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Directors: William Hanna & Joseph Barbera
Airing date: October 5, 1962
Stars: The Flintstones
Rating: ★★
Review:
In this appallingly unfunny episode Fred secretly takes ballet lessons to restore his bowling skills.
This episode starts with a long morning routine in which Wilma tries to wake up Fred. This part contains two stone age gags: Fred shaving himself with a clam containing a bumble bee, and Wilma frying a humongous dinosaur egg. Later we watch Wilma and Betty trying to swap a giant fly, and Wilma’s gigantic Brontosaur ribs dinner for Fred.
These gags are fair, at best, but much better than the main story, which drags on, despite the deadline of a big game Fred hopes to win and its stakes being high. Why Fred doesn’t tell anyone he is taking ballet lessons in the first place is never explained, and this secrecy is as puzzling as discomforting, given the fact that Fred and Wilma are supposed to have a happy marriage.
Watch an excerpt from ‘Bowling Ballet’ yourself and tell me what you think:
This is The Flintstones Season Three episode 4
To the previous The Flintstones episode: Barney the Invisible
To the next Flintstones episode: The Twitch
‘Bowling Ballet’ is available on the Blu-Ray ‘The Flintstones – The Complete Series’ and the DVD-box ‘The Flintstones Season 3’
Director: Lev Atamanov
Release date: 1969
Rating: ★★★★
Review:
In ‘Ballerina on the Boat’ a ballerina boards a ship. When she practices her moves, several sailors try to copy her, but only succeed in falling overboard. In the end they all get so angry, the gentle ballerina retreats into her cabin. But that night she rescues the ship from a terrible storm.
‘Ballerina on the Boat’ is a very charming film using stark cartoon modern designs and watercolor backgrounds reminiscent of Raoul Dufy. Even the storm consists of beautifully colored paint strokes. The film thus has a strong 1950s feel, enhanced by the peppered modern music by star composer Alfred Schnittke.
The film uses no dialogue and has a very poetic feel, as the ballerina defies gravity more than once. The ballerina herself is animated beautifully and very convincingly, and indeed, two people are credited for choreography. If the film has one drawback, it’s its length. For, after all, not too much is happening throughout the 17 minute long short.
Watch part 1 of ‘Ballerina on the Boat’ yourself and tell me what you think:
‘Ballerina on the Boat’ is available on the DVD ‘Masters of Russian Animation Volume 2’
Dr. Grob's Animation Review 