Instead they fashioned … Certainly, it requires time, effort, and an outlay of cash to bring these defect filled (and edited for television) efforts back to life. Is it a good sign if a film has three different titles? The happy tranquility of Buggsville is shattered when the populace learns that a colossal skyscraper is to be built over their tiny town. Along the way they meet many other bugs who either help or hinder them as they go along. And pulling up the rear, not quite capable of matching the two giants in the creative cartooning department was the work of Max and Dave Fleischer. Its color and atmosphere are first-rate; it is in good taste, and not overdone. [1] In the UK, it opened during January 1942 under the name Hoppity Goes to Town. Or Hoppity Goes to Town. The film was produced by Max Fleischer, and directed by Dave Fleischer and Shamus Culhane, the latter being uncredited. The supporting characters were voiced by members of the studio staff including Jack Mercer, the voice of Popeye (Mr. Bumble, Swat the Fly), and storymen Tedd Pierce (C. Bagley Beetle), Carl Meyer (Smack the Mosquito), Pinto Colvig (Mr. Creeper), Margie Hines (Mrs. Ladybug),[8] and Mae Questel (Buzz the Beescout). Fleischer Studios' first feature, Gulliver's Travels, did such impressive business in its first week that Paramount president Barney Balaban ordered another feature for a Christmas 1941 release. 13 Apr 2008. It s not clear where he s been but all in the urban bug colony have been awaiting the return of Hoppity (voiced by Stan Freed), greeted by Bumble (voiced by Jack Mercer), Mrs. Ladybug (by Margie Hines) and Honey (by Pauline Loth), in the animated feature Mr. Bug Goes To Town, 1941. Removed from their positions as head of the company, the two went their separate ways, leaving the film to flounder and then fade away. Mr. Bug Goes to Town (also known as Hoppity Goes to Town and Bugville) is an animated feature produced by Fleischer Studios, previewed by Paramount Pictures on December 5, 1941, and released in California and New York City in February 1942. As time passed, both of their feature films reached a kind of revered cult status. One of the biggest problems for Fleischer studio in making this animation was that the studio had just recently moved from New York City to Miami, Florida. Mr. Beetle can force everyone to pay his exorbitant prices -- until he finds out that the building will be on his property too. Whether this was part of the film's script is unknown. In Part One of our three-part series on the making of Mr. Bug Goes to Town, we looked at the creation of the Mr. Bug story-line.After months of developing and discarding a variety of concepts, the studio finally had a wholly original story-line. Mr. Bug Goes to Town (also known as Hoppity Goes to Town and Bugville) is an American cel-animated Technicolor feature film produced by Fleischer Studios, previewed by Paramount Pictures on December 5, 1941, and released in California and New York City in February 1942. Mr. Bug Goes to Town (also known as Hoppity Goes to Town and Bugville)[2] is an American cel-animated Technicolor feature film produced by Fleischer Studios, previewed by Paramount Pictures on December 5, 1941, and released in California and New York City in February 1942. Of course, the long legged lead is not the only one interested in the beautiful bee. Among fans of classic animation, there has always been a clear pecking order. All of which brings us back to the story of the Fleischers and their place in painted cell history. [14] However it has currently been put on hold as of July 2017. I don't get it. Mr. Bug Goes to Town was previewed on December 5, 1941 in advance of its scheduled Christmas release. When Paramount renewed the Fleischer contract on May 24, 1941, a clause stipulated that the brothers deliver signed letters of resignation to Paramount to be used at the studio's discretion. [5], Mr. Bug Goes to Town was beset by problems due to the rift between Max and Dave Fleischer that began during the production of Gulliver's Travels. Unless a digital package accurately and painstakingly recreates the full color bloom of their work, things tend to look incredibly dated and mechanical. Deeds Goes to Town, starring Gary Cooper.Because of this, some people has assumed that the main character, Hoppity, is based on Gary Cooper’s character in Mr. For example, in the film Honey is aware of Beetle's romantic interest, expressing dislike to him but willing to make the sacrifice if it means everyone can live safely on his property away from the broken fence. [7] Post-production concluded in Hollywood just before Thanksgiving, and Dave tendered his resignation one month before the scheduled release. With this money they can save the whole bug community. Mr. Bug Goes to Town (also known as Hoppity Goes to Town and Bugville) is an American cel-animated Technicolor feature film produced by Fleischer Studios, previewed by Paramount Pictures on December 5, 1941, and released in California and New York City in February 1942. © 1999-2020 PopMatters.com. Aside from occasional TV showings in the '60s and '70s (usually as part of the Frazier Thomas approved WGN Sunday matinee Family Classics), few remember the insect epic. Yet it's hard to imagine a worse DVD presentation than the one given here by Legend Films. With Kenny Gardner, Jack Mercer, Tedd Pierce, Carl Meyer. The film received a book adaptation which was released around the same time - it features new characters along with the ones from the film and goes further on key plots. Mr. Bug was doomed to fail. Honey and Hoppity, the two love bugs, must travel along the Stepping Stone Path, and the object of the game is to help them get from the Honey Shop to Bugville Center. Then there is the surreal sense of seriousness that the Fleischer's favored. The artwork is fantastic, the story not so much. The film was originally intended to be an adaptation of Maurice Maeterlinck's The Life of the Bee, but the rights could not be attained, or, more rightly, Paramount was unwilling to purchase them from Samuel Goldwyn. And as Ambrose looks over the edge, he remarks, "Look at all the human ones down there. While Max struggled to stay relevant by working with the Handy Organization, Dave took over the presidency of Screen Gems at Columbia. Bug goes to the Town Three weeks later, Paramount president Barney Balaban activated Max Fleischer's resignation. Mr. Bug Goes to Town, an animation that was once loved by many people, and still is to this day.With that said, this movie had many problems early on in the making of it. Értékelés: 2 szavazatból Szerinted? Mr. Bug gives an entertaining insect's-eye-view of Manhattan and its "human ones." In fact, their patented rotoscoping technique gave them a technological advantage over their pen and ink compatriots. Mr. Bug Goes To Town by Big Cartoon DataBase is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. The shot of the opening credits, which starts in space and descends to New York City, was produced with a miniature set of the city, consisting of more than 16,000 miniature panes of glass set in wood and plastic models. Reprised by him with modified lyrics. Mr. Bug Goes to Town was the first animated feature to give screen credit to the voice actors. Realizing that Hoppity was nearby and overheard him, he seals Hoppity inside the envelope that the Dickens' check came in, hiding it in a crack in a wall. On October 21, 2012, the Turner Classic Movies channel debuted the film, transferred from an original 35mm Technicolor release print owned by the Museum of Modern Art Department of Film, for the first time on television in a special hosted by Robert Osborne and Jerry Beck dedicated to rare animated films, including Gulliver's Travels, Lotte Reiniger's The Adventures of Prince Achmed, the UPA cartoons and the silent cartoons of 1907 to 1932 of the New York Studios. C. Bagley Beetle wants Honey for himself, and will use henchmen Swat the Fly and Smack the Mosquito to guarantee that no one will stop him. [12] Possibly due to the public domain video releases that have surfaced, Paramount hasn't licensed the movie a DVD release to either Lionsgate or Olive Films. Instead they fashioned and crafted an original modern story loosely inspired on the book.[3]. After the failure of Mr. Bug and their ouster from Paramount, they still managed a meaningful career within the medium. [1] Cast Sonic as Hoppity, Amy as Honey, Uncle Chuck as Mr. Bumble, Sonia as Mrs. Ladybug, Tails as Buzz, Dr. Robotnik (AOSTH) as C. Bagley Beetle, Sleet as Smack, Dingo as Swat, Knuckles as Mr. Creeper, Chris as Dick, Helen as Mary, and more See Also Chevron Cars/Mr. 1941 animated feature film directed by Dave Fleischer, Harlan Ellison, "In Which the Critic Blames It All on a Warped Childhood. This would also be Paramount's last animated feature film until Charlotte's Web released in 1973. This film went in a slightly different direction from Gulliver's Travels. "We're the Couple in the Castle", the film's theme song, was a hit in its day: few fans are aware it was written for this movie. "We're the Couple in the Castle" becomes a massive hit. Bridal Chorus (Here Comes the Bride) (1850) (uncredited) from "Lohengrin". How come Mr. Bug Goes to Town was the only American animated film not produced by Disney during the 40s? Photos of the Mister Bug Goes to Town (Movie) voice actors. Hoppity comes to Honey's rescue, battles Beetle and his henchmen, and wins. It featured the songs: "We're the Couple in the Castle", "Katy Did, Katy Didn't", "I'll Dance at Your Wedding (Honey Dear)" by Hoagy Carmichael and Frank Loesser, and "Boy Oh Boy" by Sammy Timberg and Loesser. Follow the Leader: As noted, this film is different than Disney product of the day because it is set in a contemporary setting.But still, the musical sequence where the bugs sing as they set up Mr. Beetle and Honey's wedding plays very much like a Silly Symphony. It looks bad, and no amount of added content (in this case, three bonus cartoons) can make up for it. Kenny Gardner. Clearly collecting a poorly duped VHS quality copy of the film, they simply kept the inaccurate full screen transfer, terrible color differences, and overall bargain basement feeling and plunked it down on an aluminum disc. Mr. Bug Goes to Town is similar in concept to Gulliver’s Travels with its large cast of characters, complicated crowd scenes, and the contrasting scale of tiny characters against the gigantic human world. This doesn't mean that the two Austrian born brothers were not capable of the same aesthetic excellence as Walt and his Harry/Albert/Sam/Jack competitors. Directed by Dave Fleischer. PopMatters have been informed by our current technology provider that we have until December to move off their service. Paramount later re-released Mr. Bug as Hoppity Goes to Town (the original title is a parody of the title of the 1936 film Mr. It opened two days after Pearl Harbor. Disney never placed its symbols in serious danger, all threats from wicked witches and anthropomorphized wizards rendered inert by the end of Act III. Mr. Bug Goes to Town, the film's original title, was a word-play on the popular American film, Mr. While the lead characters, Hoppity the grasshopper and Honey Bee, do not lead the story as clearly as Disney characters do, it is the situation that propels the plot combined with colorful supporting comical characters. Or Bugville. The film cost $713,511 to make, but by 1946 had only made $241,000 back, and was withdrawn from circulation. Stáblista: Szereplők. In Mr. Bug, the environment is central to the picture. amerikai animációs film, 78 perc, 1941. Max Fleischer Mr. Bug Goes To Town Paramount Pictures. All the while, the new skyscraper looms, bringing its own form of destruction to Hoppity and the gang. At the top was the artistic flower and fluidity of Disney. Recently, relatively pristine offerings of the duo's definitive Superman cartoons, as well as an excellent collection of Popeye shorts, show exactly what can be done with old school Fleischer. Old Mr. Bumble and his beautiful daughter Honey (Hoppity's sweetheart) are in grave danger of losing their Honey Shop to this threat. Bugville (Mr. Bug/Hoppity Goes to Town) Bill Gibron. This film was renamed "Hoppity Goes To Town" after the Fleischer studios closed.Production lasted from February 5 to mid-November 1941. Bugville, otherwise known as Mr. Bug Goes to Town…or, Hoppity Goes to Town, was a box office dud when first released in 1941. Mr. Bug Goes to Town was planned to be released on Blu-ray in June 2017 from Thunderbean Animation. They appreciated the glossed over glamour of the House of Mouse. While Gulliver's Travels has had an equally spotty DVD reputation, nothing can be as bad as Bugville. Brothers Max Fleischer (producer) & Dave Fleischer (director) resigned after completing this film. Unfortunately, Honey remains a terribly bland stock figurine, and has no personality whatsoever of her own. But Mr. Bug practically percolates with inherent hazards. It's threatening the business of Old Mr. Bumble and his daughter (and our hero's childhood sweetheart) Honey. The film was acquired in the 1950s by National Telefilm Associates (which became Republic) and enjoyed a renewed popularity as a staple on local "movie classics" shows such as Family Classics on Chicago's WGN. 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Staples' Town, Sleeping Dogs Don't Lie, Neil Gaiman's Faustian Bargain with William Shakespeare, The Best Classic Films on Blu-ray in 2020, 'The Baby-Sitters Club' Can Help Children Cope with COVID-era Death, 5 Negative Effects of Fandom Nostalgia and How to Overcome Them, 'The Edge of Democracy' and Parallels of Political Crises, The Avalanches Say 'We Will Always Love You', Bill Evans, Eddie Gomez, and Jack DeJohnette Are 'Live at Ronnie Scott's', Cerebral 'Mank' Is a Gabby and Stylized Origin Story for 'Citizen Kane', LA Dream Popster Coco Reilly Releases Hazy Debut. They look just like a lot of little bugs!". After all, audiences loved the make believe mayhem and fake death dynamic of the Warners. From that point on, they communicated with each other via internal memos while working in the same building. The voices were provided by actor Stan Freed (Hoppity) and Pauline Loth (Honey). ", https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/27/AR2007072700732.html, Cartoon Brew: Disney releases "Mr. Bug" in Japan, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mr._Bug_Goes_to_Town&oldid=994130194, Articles with dead external links from November 2020, Articles with dead external links from June 2016, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2016, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, The Four Marshals as Chorus Interpretations, The Royal Guards as Chorus Interpretations, This page was last edited on 14 December 2020, at 06:02. To compound their problems, devious insect "property magnate" C. Bagley Beetle has romantic designs on Honey Bee himself, and, with the help of his henchmen Swat the Fly and Smack the Mosquito, Honey is tricked into marrying the Beetle for the good of the insect community. Also known as Hoppity Goes to Town and Bugville, Mr. Bug Goes to Town is the second—and last—feature length animated film made by Fleischer Studios, in 1941.It is the sixth American animated feature film created and the second not made by Disney.. Harlan Ellison described vivid memories of having to outwit his family in order to see Mr. Bug Goes to Town for free on his birthday in his book Harlan Ellison's Watching. There he learns that his beleaguered bug pals are beset by humans everyday. MR. BUG GOES TO TOWN Other Title HOPPITY GOES TO TOWN Alternate Title ... (Songs) - Jazz on the Screen is a reference work of filmographic information and does not point to digitized versions of the items described. Almost matching said studio, substituting sarcasm for serenity, was Warner Brothers. Sung by Jack Mercer and played at the wedding. First titled Mr. Bug Goes to Town. Construction begins while everyone is at the wedding of Beetle and Honey; a weight from a surveyor's level that rips through the chapel causes the terrified bugs to flee back to the Lowlands (not realizing the whole parcel is endangered by the construction crew). Bug Goes to Town’ was the second and last feature by the Max Fleischer studio. [7][9] Before the film's release, Walter Lantz, Paul Terry, and Leon Schlesinger all considered producing animated feature films, but after seeing the disappointing box-office of this film and the initial failures of Walt Disney's new films Pinocchio and Fantasia (both 1940), they cancelled any potential animated feature projects. Mr. Bug Goes To Town is one of my favorite animated films – and its neglect is a huge oversight in he history of animation. Running a major animated cartoon studio solely by written communique turned out to be "a sort of tragicomedy."[6]. See all comments by Ethanimation21 11 images of the Mister Bug Goes to Town cast of characters. ( Log Out / Firstly let me state I have enjoyed this movie since childhood, ...and STILL do! But how they handle the all important image suggests they shouldn't have bothered. Despite the fact that the film is still copyrighted (by Republic successor Melange Pictures, managed by parent company ViacomCBS, which also owns Paramount Pictures), public domain companies have released the film on VHS and DVD. title details and video sharing options. Deeds Goes to Town[7]). Bakancslistához adom. Singer Kenny Gardner and actress Gwen Williams portrayed "The Human Ones," Songwriter Dick Dickens and his wife, Mary. Simple spin and move game. The tale of Max Fleischer’s second feature-length cartoon, Mr. Bug Goes To Town has been written up before on this website (one of the previous posts about the film is here). They get to the top, which at first appears to be barren, but the young bugs discover the Dickens have built a new penthouse with a "Garden of Paradise" just as Hoppity had described. Mr. Bug Goes to Town is an animated feature produced by Fleischer Studios, previewed by Paramount Pictures on December 5, 1941, and released in California and New York City in February 1942. 26 Comments. We are moving to WordPress and a new host, but we really need your help to fund the move and further development. Hoppity escapes when the construction crew demolishes the wall, freeing the envelope. Granted, Legend gets some small amount of slack for finally releasing this lost gem on the medium. Disney releases Fleischer’s “Mr. He finds that all is not as he left it, and his insect friends (who live in the "Lowlands" just outside of the garden of a cute bungalow belonging to down-on-his-luck songwriter Dick Dickens and his wife Mary) are now under threat from the "human ones," who are trampling through the broken-down fence, using it as a shortcut.[4]. They also refused to talk to each other as it was being made. About Mr. Bug Goes to Town Being the Only American Non-Disney Animated Film in the 1940s. Photos of the Mister Bug Goes to Town (Movie) voice actors. Days pass and with nothing improved nearly everyone in the lowlands loses faith in Hoppity's claim. By the time of its production, Dave and Max were no longer talking to each other. The duo are probably exhausted from the amount of spinning they've been doing in their respective graves. Mr. Bug Goes to Town (also known as Hoppity Goes to Town and Bugville) is an American cel-animated Technicolor feature film produced by Fleischer Studios, previewed by Paramount Pictures on December 5, 1941, and released in California and New York City in February 1942. The results are a crime - not only to fans of the movie, but to the legacy of the already marginalized Fleischers. [13] Recently, Mr. Bug, along with many other Fleischer-produced cartoons (including the Fleischers' previous film, Gulliver's Travels), was restored from the original three-strip negatives by the UCLA Film and Television Archive, and a few art-house theaters have recently screened the restoration (which features the original titles). In Japan, the movie was released on December 19, 2009 as part of Studio Ghibli's Ghibli Museum Library. But C. Bagley Beetle and his henchmen "steal" the check, and the Dickens house is foreclosed. From a rainstorm that turns into a terrifying flood to the gangland style sentiments of Swat and Smack, there's a darkness present that definitely undermined the Fleischer films. They didn't really want to see cartoons given a sinister, disturbing edge. Equally important is maintaining the artist's vision. Paramount reorganized Fleischer Studios as Famous Studios. now playing Mr. Bug Goes To Town (1941) (Movie Clip) It s Hoppity! Paramount finally released the film in California on February 13, 1942 (February 20 in New York City). Yet instead of bringing a long forgotten animation masterwork back from the dead, it more or less buries the film once and for all. Meanwhile, Hoppity leads an exodus from the Lowlands to the top of the skyscraper, where he believes the Dickens' have built a new home and invited the bugs to live there. He credits his exploit as having fostered his rebellious nature rather than remaining a sweet obedient child. [citation needed] The film also inspired a Mr. Bug Goes to Town board game and a series of trading cards. Hoppity Goes to Town was originally released under the title Mr. Bug Goes to Town. Many historians consider this film (originally called 'Mr. Mr. Bug was a financial disaster. Honey and the rest of the Lowlanders live there happily ever after in their new home. Animation pioneers Max and Dave Fleischer created this tale about Bugtown, an insect community facing destruction when humans plan to build on their land. A new DVD release from Legend Films should have changed all that. Written by Richard Wagner. Insect houses are being flattened and burned by cast away cigar butts. Two days later, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor signaled America's entrance into World War II, and Paramount canceled the Christmas release. [7] Under the reissue title, Hoppity has had multiple re-releases on home video throughout the 1970s (most with inferior image quality) to its DVD release by Legend Films, in which the studio re-titled the film again to Bugville (presumably to position against Pixar's A Bug's Life). I’m always glad to help set the record straight. Please help support BCDB with a donation or a subscription to the website. Mr. Bug Goes to Town . This film article is a stub . It's just that their feature length efforts - 1939's Gulliver's Travels and 1941's Mr. Bug Goes to Town - never set the public's imagination on fire. Hoppity tells everyone what happened and manages to get the check to Mr. Dickens. Even worse, a new building is planned for their part of the 'Lowlands'. Mr. Bug Goes to Town (also known as Hoppity Goes to Town, Bugville, and Boob gets Bugged) is an animated feature produced by Fleischer Studios and released to theaters by Paramount Pictures on December 5, 1941. To make matters worse the Dickenses lose their home when a skyscraper is built on the site. It's notable for holding a number of firsts as an animated feature film, including being the first set in … The film was originally intended to be an adaptation of Maurice Maeterlinck's The Life of the Bee, but the rights could not be attained, or, more rightly, Paramount was unwilling to purchase them from Samuel Goldwyn. Whereas Gulliver's Travels was a success in every sense of the word, Mr. Bug Goes to Town proved to be a disaster of biblical proportions, including the all-important box-office. Reveille. The film (as Hoppity Goes to Town) was officially released by Republic Pictures on VHS and LaserDisc in May 1989. All rights reserved.PopMatters is wholly independent, women-owned and operated. Paramount was acutely aware of the problems between the Fleischer brothers and structured their contract for the completion of Mr. Bug in an unusual way, allowing for the resignation of either brother following its completion. The film was produced by Max Fleischer and directed by Dave Fleischer and Shamus Culhane, with animation sequences directed by Willard Bowsky, Culhane, H.C. Ellison, Thomas Johnson, Graham Place, Stan Quackenbush, David Tendlar, and Myron Waldman.