Gulliver's Travels distributed by Paramount Pictures.
Plot: A fierce storm blows Gulliver, a sailor, onto a land of tiny people in turmoil. The kings of Lilliput and Blefuscu declare war after they fight over their national songs, much to their betrothed children's dismay. When the giant sailor unexpectedly wins the first battle between the two nations for Lilliput, he enjoys the status of a hero. After discovering the cause of the war, though, he realizes battles alone will not solve the war. A larger way of thinking can provide the only solution to the small countries' problem.
Genre: Animation, Movies, Fantasy
Reading Level: Rated G
Similar Titles: Snow White, Wizard of Oz
Personal Thoughts: Quite unintentionally, I find myself reviewing two movies about exceptionally tiny people this week. Oh well.
The film followed the success of Disney's first feature-length film, Snow White. While Gulliver's Travels shows its age, particularly in regards to the character design and music, it shows higher potential than Disney's film. Shadow and light interact better with each other than in Snow White. Additionally, the film attempts, with mixed results, to focus on "adult" concerns, such as war homesickness, which many modern Disney films continue to neglect. Unfortunately, the movie's director, Dave Fleischer, lacked Walt Disney's business skills, and the film, as well as his studio, never really managed to rival Disney. Still, the movie offers a snapshot of the potential of early animation.
The movie fell under public domain recently, so the movie can be downloaded for free from The Internet Archive . Be warned, though. The copy is not particularly high-quality. Some DVDs offer better, remastered versions of the film, so consider finding copies at other databases, libraries, or downloads.
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