Somewhere in Dreamland

Somewhere in Dreamland is a 1936 animated short in Max Fleischer's Color Classics series.[1] The film was produced by Max Fleischer, directed by Dave Fleischer, and was animated by Fleischer veterans Seymour Kneitel and Roland Crandall.[2] The cartoon, set during the contemporary Great Depression, follows two impoverished children who dream about a land full of candy and ice cream. The cartoon is Fleischer's first in three-strip Technicolor.[3]

Somewhere in Dreamland
Directed byDave Fleischer
Produced byMax Fleischer
Adolph Zukor (executive)
StarringMae Questel
(uncredited)
Gus Wickie
(uncredited)
Music byMurray Mencher
Charles Newman
Animation bySeymour Kneitel
Roland Crandall
Color processTechnicolor
Production
company
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • January 17, 1936 (1936-01-17)
Running time
8 minutes 55 seconds
LanguageEnglish

Plot

A young brother and sister carry a wagon through town, gathering wood for their home stove. They pass by several merchants' shops and stop for a moment, to admire the confectioneries in a bakery. As he sees the children, a friendly baker goes inside, and comes back with ice cream for them, but the children have already left. The merchants gather to make a plan, because they want to help the poor children. The children reach home and sit down for supper: hard bread and flat water. The children eat quickly, with the boy saying he's still hungry. Unable to provide enough food for her children, Mother begins to cry. The boy tries to make her feel better by assuring he was "only foolin'." and their mother kisses them goodnight. They get in their pajamas, and they each sing a part of the song, as they fall asleep beneath their tattered sheets.

In their sleep, they enter "Dreamland". They happily frolic through the wondrous land, which includes a syrup river, an ice cream cone field, toys, nice clothes and two luxurious beds. They laugh happily, and fall asleep, only to wake up the next morning. To their surprise, a large feast is on the kitchen table, as well as toys and clothing surrounding the room, all of which was provided by the Merchants. The children look up to the kind merchants, asking twice if all these things are for them. The merchants nod and reply "All for you, yes!" The children shout in joy, and begin to eat. The boy, however, suspicious of this good fortune, sticks a fork in his bottom to ensure they aren't just dreaming again. The children laugh and continue to eat, as the chorus "Somewhere in dreamland, tonight" plays.

Trivia
  • This was Fleischer Studios' first film in three-strip Technicolor.
  • This cartoon is available on numerous public domain cartoon compilation DVDs and VHS tapes, but some of the included prints omit the first three minutes of the cartoon, instead starting with the children singing "Somewhere in Dreamland" in their beds before going to sleep.
  • Some copies of Somewhere in Dreamland circulate with NTA openings and closings, with the "in TECHNICOLOR" and "COPYRIGHT 1936 PARAMOUNT PRODUCTIONS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED." bylines censored with a black bar on the main title card, while others circulate with original Paramount openings and closings. This is one of very few Color Classics to widely circulate with original Paramount title cards, whereas the rest had to have their openings digitally recreated.
  • This show was included in an episode of Donald's Quack Attack.

References
  1. Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 66–67. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  2. "Somewhere In Dreamland". BCDB. 2013-11-16.
  3. Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. p. 291. ISBN 9781476672939.
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