a catchy number with a great twist, however the tunes are very 'of their time' and may not prove popular with today's children.The film has a certain innocence to it, it keeps a slow, steady pace rather than racing from one set action piece to another as modern films often do. There's a scene of perhaps 15 minutes without any talking as the Lilliputians tie up Gulliver and transport him, unconscious, back to the city and the King's palace. Their methods are ingenious and highly amusing feats of engineering. The extreme differences in size are used to great comic and visual effect, King Little dances with Gulliver's hand, three Lilliputians are trapped in Gulliver's pocket watch and he is able to put out a house fire by cupping water in his hands.A charming film, wonderful for younger children, though perhaps a little gentle and slow for older ones. The film is also a great starting point to discussions about filmmaking and the evolution of animation.

flash_man I used to love this animated film version of Gulliver's Travels when I was a child, and hadn't seen it for almost twenty years. A few times over the last few years, I'd seen it on a shelf at video stores and thought about hiring it out, but had always moved on, which was unfortunate, because it's a genuinely lovely film. The animation can't be compared to Pixar or Dreamworks, as it was the standard of animation almost seventy years ago, but you can tell by watching it that the film was made with a lot of skill and love by the artists. The world created within the film seems a lot more innocent than today's fare due to the era in which it was created - you won't find any popular culture references like in Dreamworks' Shrek or Disney's Aladdin, which is a good thing, the story is able to stand on its own two feet.*Spoiler* I was surprised by how much a few of the comical moments in the film made me laugh - the part where the town-crier (Gabby) goes to the king's chambers and tells the king that the giant won't fit in his room, and the king's response? 'So, it's not good enough for him?', followed by the king seeing the giant for the first time, and immediately streaking back to his chambers, being pursued by a whirlwind of flying furniture that his wind motion has generated, I honestly couldn't stop laughing! Don't expect this film to be at the standard of today's animation, because you'll be disappointed. But if you view it as a children's film which was lovingly made and has excellent artwork considering that it was all hand-drawn, then you may very well like me find yourself watching it again two or three times within a week before reluctantly returning the copy to the video store. Highly recommended.