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Top Ten Talkartoons Films

Talkartoons is a series of 42 animated shorts produced by Fleischer Studios in the early thirties. These movies are famous for launching Betty Boop into stardom, but it also introduced us to the likes of Bimbo and Koko the Clown. These movies represented the artistry and inventiveness from the studio from the very beginning. Here are ten best Talkartoons.

10. Any Rags?

Bimbo is a garbage man in this cartoon, but he does his job poorly. This is one of those flicks that deal with one profession in a funny, cartoony way. It’s not the most inspired or artistic short in terms of plot or animation, but it works because it’s so well executed and a whole lot of fun. Bimbo is highly memorable here and the soundtrack is among the best in the series, so it gets the deserved tenth place on this list.

9. Dizzy Dishes

Bimbo falls in love with Betty in this movie that saw the debut of Betty Boop. She’s not her regular self here, being pretty much a father, anthropomorphic version of the gal that we know and love, but her voice is familiar and her personality is intact. This is a crazy, weird movie that has no plot to speak of, but it’s so unique in its animation and atmosphere that it deserves a mention among the better Talkartoons out there.

8. Wise Flies

Wise Flies has no plot at all and the characterization is absent, but the visuals and the gags made it worth it. The music is also terrific with the main number being so catchy and fun. This movie follows a bunch of flies that fly around and do all crazy sorts of things and a lot of fun can be had with the movie’s authentic animation and crazy imagery. It’s a very underrated movie that deserves more attention.

7. Boop-Oop-a-Doop

This movie has Betty singing a song about not wanting to lose her virginity through very risqué and almost too obvious lyrics. Needless to say, that entire sequence was unforgettable, but the villain was also quite strong and fittingly creepy while Koko got to be a hero, which was refreshing. In its terrific score, risqué nature and strong focus on Betty throughout, this is the rare Talkartoons short that neatly signaled the arrival of her own series in the very near future.

6. Mysterious Mose

Betty Boop can’t sleep on a scary night, so she sings the title song and meets the gentleman in question – a surreal version of Bimbo. In this cartoon Betty still has dog ears and muzzle. The highlight of this short was its horror atmosphere. Not only does it feature stunningly inventive animation, but there is a lot of innovative action and imagery on display with the highlight being that ghost in bed scene. It’s one of the most technically accomplished entries.

5. Barnacle Bill

Sailor Bimbo jumps ship with his little black book and visits his lady friend, Betty Boop. This was the best Talkartoons short released up until this point in the series’ run. Although thinly plotted, the strong atmosphere and brilliant, offbeat and strange animation style made if an early cartoon classic. We also have the first effectively realized Betty and Bimbo relationship here and some very memorable moments between the two.

4. Crazy Town

Betty Boop and Bimbo take a wild streetcar ride to Crazy Town, where birds swim, fish fly, and everything else reverses normal behavior. This is one of the wildest and most underrated shorts in this series, one that showcased so much potential but also strong execution of its brilliant ideas. The beauty parlor and barbershop sequences are so original and unexpected that they genuinely surprised me. The inventiveness on display here was truly incredible.

3. Swing You Sinners!

The haunted cemetery premise is familiar for animation, but it has rarely been done as well as it was in Swing You Sinners! This kinetic short mixed music with animation effortlessly while giving Bimbo a superb role. The highlight is the superbly utilized setting and infectious energy that is evident throughout. This is one of the most artistic films in the series, one that is both technically polished and undeniably entertaining. It works on all levels.

2. Minnie the Moocher

Minnie the Moocher is a renowned classic for a reason. The plot here is simple – Betty runs away from home due to her parents being a nuisance, but eventually she comes to appreciate her home after being traumatized by ghosts and skeletons. The movie transcended its straightforward storyline with truly impressive animation with unique character designs, but also an iconic score that benefitted strongly from the presence of the great Cab Calloway, who was wonderfully rotoscoped into this picture. Minnie the Moocher is a creepy, atmospheric and crazy film that would be the best of the bunch had it not been for…

1. Bimbo’s Initiation

Yes, Bimbo’s Initiation takes the deserved number one spot as this is the only Talkartoons short that is near-perfect. Bimbo is initiated into a secret society. The initiation process is very painful and scary, but eventually it ends with him meeting Betty Boop herself. This is one of the greatest Talkartoons due to the sheer inventiveness that it possesses in visuals and plot scenarios. The character movements were so well accompanied with classical music and fantastic sound design. The scary house that Bimbo enters is so well imagined and every single scenario that he finds himself in was so well thought out and quite creepy. Bimbo’s Initiation screams inventiveness and imagination in every single scene and it’s one of the best proofs of how unique early 30s animation was.

Honorable Mentions:

The Bum Bandit – The Bum Bandit is one of the better Talkartoons thanks to a memorable Betty, a solid use of its western-themed premise and a fantastic ending that was so much fun.

Minding the Baby – This is one of the most sexually crazed cartoons in the series, one that is flawed, but so memorable in the Bimbo and Betty scenes.

The Herring Murder Case – This movie functions as a murder mystery with very well utilized Bimbo and a great energy to its execution.

Up to Mars – The rare science fiction Talkartoons, Up to Mars has great world building and a wonderfully weird atmosphere to it.

A-Hunting We Will Go – While not particularly strange, this short benefits from such a hilarious twist ending that elevated the entire film to greater heights.