Voices of Jim Backus, Dwayne Hickman, Hans Conried, and Kathryn Grant
Directed by Jack Kinney
Music by George Duning; Lyrics by Ned Washington
UPA debuted during World War II as a unit to make industrial training shorts. Former Disney artists felt the company focused too much on making cartoons that were close to reality and wanted to experiment more with form and content. When government contracts evaporated in the late 40's, they joined Columbia as their in-house animation unit. Not only did they have a unique, angular style that was in direct contrast to what other studios were putting out then, but their biggest stars Mr. Magoo and Gerald McBoing Boing were human rather than comic animals. By 1959, UPA and Magoo were popular enough for them to jump into feature production. How does Mr. Magoo's sole theatrical film look today? Let's begin in old Baghdad as we're introduced to Abdul Azizz Magoo (Backus) and his lazy nephew Aladdin (Hickman) and find out...
The Story: Magoo wants Aladdin to get married, but he resists the three maidens (The Clark Sisters) his uncle sends after him. He finally falls for Princess Yasmina (Grant) when he sees her riding through the town. Yasmina has desperately agreed to marry the Grand Wazir (Conried) in order to restore the kingdom's treasury. Hoping to get rid of Aladdin and get the kingdom and the princess for himself, the Wazir pretends to be Magoo's long-lost brother. He intends to kill him in the cave where he finds a magic lamp, but Aladdin and the lamp get shut in the cave.
Rubbing the lamp reveals a genie (Herschel Bernardi) who can grant Aladdin's every wish. He releases Aladdin from the cave with enough jewels to convince the Sultan (Alan Reed) that he's a wealthy prince. The Wazir tricks Magoo into giving him the lamp, allowing him to whisk Yasmina and the palace Aladdin created for her to a desolate cliff near the sea. Magoo takes his friend Omar the Rugmaker's (Daws Butler) magic carpet after them to bring the two lovers together and keep Aladdin from the chopping block!
The Animation: The color is just stunning on the copy currently at Amazon, brighter than the marketplace of old Baghdad. We do indeed get examples of their flat, angular style, from the humans and their rubbery limbs to the largely black-and-white fantasy sequence where Aladdin falls for Yasmina.
The Song and Dance: UPA really put out all the stops in this colorful confection. Hickman is an adorable Aladdin (especially when those ladies are chasing him), Conried has a great time as the scheming Wazir, and Bernardi lends the Genie a certain gravity, but it's really Magoo's show. He does have a few funny moments, whether it's mistaking his cat for a dog or directing that magic carpet through the numerous obstacles the Wazir throws in his path.
Favorite Number: "Magoo's Blues" laments how Aladdin no longer listens to him as he prepares lamps to be sold and his cat Bowser chases the live yarn the Wazir gave Omar to make into a rug. We hear "You are My Dream" three times. The first puts everything but Aladdin and Yasmina in black and white as Aladdin falls so hard for her, he wanders around dazed in slow motion. Yasmina reprises it first, then the chorus picks it up as Aladdin climbs over the palace wall to see her and we get a barrage of brilliant flower graphics. The three little announcers play a tune right before and during the wedding that doesn't come to pass between Yasmina and the Wazir.
What I Don't Like: While he does have some funny gags, Magoo doesn't fit as well into Arabian Nights tales as he did American history or A Christmas Carol. The jokes with his bad eyesight sometimes go on for too long, especially in the beginning with the ball of yarn he thinks is a cat. Other versions of this story focus on Aladdin or the Genie, not Aladdin's guardian. The animation is well-done for UPA, but isn't for those who prefer the less limited and more realistic style at other studios.
The Big Finale: Worth taking a magic carpet ride for if you love Magoo or the stylized animation of the mid-20th century.
Home Media: On solo DVD from the Sony Choice made on demand Collection; is also a part of the Shout Factory release Mr. Magoo: The Theatrical Collection. It's currently free to stream on Amazon Prime with a subscription.
No comments:
Post a Comment