Somewhere in Dreamland
Encyclopedia
Somewhere in Dreamland was a 1936 film based on the titular song. This film was part of Max Fleischer
's Color Classics
series.
), with a kiss. Then, they eat dinner: hard bread and flat water. The children eat quickly, with the boy saying "I'm still hungry, Ma." She then cries, because they are very poor, due to the Great Depression
. The boy tries to make her feel better by assuring her that he was "only foolin'" and their mother kisses them good night. They get in their pyjamas, and they each sing a part of the song, as they fall asleep beneath their very tattered sheets. She turns off the candle light, and goes to bed so sadly.
In their sleep, they enter a land with a welcome sign, an arch of pillows with the word "Dreamland". They walk happily through the wondrous land, which includes an ice cream cone field, an animal cracker carousel, a field of popcorn-making corn stalks, wonderful toys, and two luxurious beds. They laugh happily, and fall asleep, only to wake up the next morning. To their surprise, a large feast is on the kitchen table, provided by the Merchants. They ask, "All for us?" The merchants say, "All for you." They shout in joy, but the boy sticks a fork on his bottom, to check if they weren't dreaming again. The children then laugh as a chorus sings "Somewhere in Dreamland, tonight."
Max Fleischer
Max Fleischer was an American animator. He was a pioneer in the development of the animated cartoon and served as the head of Fleischer Studios...
's Color Classics
Color Classics
Color Classics were a series of animated short subjects produced by Fleischer Studios for Paramount Pictures from 1934 to 1941 as a competitor to Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies. As the name implies, all of the shorts were made in color, with the first entry in the series, Poor Cinderella, being the...
series.
Plot
A young brother and sister carry a wagon with pieces of wood, gathering them for their stove. They pass by three merchants' shops: a tinker's, a butcher's, and a baker's. The children see confectionaries at the window, trying to lick it to taste them. The friendly baker comes out with cupcakes, but they already left. The children reach home, and they are welcomed by their mother (Olive OylOlive Oyl
Olive Oyl is a cartoon character created by Elzie Crisler Segar in 1919 for his comic strip Thimble Theatre. The strip was later renamed Popeye after the sailor character that became the most popular member of the cast; however Olive Oyl was a main character for 10 years before Popeye's 1929...
), with a kiss. Then, they eat dinner: hard bread and flat water. The children eat quickly, with the boy saying "I'm still hungry, Ma." She then cries, because they are very poor, due to the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. The boy tries to make her feel better by assuring her that he was "only foolin'" and their mother kisses them good night. They get in their pyjamas, and they each sing a part of the song, as they fall asleep beneath their very tattered sheets. She turns off the candle light, and goes to bed so sadly.
In their sleep, they enter a land with a welcome sign, an arch of pillows with the word "Dreamland". They walk happily through the wondrous land, which includes an ice cream cone field, an animal cracker carousel, a field of popcorn-making corn stalks, wonderful toys, and two luxurious beds. They laugh happily, and fall asleep, only to wake up the next morning. To their surprise, a large feast is on the kitchen table, provided by the Merchants. They ask, "All for us?" The merchants say, "All for you." They shout in joy, but the boy sticks a fork on his bottom, to check if they weren't dreaming again. The children then laugh as a chorus sings "Somewhere in Dreamland, tonight."
Trivia
- Unlike most Color Classics, which were produced in two-strip TechnicolorTechnicolorTechnicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...
, with the exception of Poor CinderellaPoor CinderellaPoor Cinderella is a 1934 Fleischer Studio animated short film featuring Betty Boop. The first entry in the Color Classics series, Poor Cinderella was Fleischer Studio's first color film, and the only appearance of Betty Boop in color during the Fleischer era.-Synopsis:In this retelling of the...
(1934) which was filmed in CinecolorCinecolorCinecolor was an early subtractive color-model two color film process, based upon the Prizma system of the 1910s and 1920s and the Multicolor system of the late 1920s and 1930s. It was developed by William T. Crispinel and Alan M...
, this was Fleischer StudiosFleischer StudiosFleischer Studios, Inc., was an American corporation which originated as an Animation studio located at 1600 Broadway, New York City, New York...
' first film in three-strip Technicolor.