Animations | Rarebit Early Animation Wiki

Welcome to our animation archive. Here you can find videos and information on individual cartoons. We welcome additions and corrections to our cartoon descriptions.

Space Ghost: “The Heat Thing”

Filed under: animation, 1960s, Animation Series, Bill Hanna, Color, Hanna-Barbera Studios, Joe Barbera, Space Ghost, U.S.A.

Producer(s): Joseph Barbera William Hanna

Release Date: 10/09/1966

"Space Ghost imagines intergalactic adventures through the superhero Space Ghost and his sidekicks Jace and Jan, and their pet monkey Blip, who assist in keeping outer space free from trouble. Space Ghost was pivotal in the rising popularity of superh..."

Special Delivery

Filed under: animation, 1970s, Canada, Color, National Film Board of Canada

Producer(s): Derek Lamb

Release Date: 1978

"Ralph Phelps ignores his wife's orders to clean the snow off their porch and goes for a walk instead. His day spirals into anarchy when he returns to find the mailman on his front yard, his neck broken from slipping and falling down the stairs."

Spring Hits a Snag

Filed under: animation, Bill Hanna, Color, Hanna-Barbera Studios, Joe Barbera, U.S.A.

Producer(s): Joseph Barbera and William Hanna

Release Date: 1961

""Snagglepuss rescues Lila, a lovely young miss in distress, who he then envisions as a suitable Mrs. Snagglepuss. This was actually Lila's plan all along and in no time at all, she is ensconced in Snag's domain. But all is not sweetness and light. Th..."

Steamboat Willie

Filed under: animation, Early Sound, Mickey Mouse, U.S.A., Walt Disney Studios

Producer(s): Walt Disney Roy O. Disney

Release Date: 29/07/1928

"The first Mickey Mouse cartoon with synchronized sound. Disney agonized over the synchronization of sound to the animation in Steamboat Willie. The cartoon also introduces a prototypical Minnie mouse. Mickey's pretty much a jerk within the narrative ..."

Swing Shift Cinderella

Filed under: animation, 1940s, Jazz, Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios, Musical, U.S.A., World War 2 ( WW2 )

Producer(s): William Hanna Fred Quimby

Release Date: 25/08/1945

"Bored with chasing Red Riding Hood, the Wolf decides to go after Cinderella, but her fairy godmother takes a shine to him instead - and has an arsenal of magical powers to help achieve her ends."

Swooner Crooner

Filed under: animation, 1940s, Jazz, Merrie Melodies, Porky Pig, U.S.A., Warner Bros.

Producer(s): Leon Schlesinger

Release Date: 06/05/1944

"Porky Pig's egg farm faces production problems when a crooning rooster distracts the hens from their jobs."

Tarantella

Filed under: animation, 1940s, Color, U.S.A.

Release Date: 31/12/1940

"Tarantella is an avant-garde, abstract, animated short film with piano accompaniment by Edwin Gerschefski. Mary Ellen Bute, the director and animator of Tarantella, kept some of Norman McLaren’s original paintings from their previous collaboration ..."

The Band Concert

Filed under: animation, 1930s, All Music, Color, Donald Duck, Goofy, Mickey Mouse, Musical, Technicolor, U.S.A., Ub Iwerks, Walt Disney, Walt Disney Studios

Producer(s): Walt Disney

Release Date: 23/02/1935

"Mickey and his friends Peter Pig, Paddy Pig, Horace Horsecollar, Clarabelle Cow, and Goofy try to put on an outdoor concert. As they attempt to play the William Tell Overture they face many problems, chief among them Donald Duck and a pesky bee. "

The Bandmaster

Filed under: animation, 1930s, Oswald, U.S.A., Universal Studios

Producer(s): Walter Lantz

Release Date: 18/05/1931

"Oswald conducts, and then a slew of seemingly random events ensue. Although at moments narrative causality matters, for the most part spectacle drives the cartoon (for example, when objects seemingly magically transform)."

The Banyan Deer

Filed under: animation, 1950s, Color, Films Division, India

Producer(s): Claire Weeks Ezra-Mir

Release Date: 1957

The Cartoon Factory

Filed under: animation, 1920s, Inkwell / Fleischer Studios, U.S.A.

Producer(s): Max Fleischer Alfred Weiss

Release Date: 21/02/1924

""KoKo the Clown and a live-action Max Fleischer. Max has invented a new, electric, drawing device. He uses this to finish the drawing and then, with a somewhat maniacal grin on his face, he turns the device on poor, hapless KoKo.""

The Children and the Bear

Filed under: animation, 1950s, Color, Propaganda, Toei Animation Studio

Producer(s): Payut Ngaokrachang United States Information Agency Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO)

Release Date: 1959

"An anti-communist allegory about a bear (meant to represent Russia) that escapes from his keeper. The bear encounters a group of children, consuming several of them. The remaining children (representing Southeast Asian countries) join together and sc..."

The Cobweb Hotel

Filed under: animation, Color, Dave Fleischer, Inkwell / Fleischer Studios, Max Fleischer, U.S.A.

Producer(s): Max Fleischer

Release Date: 15/05/1936

"A spider runs a hotel for flies where he keeps his guests captive. A pair of fly newlyweds arrive and check in. Fortunately, the husband is "flyweight champion" and the spider winds up in a bottle of library paste. "

The Flintstones: Cave Scout Jamboree

Filed under: animation, 1960s, Bill Hanna, Color, Hanna-Barbera Studios, Joe Barbera, U.S.A.

Producer(s): William Hanna and Joseph Barbera

Release Date: 01/04/1966

"After flooding the quarry where he works, Fred is laid off work for a few days. He convinces Wilma and Betty to accompany he and Barney on a camping trip, promising them a peaceful getaway. However, when they learn that their campground is the site o..."

The Friendly Ghost-Casper playing with friends

Filed under: animation, 1940s, Anime, Casper the Ghost, Color, Early Sound, Famous Studios, Joe Oriolo, Painted Animation, Paramount Pictures, U.S.A.

Producer(s): Sam Buchwald

Release Date: 16/11/1945

The Frozen North

Filed under: animation, Paul Terry, Terrytoons Animated Shorts, U.S.A.

Producer(s): Paul Terry

Release Date: 17/10/1941

"A Terry-Toon that depicts polar region characters like a wolf, Eskimo, and a bear."

The Grasshopper and the Ant

Filed under: animation, 1950s, Animation technology, Germany

Release Date: 1954

""A musical Grasshopper continues to play his violin while the Ant works hard to prepare for the winter. Later as winter arrives Grasshopper realizes he is not ready for winter and falls ill.""

The Great Bluegrass Mountain Race

Filed under: animation, 1970s, Color, Farmhouse Films, U.S.A.

Producer(s): Fred Calvert

Release Date: 12/11/1977

"This is the tenth episode of the short-lived series, I Am the Greatest!: The Adventures of Muhammad Ali. Muhammad Ali, Damon, and Nicky help their friend, a train engineer named Jimmy, win a race against two dishonest truckers."

The Mad Scientist / Superman

Filed under: animation, 1940s, Dave Fleischer, Max Fleischer, Superman, Technicolor, U.S.A., World War 2 ( WW2 )

Producer(s): Max Fleischer Adolph Zukor

Release Date: 26/09/1941

"When a mad scientist holds Lois Lane hostage, only Superman can save her, and the rest of the city, from his diabolical plot."

The Man Next Door (隣の野郎)(1965)

Filed under: animation, 1960s, Japan, Technicolor, Yōji Kuri

Release Date: ?/?/1965

"The Man Next Door is an animated short of minimalist pencil drawing that depicts a red-hat man’s daily struggle with noises made from all sorts of activities that his neighbour, the blue hat, did, including typing, vacuuming, swimming, mechanic cra..."

The Mascot / Fétiche

Filed under: animation, Russia, Stop Motion

Producer(s): Gelmafilm M.J. Kandel

Release Date: 1934

The New Spirit

Filed under: animation,

Producer(s): Walt Disney

Release Date: 23/01/1942

"This short by Disney for the US Treasury Department utilizes Donald Duck to promote timely filing and payment of Federal income taxes."

The Owl Who Married a Goose: An Eskimo Legend

Filed under: animation, 1970s, Canada, National Film Board of Canada, Painted Animation

Producer(s): Pierre Moretti

Release Date: 1974

"From the National Film Board of Canada: Please note that this is an archival film that makes use of the word “Eskimo,” an outdated and offensive term. While the origin of the word is a matter of some contention, it is no longer used in Canada. Th..."

The Skeleton Dance

Filed under: animation, 1920s, Silly Symphonies, U.S.A., Ub Iwerks, Walt Disney, Walt Disney Studios

Producer(s): Walt Disney

Release Date: 22/08/1929

"As we hear the chimes at midnight and bats flutter from a belfry; as a hound howls at the full moon and black cats brawl on the tombstones; Through the gloom, white skeletons pass, Running and leaping in their shrouds!"

The Sliphorn King of Polaroo

Filed under: animation, Racial representation, U.S.A., Universal Studios

Producer(s): Walter Lantz

Release Date: 19/03/1945

"Shipwrecked Jackson, a trombone player, is washed up on an arctic island. His solid technique on the sliding brass captivates the native seals and penguins, who elect him King of Polaroo."

The Street

Filed under: animation, 1970s, Canada, National Film Board of Canada, Painted Animation

Producer(s): Wolf Koenig Guy Glover

Release Date: 01/01/1976

""This film deals with a Jewish family in Montreal, Canada as they care for a dying grandmother and the young boy who is impatient to get the room he was promised as soon as she kicks the bucket.""

The Tell-Tale Heart

Filed under: animation, 1950s, Technicolor, U.S.A., United Productions of America (UPA)

Producer(s): John Hubley Stephen Bosustow

Release Date: 27/12/1953

"Based on Edgar Allan Poe's short story of the same name. The caretaker of an old man suffers paranoid delusions surrounding his employer's blind eye. In a fit of rage, he murders the old man and hides his body under the floorboards. Facing police inv..."

The Tender Game

Filed under: animation,

Producer(s): Faith Hubley John Hubley

Release Date: 1958

""Love story between a florist and a sweeper inspired by the song Tenderly by Walter Gross and Jack Lawrence.""

The Wanted 18 (2014): Run Yara Run

Filed under: animation, 2010s, Amer Shomali, animated documentary, Canada, National Film Board of Canada, Palestine, Stop Motion

Producer(s): Saed Andoni Ina Fichman Dominique Barneaud Nathalie Cloutie

Release Date: 12/09/2014

"The Wanted 18 (2014) is a Palestinian-Canadian animated documentary about the effort of Palestinians in Beit Sahour engaging in the First Intifada (1987-1993), a series of acts of collective civil disobedience and protests against Israeli military oc..."

The Yogi Bear Show: Ring-a-Ding Picnic Basket

Filed under: animation, 1960s, Color, Hanna-Barbera Studios, Joe Barbera

Producer(s): William Hanna and Joseph Barbera

Release Date: 1961

"Ranger Joe buys a new booby-trapped picnic basket to discourage Yogi Bear's picnic-stealing habits, but it's all for naught. However, when Yogi hears Ranger Joe talking on the phone about shooting an animal and shipping it to the zoo, he assumes that..."

Three Little Pigs

Filed under: animation, 1930s, U.S.A., Walt Disney Studios

Producer(s): Walt Disney

Release Date: 27/05/1933

"The story of the three little pigs with minor variations including the wolf's attempts to outsmart the pigs."

Three Monks (三个和尚)(1980)

Filed under: animation, 1980s, China, Shanghai Animation Film Studio, Technicolor

Release Date: 01/01/1980

"Based on a Chinese proverb of the same name, Three Monks depicts the perpetual shift between conflict and collabouration among three Buddhist monks regarding water delivery to the temple they live in. The young monk, in red, who is the first to arriv..."

To Spring

Filed under: animation, Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios

Producer(s): Hugh Harman Rudolf Ising

Release Date: 04/06/1936

"Dwarfs greet the coming of spring by manufacturing various bright colours."

Tom and Jerry – Safety Second

Filed under: animation, Bill Hanna, Hanna-Barbera Studios, Joe Barbera, Technicolor, Tom and Jerry, U.S.A.

Producer(s): Fred Quimby

Release Date: 01/07/1950

"Jerry and Nibbles celebrate spend the day prepping for 4th of July celebrations, however Jerry strongly disapproves of the latter's penchant for pyrotechnics, forbidding him from using fireworks and explosives for the occasion. Instead, Jerry propose..."

Typhoid Sufferers (Tifusari)(1963)

Filed under: animation, 1960s, Croatia, Vatroslav Mimica, World War 2 ( WW2 ), Yugoslavia

Release Date: ?/?/1963

"Based on a poem of the same name by Jure Kastelan, Tifusari is a Yugoslav-Croatian animation depicting typhoid sufferers who endlessly wander across a dreadful wasteland of death and despair in hope of a sense of resilience. The short animated film t..."