Well, maybe not exactly scary... Almost. It was a surprise to see how mild this pre-code Betty Boop cartoon short was compared to some of the real prime examples of nightmarish surrealism of which the Fleischer studios were capable and free to produce at this point in time. It strangely lacks the bizarre sight gags and effects that most fans prefer in the early Bimbo and Betty animations that makes them so special. I mean, to be fair there is a talking house who states he'll "keep the home fires burning", by literally setting himself on fire, and a pinky toe with a face, and also a very neat little gag where Humpty Dumpty has his trademark great fall, and then, when he cracks open on the ground he's revealed to be full of rats, which is probably needless to say, all kinds wrong and freaky! But that is really just about it. It's not completely free of the outrageous though. Take for instance the villain of this show, a creepy spider who's presence would probably make very young children cry. The villainous arachnid's intentions toward our old-timey heroine are clearly more amorous then predatory. So while I would say it's not frightening, it ain't exactly all lollipops and sunshine either! I wouldn't say that it's so gentle as to be made only for little kids. I love the strange, impressive spiralling effect when Betty and Mother Goose(who sounds suspiciously like a man) first approach the island, I think it still looks pretty impressive for the time. Another more startling perspective effect is used when the lecherous hobbledebobbin' spider is hoisted into the air by many blackbirds on a web and then bounced off it like a trampoline directly towards the audience whilst growling in a menacing manner. The camera tracks right into his wide open jaws-or rather, the image of his mouth grows larger and larger, making it seem to be a zoom-in shot. Pretty cool stuff. Not as good as the more spooky ones but I like things that are all about fairy tales. The setting provides an excuse to showcase many colourful storybook characters . That's a fair big part of this one's appeal. I love spotting all the bright classic characters on display. Overall, I'd say that this probably isn't one of the all time great Boop classiques, but good fun nonetheless. Pleasant dreams!!!
Review of Mother Goose Land
