Willoughby's Magic Hat
Encyclopedia
Willoughby's Magic Hat is a 1943 Phantasies
animated
short subject
directed by Bob Wickersham, produced by Screen Gems
, and released to theatres by Columbia Pictures
on April 20, 1943.
The short features the character of a diminutive, weak man named Willoughby Wren, who finds he is granted super-strength by wearing a cap woven from the hair of Samson
. He then uses his newfound powers to save a young woman from the clutches of an evil Frankenstein's monster
-like robot, but finds that his powers vanish when the hat falls off or is removed from his head, which seems to happen often. At these times, the announcer would call to Willoughby, "Willoughby! Willoughby! The hat, Willoughby! The hat!"
The film is notable for its use of stylistic design and unusual camera angles, the influence of Screen Gem employees who had defected from Walt Disney Productions following the 1941 Disney animator's strike
. The designer for Willoughby's Magic Hat, Zack Schwartz, later became one of the co-founders of United Productions of America
(UPA), a company that specialized in experimental and avant-garde animated shorts.
Several later Screen Gems shorts featured the Willoughby character, something of an unusual superhero
.
Phantasies
Phantasies is the name of a series of animated cartoons produced by the Screen Gems studio for Columbia Pictures from 1939 to 1946. The series, featuring characters such as Willoughby Wren and Superkatt, is notable as being the last theatrical animated series produced in black-and-white...
animated
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
short subject
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
directed by Bob Wickersham, produced by Screen Gems
Screen Gems
Screen Gems is an American movie production company and subsidiary company of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group that has served several different purposes for its parent companies over the decades since its incorporation....
, and released to theatres by Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
on April 20, 1943.
The short features the character of a diminutive, weak man named Willoughby Wren, who finds he is granted super-strength by wearing a cap woven from the hair of Samson
Samson
Samson, Shimshon ; Shamshoun or Sampson is the third to last of the Judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Tanakh ....
. He then uses his newfound powers to save a young woman from the clutches of an evil Frankenstein's monster
Frankenstein's monster
Frankenstein's monster is a fictional character that first appeared in Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. The creature is often erroneously referred to as "Frankenstein", but in the novel the creature has no name...
-like robot, but finds that his powers vanish when the hat falls off or is removed from his head, which seems to happen often. At these times, the announcer would call to Willoughby, "Willoughby! Willoughby! The hat, Willoughby! The hat!"
The film is notable for its use of stylistic design and unusual camera angles, the influence of Screen Gem employees who had defected from Walt Disney Productions following the 1941 Disney animator's strike
Disney animators' strike
The Disney animators' strike was a labor strike by the animators of Walt Disney Studios in 1941.-History:The 1930s led to a rise of labor unions in motion pictures as in other industries such as The Screen Actors Guild which was formed in 1933. Animators of Fleischer Studios went on strike in 1937...
. The designer for Willoughby's Magic Hat, Zack Schwartz, later became one of the co-founders of United Productions of America
United Productions of America
United Productions of America, better known as UPA, was an American animation studio of the 1940s through present day, beginning with industrial films and World War II training films. In the late 1940s, UPA produced theatrical shorts for Columbia Pictures, most notably the Mr. Magoo series. In...
(UPA), a company that specialized in experimental and avant-garde animated shorts.
Several later Screen Gems shorts featured the Willoughby character, something of an unusual superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
.