I am about to show you a 95-year-old cartoon that, for better or for worse, will absolutely blow your mind. It’s surrealism on steroids. It’s mind-bending and it’s unnerving. And it even features a cameo from two of the greatest cartoon characters of all time.
Brace yourself. This is the 1931 film “Bimbo’s Initiation.”
Some background. In 1931, the Fleischer Studio was arguably one of the only true rivals to Walt Disney’s animation studio. While Disney had Mickey Mouse, Fleischer’s first big star was an anthromorphic puppy named Bimbo. In this cartoon, Bimbo falls into a manhole cover and travels to a lair dominated by candle-capped cultists, who want to know if Bimbo will join their organization. Every time Bimbo refuses, he undergoes some surreal torture for which he must escape.
But take a look at the cartoon and see if you spot a couple of characters who would become famous in their own right. Look closely at the beginning of the film, and you’ll spot Mickey Mouse – a close-enough parody of Disney’s main money-maker that Walt surely had to notice. And the second character, later in the film, would eventually eclipse Bimbo as the Fleischer Studios’ most famous talent.
Okay. Here we go. Bimbo’s Initiation.
Yeah. I don’t know WHAT the Fleischer animators were smoking that day, but it sure was some POWERFUL stuff. 😀
