Cartoon Crazy's Spooky Toons

Starring:Jackson Beck, Mae Questel, Jack Mercer, Frank Gallop, Cecil Roy
Director: Seymour Kneitel, Izzy Sparber, Ub Iwerks, Dave Fleischer, Vernon Stallings, John Foster (II), Max Fleischer
Studio: Winstar
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Spooky Toons culls 13 vintage cartoons, each centering on some poor bug-eyed creature contracting a usually misguided case of the creeps. To say it's fraught with the sort of frightful scenes that remind one of bats and broomsticks, though, would be misleading. Mostly, these nuggets (most less than 10 minuts long) jog nostalgia. Casper, star of two segments, was never fond of scaring folks to begin with, and Betty Boop, the other double-billed character, is too cutesie-poo to pull off a portrayal of genuine fear. Still, Spooky Toons ought to sit well with fans of the form and those more concerned with old-fashioned fun than Halloween-focused fare, as it trots out some early, largely forgotten gems. For instance, there's Balloon Land, about a town full of walking, talking balloons forever on the run from the roguish, rhyming Pin Cushion ("I always have a pin at hand / That's the reason I am panned"), and Ouija Board, a partly animated featurette following the adventures of a cartoon clown who leaps off a storyboard and wreaks havoc in his studio's art department. Another standout--Huffless, Puffless--seems misplaced in this collection, but it's still a joy to watch. It has a crew of hipster dragons haranguing a nonsmoking member of the tribe: "John, stop puttin' it on. Ain't no joke--you've gotta smoke!" In the end, of course, the puffless dragon overpowers his air-polluting peers, much the same way this compilation's winning lineup overpowers its watered-down theme. --Tammy La Gorce

Customer Reviews:

Toons, Yes. Spooky? Fugeddaboutit!.......2007-06-16

As previous critics have noted, there is little in this copmpilation of (apparently) public-domain cartoons to raise a chill, though it will raise more than a hackle or two.

There's not much here of a scary nature. The video transfers are often muddy and dark. And this compiation's producer found necessity in either enhancing the cartoons' original sound effects, or merely adding new ones (often loud enough to muffle the original films' music and dialogue!).

A must to avoid.

Don't waste your money.......2004-03-17

It's not something you want to own, but I borrowed it from the library and it was kind of worth it.

1. There's Good Boos Tonight
This has a great beginning, but as all the Casper cartoons are, it's starts getting all cutesy and it isn't even funny. I never really have liked Casper.

2. Fright to the Finish
One of the better Paramount Popeye's, but the ending is so dumb it doesn't even fit with the rest of the cartoon. Not as good as the Fleischer Popeyes, but have you ever seen a Paramount that was (besides THE HUNGRY GOAT)?

3. Jasper in a Jam
I love the Jasper Puppetoons, but this one isn't one of the better ones. Why didn't they put: Jasper's Pie on there instead?

4. Jack Frost
It has a Halloween scene, but of all the spooky cartoons produced, this wouldn't be a top choice, it's more of a Christmas cartoon. Not to say I don't like it, this is one of my favorite cartoons ever made, but it isn't spooky.

5. The Lunar Luger
This isn't even attempting to be spooky. It's stupid. The animation is cheap. But if you get a kick out of dumb 60s style superhero cartoons, you will like this one.

6. Balloon land
Even though this is great, it isn't spooky either, it looks like it's summer or something.

7. Spooking about Africa
This is a lot better when you fast-forward through the whole thing (although it's still slow) this is one of the least spooky Casper's and one of the least funny.

8. The Scared Crows
Not one of the best Fleischers. Betty Boop is messed up and it isn't Halloweeny.

9. The Huffless Puffless Dragon
Though simply animated, it's one of the best cartoons on this collection...it's still not scary, though!

10. Is my Palm Red?
One of the worst Fleischer cartoons ever! I could go so far as to say THE worst. Fleischer is usually top-notch. What happened?

11. Wot a Night
A Tom and Jerry cartoon. Not the cat and mouse, but the tall guy and the skinny guy. It's really weird... just the way I like it!

12. The Ouija Board
An Out of the Inkwell cartoon. Those are usually great, but this isn't the best one, and once again: IT ISN'T EVEN REMOTELY SPOOKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There was another one, but I can't remember what is was.
I only gave it three stars because of: Jack Frost, Balloonland and the Huffless Puffless Dragon

Misleading title.......2001-02-06

A collection of cartoons loosely based on the title of the collection, but then it depends on your definition of "spooky". The Popeye cartoon does have a halloween theme and the Casper cartoons can be considered spooky, but that's it. I'm curious how the cartoons, "Jack Frost" and "Baloon Land" even made it into this collection. Misleading title aside, this collection should only be sought after by someone interested in ANY vintage cartoons. No noteworthy catoons here, a real disappointment.

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