Title: The Sunshine Makers
Studio: Van Beuren
Date: 01/11/35
Credits:
Directed by Ted Eshbaugh
Series: (Rainbow Parade?)
Running time (of viewed version): 7:47
Commercial DVD Availability: Thunderbean's Van Beuren Studio's Toddle Tales & Rainbow Parade Cartoons (restored), Cartoons That Time Forgot From the Van Beuren Studio (unrestored), Pee Wee's PLayhouse Season 2 17. "Pee-Wee Catches a Cold" (204) (truncated), (many more)
Synopsis: Two cultures are at war, and one drugs the other until they are compliant.
Comments: This comes from a 35mm restoration, so it looks nicer than many of the Van Beuren cartoons. Technically I think this is a retitle, as Borden's interest was later than the original creation (the Borden's bits have a different palette or process, I think). Bright shadows. The sun looks like some milky candy. "Haiiiiiil, his majesty the sun!" The technology in the world of the story looks nice; shiny, not too firm, not too soft. Shadows are paid attention to in the cartoon (at least at times); but big style shadows, not small facial shadows. Quite the dark voice in the "we're happy... when we're... sadddddddd" song. I'm with the top hats; I hate the sun. The sunshine makers won't let people be sad; they're pretty evil about it. They seem to be raping the gloom people at one point, before drowning/forcibly baptizing them, forcing fluid down their throats. It's their skeletons that appear to be glowing at the end.
Unrestored at
http://www.archive.org/details/The_Sunshine_Makers_1935
drawing at
http://www.michaelspornanimation.com/splog/?p=1824
For my money, this is the greatest cartoon ever made. When I finally saw the restored version I almost cried it was so awesome. "I don't want to be happy!" Right on, Brother!
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