Inkwell Images

[mgchan]

<img src="http://www.bettyboop.com/inkwellimages/IWI3.gif">
Max Fleischer's animation landmark OUT OF THE INKWELL compiled by Ray Pointer. Available exclusively
through INKWELL IMAGES (http://www.inkwellimagesink.com).


MAX FLEISCHER'S LANDMARK--OUT OF THE INKWELL

Before he discovered Betty Boop, Max Fleischer created and starred in the innovative OUT OF THE INKWELL films (1919-1929), which featured some of the earliest combinations of live action and animation. In real life, Max Fleischer was an established technical illustrator and cartoonist. So the format of him interacting with his drawn creations lends an added dimension to the series.

Fleischer's concepts and techniques produced the first lifelike animation of cartoon figures, and inspired a young Walt Disney in his ALICE COMEDIES (1923-1927). This collection is of the highest quality available, many titles presumed lost and unseen for 50 years. Each program is framed by historical background, making this more a than cartoon compilation, but programs that inform and entertain.

Volume 1
The Bray Years (1919-1921)
Includes:
The Tantalizing Fly, The Chinaman, The Ouija Board, The Clown's Little
Brother, Perpetual Motion, and The Automobile Ride

Volume 2
The Inkwell Studio (1921-1922)
Includes:
Modeling, Fishing, Invisible Ink, Bubbles, Flies, Jumping Beans, Bedtime, and
The Puzzle.

Volume 3
The Birth of Ko-Ko (1923-1925)
Includes:
Koko In 1999, Ko-Ko The Barber, Big Chief Ko-Ko, Ko-Ko Nuts, Ko-Ko Baffles
The Bulls, Ko-Ko Trains 'Em, and Ko-Ko Back Tracks.

Volume 4
Ko-Ko's Showtime (1923-1927)
Includes:
It's the Cats, False Alarm, Trip to Mars, Mother Goose Land, Cartoon Factory,
Ko-Ko the Convict, Ko-Ko Needles the Boss, and_Vaudeville.

http://www.bettyboop.com/inkwellimages/DVD_famous.jpg

NEW Bonus Edition!
2 DVD Set Volumes 1 - 4
Approx. 210 min. $39.95 DVD



KO-KO SONG CAR-TUNES
Just say, "Follow the Bouncing Ball" and everyone is ready to join in on a
heartwarming community sing. Originally conceived in 1924, Max Fleischer's Ko-Ko
Song Car-Tunes were the first audience participation films, offering an
improvement over the static hand-painted glass slide sing-a-longs of the
nickelodeon days. But most importantly, several of them were produced with synchronized
soundtracks, making them the first animated films with sound. This program
represents a previously lost chapter of motion picture history which clearly
establishes the "Bouncing Ball" Sing-Along as

Includes:

Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly? (1926)
When The Midnight Choo-Choo Leaves For Alabam' (1926)
Margie (1926)
Comin' Thro The Rye (1925)
Tramp-Tramp-Tramp The Boys Are Marching (1926)
My Old Kentucky Home (1926)

These are the very first sound cartoons (predating Disney's "Steamboat
Willie") and making use of the "sound on film" process created by Dr. Lee deForest.
These are wonderful sing-along pieces with very imaginative animation done by
Max Fleischer.

http://www.bettyboop.com/inkwellimages/DVD_ko_ko_song_car_tunes.jpg

Ko-Ko Song Car-Tunes
$21.99 DVD

[mgchan]

by Ray Pointer

My connection to Max Fleischer is almost one of psychic phenomena that started when I was a preschooler in the mid 1950s. I recall sometime one spring morning, the television was tuned to the local ABC affiliate, WXYZ, channel 7. My mother called me into the living room and I saw the first animated cartoons I'd ever seen, OUT OF THE INKWELL. Although I did not know who the distinguished gentleman with the Austrian style mustache was, I was immediately taken in by the clever interaction with the live action artist and the black-suited clown with a pointed hat and the dog with a big black nose. I was so impressed with I'd seen that I dreamt that I'd awakened the
next morning to see OUT OF THE INKWELL on the television again. This time, I was so fascinated, that I approached the television and climbed through the screen a la Alice Through the Looking Glass. Once on the other side, I was in a black and white film world, and found myself standing at the right-hand corner of a wooden office desk placed on a bare wooden floor.

The pleasant middle-aged Austrian-looking man, wearing a dark gray suit with a herring bone pattern, was seated in a wooden captain's style office chair. He swiveled around, greeted me like an old uncle, lifted me and sat me on his lap. He talked to me in soft, gentle tones, thanking me for visiting him. He proceeded to show me all of his drawing tools: his wooden T-square, celluloid triangle, and his crow quill pen. Then, he reached for a large ink bottle and said, "Now, Ray, I'm going to bring out the inkwell and
the clown's going to come out!" As the man worked the rubber stopper off with a "pop," the clown then stuck his head out, scanning around from right to left, then looked up and saw me. He shrieked and ducked down into the bottle with a little splash. Wanting to see the clown, I reached for the ink bottle with my stubby little fingers and tipped the bottle over, with a big blob of
ink splashing forward -- causing a reflex action for the nice gentleman to jump up, dropping me. I awoke having fallen out of bed, left leg tangled up in the crazy quilt like a LITTLE NEMO comic strip adventure.

Although I continued to watch OUT OF THE INKWELL, it was with some amount of caution seeing all those black ink blobs wiggling around and transforming into things. In fact for many years, I disliked black ink for this reason, and years later realized why I hated doing hand lettering in high school. It was then that I remembered my childhood dream where I met the great animation pioneer, Max Fleischer and tipped over his inkwell. This
finally helped me overcome my phobia aside from the fact that the India Ink smelled like rotten eggs.

By this time, I was experimenting with animation with quite satisfying results. My father had participated in a film for the U.S. Postal Service, THE MAIL FLOW (1956), and suggested that I contact The Jam Handy Organization, which was then one of the largest industrial film producers in the country. I wrote a letter and was invited to interview with the Animation Department Manager, Bob Kennedy. I set up the projector in the camera room and before long I had a room-filled audience. They all laughed and applauded in all the right spots, which reassured me that I must have done something right. Two elderly little gentlemen entered the back of the room and started asking about me. When the lights came on, I was introduced to Frank Goldman, and his best friend, Mr. Max Fleischer! Amazingly, the very source of my inspiration (and my black ink phobia), validated me. Max asked me how long I'd been working with animation, and said, "You have done more in two years than people we would train in five. I see a great future for you not only as an animator, but as a director in animation and live action as well."

I was hired for the summer, and worked along with many Disney and Fleischer veterans on productions for Pontiac, Marathon Oil, and Faygo Bottling. In the process, I picked up many obscure details about Max Fleischer that set me on the path of research aimed at a documentary. I now realize that I may have been one of the first to do this over 30 years ago. And although much has
now been written about the man, but I seem to be one of the few with the unique distinction of approaching the subject as an industry professional--I've lived it! But most of all, I just may be the only researcher who can actually claim to have met the man.

[mgchan]

Jerry Beck at Cartoon Research Comments: <A HREF="http://www.cartoonresearch.com/reviews.html">
http://www.cartoonresearch.com/reviews.html</A>

Jerry Beck -
Ray Pointer’s Inkwell Images has just released the classic 1920s Max Fleischer Ko-Ko The Clown “Out Of The Inkwell” shorts on DVD. If you are a Fleischer fan I’d highly recommend that you check out Ray’s website inkwellimagesink.com and place your order now.

The prints are superb (or at least the best we’ll ever get), many are tinted and come with the “classic” Winston Sharples Ko-Ko music (added for TV release in the 1950s). Contains on camera commentary by Fleischer animator Berny Wolf and Max’s Fleischer’s nephew, Bernard Fleischer.

These collections are expertly packaged and professionally produced. My only request is that Ray put out more of this wonderful Fleischer collection.


RECOMMENDED

Chris Snowden -Unknown Video

Previously, the best way to see these 1920s Fleischers was to search for an out-of-print (Republic) laserdisc, which had a number of nice-looking cartoons on it and no soundtrack whatsoever. This DVD is especially valuable because, unlike that laserdisc, this collection concentrates on the Fleischers' early period, 1919-1923. Don’t worry... these aren’t primitive efforts. The Fleischers' inventiveness and spontaneity were already in full
force in this era, and these cartoons are full of the comic surrealism and vitality you’d expect from them. You get fourteen cartoons, all with nice musical scores, transferred from nice prints.
Bottom line: buy this disc. You can buy it direct from InkwellImagesInk.com.
Sun, March 23 2003 @ 19:52:23


Richard Kish

An Amazing Production!

The fact that the original 2000 “Out of the InkWell” release on VHS won the "GOLD AWARD in the Entertainment Category at The Houston International Film and Video Festival is only the icing on the cake.

Ray Pointer has outdone himself! “Out of the InkWell” DVD is a very inspired and wonderfully undertaken venture. Mr. Pointer has not only presented us with the animation stylings of Max Fleischer and the directorial talents of his brother Dave Fleischer, but has included some biographical information in the form of an introduction/narration (narrated by Ray Pointer) about the
history of the Fleischer brothers. Mr. Pointer has also included insights from Berny Wolf (an animatior working for the Fleischers) and Max’s nephew Bernard Fleischer.

As far as for the visual and audio quality of this production, to quote Jerry Beck (Animation Authority/Historian) “The print quality is the best...and the transfers are excellent.” This is an understatement! Ray Pointer makes the very best use of sound effects and music (by Winston Sharples...Fleischer cartoon music composer). And to quote animation instructor Brian LeMay, “didn’t intrude on the original animation...” and gives each cartoon a wonderfully authentic feeling.

Thank you Ray, for preserving this piece of history and for giving us an insight into the mind and talents of Max Fleischer!"

Richard Kish
Animation Enthusiast and Devotee
Beacon, NY
March 2, 2003
Sun, March 23 2003 @ 21:56:37


David Coleman -

MAX FLEISCHER’S FAMOUS OUT OF THE INKWELL is an award-winning look at not only the man, but even more importantly, his work. If you are new to Fleischer and/or only know him from his more famous efforts such as the 1940’ s Paramount Superman cartoons or perhaps GULLIVER’S TRAVELS, an animated
feature that was a favorite of t.v. syndicators for decades, you will be astonished by the imagination and creative vitality on display in these early masterpieces. And if you think only Betty Boop 'toons still play without apologies today, warts and all, wait until you experience the amazingly imaginative “Inkwell” series, many collected here in one highest-quality, meticulously enhanced edition for the first time ever.

The “Out of the Inkwell” series focused on the rascally clown later known as Koko. The basic set-up: Fleischer himself would draw the clown using a special ink that literally and figuratively brought him to life. Rather than be a cooperative stand-in as requested, Koko desires to play by his own rules, frequently upsetting Fleischer’s attempts to reign him in.

It’s amazing how surreal and post-modern the Fleischer works are today when you truly stand back and appreciate them with the proper awe as this flick does. Consider nearly 60 years previous to the live action/animation combinations in ROGER RABBIT, Fleischer invented these techniques, and had Koko constantly knocking over any “fourth wall” between himself and the viewer.

These amazing digitally-restored versions of of the landmark “Out of the Inkwell” cartoons are produced from the best film masters available. And the meticulously done enhancements by producer, Ray Pointer, both visually and aurally, make OUT OF THE INKWELL not only essential viewing by any fans of the medium, but also makes them the definitive versions of these wonder films, not available anywhere else.

MAX FLEISCHER’S FAMOUS OUT OF THE INKWELL delivers the goods and then some.
Tue, March 25 2003 @ 01:19:58