Mother Goose Land (1933)
Mother Goose Land Review
Mother Goose Land is a 1933 animated short film from the Betty Boop series. It is a formulaic fairy tale short.
Betty, while reading a book of Mother Goose stories, wishes she could visit such a wonderful place. Betty’s wish is granted when Mother Goose appears, and gives her a tour of Mother Goose Land. This was a period when the Betty Boop series was transitioning from adult to more family-friendly cartoons. It wasn’t a smooth transition, leaving me in a bit of a whirlwind.
The third act with the spider chasing Betty was standard, though everybody and everything sacrificing themselves for her benefit was a bit dark and quite memorable. The beginning and ending are typical and very Disneyesque, but undeniably endearing nonetheless. The animation is even more elaborate in its designs, attention to detail and world building. The score is less striking than before and less groovy, but it is serviceable. The magical elements made for a very imaginative short and a solid take on nursery rhymes.
