Goldilocks and the Jivin’ Bears (1944)
Goldilocks and the Jivin’ Bears Review
Goldilocks and the Jivin’ Bears is a 1944 animated short film from the Merry Melodies series. It is quite an okay cartoon.
This is the final cartoon to be included in the so-called Censored Eleven and it’s another harmless movie which should not have been included in this list at all. Yes, the character designs are problematic, but the short is otherwise not offensive at all. It basically portrays again black people as energetic, lively and musically inclined and I did not have a problem with that positive depiction at all.
The movie itself is not all that great because it lacked genuine humor and storytelling. It’s a retelling of the famous story but with black people and jazz music, but it’s never as smart or as sophisticated of a parody for it to really work. But I did love the music and the dances throughout the cartoon plus the characters can be a lot of fun.
Goldilocks and the Jivin’ Bears isn’t great, but it’s a solid little parody with an energetic approach to it and good music.
