Product Description

Newly re-mastered in HD from 4K scans of the original negatives and fine grains. Regarded as one of the first and most famous sex symbols on the animated screen; she was a symbol of the Depression era and a reminder of the more carefree days of the Roaring Twenties. Her popularity was drawn larger from adult audiences and the cartoons, while seemingly surreal, contained many sexual and psychological l elements. Volume Two includes 12 animated short films available for the first time on DVD and Blu-ray. All 12 shorts were produced by Max Fleischer and directed by his brother Dave Fleischer.

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For the 1930 cartoon "Dizzy Dishes," animator Grim Natwick said he added a pair of pretty girl's legs to a cute little dog to create a new character for Fleischer Studios: Betty Boop. The spit curls framing her face were modeled after the hairdo of baby-voiced singer Helen Kane. The original Betty was ugly, but as Natwick reworked the design, turning her floppy ears into hoop earrings, Betty became completely human and attractive. Her comic sexuality became a running gag in the cartoon series: one glance and the stone lions in "Betty Boop's Museum" (1932) fall for her (as do the fossils and totem poles on display). She also became the first cartoon victim of sexual harassment: in "Boop-Oop-a-Doop" (1932), a lecherous ringmaster asks, "Do you like your job?" after pawing her leg, and the title character in "Betty Boop's Big Boss" (1933) tries to kiss her. The cartoons on this second volume of the Essential Collection include some of the more important films in the series. The nightmarish "Bimbo's Initiation" (1931) has been widely analyzed for its Freudian overtones, and "Museum" is only slightly less surreal. Compared to Disney Studios' beautiful Silly Symphonies, the Fleischer shorts were rubbery, outré, and anarchic--which explains their ongoing popularity. (Unrated; suitable for ages 8 and older: cartoon violence, risqué humor, ethnic stereotypes) --Charles Solomon

(1. Dizzy Dishes, 2. Bimbo's Initiation, 3. Boo-Oop-a-Doop, 4. Betty Boop Limited, 5. Betty Boop's Bizzy Bee, 6. Betty Boop's Ups and Downs, 7. Betty Boop's Museum, 8. Betty Boop's Big Boss, 9. Morning, Noon and Night, 10. Betty Boop's Little Pal, 11. Betty Boop's Prize Show, 12. Keep in Style)

• Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.37:1
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 0.01 ounces
• Director ‏ : ‎ Dave Fleischer
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Multiple Formats, Animated, Blu-ray, NTSC, Black & White, Original recording remastered
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 42 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ September 24, 2013
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Mae Questel, Ann Little, Bonnie Poe, Margie Hines
• Producers ‏ : ‎ Max Fleischer
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Olive
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1