I was thrilled the other day to run across the DVD set Max Fleischer’s Color Classics: Somewhere in Dreamland. I don’t know how this escaped my notice previously. I’m a big fan of the Fleischer brothers, and I’ve been hunting down the Color Classics cartoons on the internet recently to see them all. Now I don’t have to… the collection has all but one of the Fleischer Color Classics included (“Tears Of An Onion,” which is apparently still copyrighted and couldn’t be included). The cartoons I’ve watched so far, while they don’t appear to be completely restored (the colors I imagine were much more brilliant in the 30’s), are in much better condition than I’ve ever seen them (I have a number of the cartoons on other cartoon collections). The cartoons themselves are fantastic.

The center image on the cover of the DVD is from the cartoon Bunny Mooning. This one is so saccharine-sweet, it is surprising it came out of the Fleischer studios… I’m guessing it is one of the worst cartoons on the set. It is still a lot of fun, though! It’s definitely no Dancing on the Moon (my favorite so far)!

Read more about this cartoon on The Big Cartoon Database.

Here are the contents of the DVD Set:

DISK ONE
1. Poor Cinderella (starring Betty Boop) **
2. Little Dutch Mill **
3. An Elephant Never Forgets **
4. Song of the Birds
5. Dancing On the Moon 1935 **
6. Somewhere in Dreamland **
7. The Little Stranger
8. The Cobweb Hotel
9. Greedy Humpty Dumpty
10. Hawaiian Birds
11. Play Safe
12. Christmas Comes But Once a Year **
13. Bunny Mooning
14. Chicken A La King
15. A Car-Tune Portrait
16. Peeping Penguins
DISK TWO
1. Educated Fish” (1937)
2. Little Lamby
3. Hold It! **
4. Hunky and Spunky (1938)
5. All’s Fair At the Fair **
6. Playful Polar Bears
7. Always Kickin’ (starring Hunky and Spunky)
8. Small Fry
9. Barnyard Brat (starring Hunky and Spunky)
10. The Fresh Vegetable Mystery **
11. Little Lambkins
12. Ants In the Plants **
13. A Kick In Time (starring Hunky and Spunky)
14. Snubbed By A Snob (starring Hunky and Spunky)
15. You Can’t Shoe A Horsefly (starring Hunky and Spunky)
**optional audio commentary by Jerry Beck**

THE LOST EPISODES
A documentary about the making of this collection of the complete `Color Classics’ cartoons. It includes four uncut ultra-rare cartoons:
1*The Kids In the Shoe
2*Time For Love (the only known copy in existence is this black & white version)
3*Musical Memories
4*Vitamin Hay (starring Hunky and Spunky)

I’ll probably post more about these cartoons as I make my way through the set with my 2 and a half year old daughter, Esther (Dancing on the Moon is her favorite too).