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Out of the Inkwell: Max Fleischer and the Animation Revolution
Max Fleischer (1883–1972) was for years considered Walt Disney's only real rival in the world of cartoon animation. The man behind the creation of such legendary characters as Betty Boop and the animation of Popeye the Sailor and Superman, Fleischer asserted himself as a major player in the development of Hollywood entertainment. Out of the Inkwell: Max Fleischer and the Animation Revolution is a vivid portrait of the life and world of a man who shaped the look of cartoon animation. Also interested in technical innovation, Fleischer invented the rotoscope―a device that helped track live action and allowed his cartoons to revolutionize the way animated characters appeared and moved on-screen. In the 1920s, Fleischer created a series of "Out of the Inkwell" films, which led to a deal with Paramount. Their character KoKo the Clown introduced new animation effects by growing out of Fleischer's pen on-screen. As the sound revolution hit film, the studio produced shorts featuring the characters interacting with songs and with the now-famous bouncing ball that dances across lyrics projected on the screen. Max Fleischer's story is also one of a creative genius struggling to fit in with the changing culture of golden age cinema. Out of the Inkwell captures the twists and turns, the triumphs and disappointments, and most of all the breathless energy of a life vibrantly lived in the world of animation magic.
184 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
12 people are currently reading
195 people want to read
About the author
Leonard Maltin
182 books72 followersLeonard Maltin, is an American film and animated-film critic and historian.
Maltin began his writing career at age fifteen, writing for Classic Images and editing and publishing his own fanzine, Film Fan Monthly, dedicated to films from the golden age of Hollywood. After receiving a journalism degree at New York University, Maltin went on to publish articles in a variety of film journals, national news-papers, and magazines, including Variety and TV Guide.
Maltin in 1990
As an author, Maltin is best known for Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide, (some editions titled as his ...Movie and Video Guide), a compendium of synopses and reviews that first appeared in September 1969 and has been annually updated since October 1987. (It was published under the title TV Movies until the 1990s, and in 2005 spawned a spin-off, Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide, limited to films released in 1960 and earlier to allow the regular book to cover a larger number of more recent titles.) He has also written several other works, including Behind the Camera, a study of the art of cinematography, The Whole Film Sourcebook, Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia, Our Gang: The Life and Times of the Little Rascals, and Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons.
Since May 29, 1982, Maltin has been the movie reviewer on the syndicated television series Entertainment Tonight. He also appears on the Starz cable network, and hosted his own syndicated radio program, Leonard Maltin on Video, as well as the syndicated TV show Hot Ticket with Boston film critic Joyce Kulhawik (originally E! personality and game show host Todd Newton). He currently hosts a television show entitled Secret's Out on ReelzChannel movie network. He also spearheaded the creation of the Walt Disney Treasures collectible DVD line in 2001,[4] and continues to provide creative input and host the various sets.
He appeared on Pyramid twice as a celebrity player, in 1987 on the CBS $25,000 version and in 1991 on the John Davidson version. He appeared on Super Password as a celebrity guest in 1988.
In the mid-1990s, he became the president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and is on the Advisory Board of the Hollywood Entertainment Museum. For nearly a decade, Maltin was also on the faculty of the New School for Social Research in New York City. He currently teaches in the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California.
In 1998, Maltin settled a libel suit brought by former child star Billy Gray, of Father Knows Best fame, whom Maltin identified as a drug addict and dealer in his review of the film Dusty and Sweets McGee for the movie guide book. The statement appeared in print for nearly twenty-five years before Maltin publicly apologized for the error.[5]
He currently hosts "The Maltin Minute" for DirecTV customers. Maltin also teaches at the University of Southern California.
Maltin began his writing career at age fifteen, writing for Classic Images and editing and publishing his own fanzine, Film Fan Monthly, dedicated to films from the golden age of Hollywood. After receiving a journalism degree at New York University, Maltin went on to publish articles in a variety of film journals, national news-papers, and magazines, including Variety and TV Guide.
Maltin in 1990
As an author, Maltin is best known for Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide, (some editions titled as his ...Movie and Video Guide), a compendium of synopses and reviews that first appeared in September 1969 and has been annually updated since October 1987. (It was published under the title TV Movies until the 1990s, and in 2005 spawned a spin-off, Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide, limited to films released in 1960 and earlier to allow the regular book to cover a larger number of more recent titles.) He has also written several other works, including Behind the Camera, a study of the art of cinematography, The Whole Film Sourcebook, Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia, Our Gang: The Life and Times of the Little Rascals, and Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons.
Since May 29, 1982, Maltin has been the movie reviewer on the syndicated television series Entertainment Tonight. He also appears on the Starz cable network, and hosted his own syndicated radio program, Leonard Maltin on Video, as well as the syndicated TV show Hot Ticket with Boston film critic Joyce Kulhawik (originally E! personality and game show host Todd Newton). He currently hosts a television show entitled Secret's Out on ReelzChannel movie network. He also spearheaded the creation of the Walt Disney Treasures collectible DVD line in 2001,[4] and continues to provide creative input and host the various sets.
He appeared on Pyramid twice as a celebrity player, in 1987 on the CBS $25,000 version and in 1991 on the John Davidson version. He appeared on Super Password as a celebrity guest in 1988.
In the mid-1990s, he became the president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and is on the Advisory Board of the Hollywood Entertainment Museum. For nearly a decade, Maltin was also on the faculty of the New School for Social Research in New York City. He currently teaches in the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California.
In 1998, Maltin settled a libel suit brought by former child star Billy Gray, of Father Knows Best fame, whom Maltin identified as a drug addict and dealer in his review of the film Dusty and Sweets McGee for the movie guide book. The statement appeared in print for nearly twenty-five years before Maltin publicly apologized for the error.[5]
He currently hosts "The Maltin Minute" for DirecTV customers. Maltin also teaches at the University of Southern California.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
December 5, 2009
This is a fascinating memoir of Max Fleischer, "the" great pioneer of 20th Century motion picture cartoon making, written by his son Richard Fleischer* [*himself the director of such films as "20,000 Leagues under the Sea," "Compulsion," "10 Rellington Place" and "Fantastic Voyage":]. This isn't one of those exhautive (or exhausting) biographies that regurgitate facts and statistic about a great artist no matter how redundant, erroneous or incongruous; rather this is a loving tribute to an incredible man, artist and father.
Max Fleischer was the genuine article. He created Koko the Clown, Betty Boop and "follow the bouncing ball" and brought them lovingly to life on the big screen. His studio also produced the Popeye the Sailor and Superman cartoon shorts. He was an extraordinary inventor who held patents on a number of revolutionary filmmaking gadgets and gizmos. Though he inspired uncommon respect and loyalty from those in his employ, he was not a great businessman. Max was an honest and far too trusting man, who unwittingly got into bed with those nefarious folks at Paramount.
This is a great unfilmed Hollywood story, one I'd love to see brought to the big screen by Francis Ford Coppola (a la "Tucker: The Man and His Dream" - the two stories have much in common). Max Fleischer's life story is filled with drama and passion. He was an uncommon man of talent and ambition. His was an American dream that came true, and then became a nghtmare. Still, through it all, he remained optimistic. Bravo Max, and bravo Richard Fleischer for telling your father's story with such care.
Max Fleischer was the genuine article. He created Koko the Clown, Betty Boop and "follow the bouncing ball" and brought them lovingly to life on the big screen. His studio also produced the Popeye the Sailor and Superman cartoon shorts. He was an extraordinary inventor who held patents on a number of revolutionary filmmaking gadgets and gizmos. Though he inspired uncommon respect and loyalty from those in his employ, he was not a great businessman. Max was an honest and far too trusting man, who unwittingly got into bed with those nefarious folks at Paramount.
This is a great unfilmed Hollywood story, one I'd love to see brought to the big screen by Francis Ford Coppola (a la "Tucker: The Man and His Dream" - the two stories have much in common). Max Fleischer's life story is filled with drama and passion. He was an uncommon man of talent and ambition. His was an American dream that came true, and then became a nghtmare. Still, through it all, he remained optimistic. Bravo Max, and bravo Richard Fleischer for telling your father's story with such care.
July 5, 2012
I grew up watching Popeye & Friends and animation classics such as "Hoppity Goes to Town" and "Gulliver's Travels." I also remember the rise in popularity of Betty Boop in the 1980's although everyone knew that she was a cartoon that originated decades earlier. Also, what person has not seen the bouncing ball that accompanies the lyrics of sing alongs? Until I read this book, I had no idea that all were the creation of Max Fleischer. It astounds me that I did not know his name until now, but after reading this book I understand how this master of animation was eclipsed by powerful forces. Isn't this the struggle that many artists encounter? Fleischer's creative genius is astounding, and I'm glad his son chose to write this book with the love that only a son can express for his father as well as with the insider knowledge he has about an artist's ambition and the nature of the industry both father and son were a part of. Fleischer's son, Richard Fleischer, was not an animator but a director of Disney films and the science fiction favorite, Soylent Green. For someone like me who was lucky enough to grow up watching Fleischer animation thanks to shows like "Tom Hatten's Popeye & Friends" and "The Family Film Festival," knowing the history of this pioneer was an eye opener. It is a fascinating and sometimes humorous tale, but it can also be seen as sad, even tragic. Man vs. man. Man vs. himself. Man vs. beast (corporate interest/money). All conflicts can apply to this story. All play a role as to why Fleischer was not as well known as someone like Walt Disney altough they were contemporaries and were equally pivotal to this genre of art and entertainment. The ending is abrupt, but I prefer to see it as a non ending. Hopefully, Fleischer's legacy will no longer be ignored and his history and contributions will contnue to be celebrated. Love for cartoons is what motivated me to introduce my sons to Popeye cartoons, and I'm proud to say my sons are also growing up watching Fleischer animations as I once did. Someday, they will also read this book as it is about a man who brought much happiness through his art and innovation. I'm still a big fan of Disney, but in all honesty, its the Fleischer cartoons that happily color my childhood memories and the ones I prefer to watch now.
October 18, 2024
I love reading biographies of people who inspire me. Max Fleischer, being one of the premier animation pioneers, was very inspiring. Not only was he an animator, he was an inventor, somebody whose mind was geared toward engineering. Not only was he an illustrator, he was mechanically minded, inventing many different innovations in filmmaking (the Rotoscope being the most famous). And Max, with his brother Dave Fleischer, produced animated cartoons that remain striking, unique, and some of them still have yet to be topped nearly a hundred years later.
This biography, written by Max's son, famed director Richard Fleischer, details Max's early life, his break into the animation business, his involvement with industrial filmmaking during WWI, and the founding of Fleischer Studios. After the birth of his company, Max had great success but it was also a tumultuos and difficult career related to his involvement with Paramount Pictures, and the rivalry he felt toward Walt Disney.
Today, he is most remembered for his Popeye and Betty Boop cartoons, and for producing the most beautiful cartoons ever made, the Fleischer Superman shorts. But, he also created the first two-reel color cartoon - Poor Cinderella - and the first ever sound cartoon, My Old Kentucky Home, which predates Disney’s Steamboat Willie by nearly four years. But he also improved on the Cinecolor process, unable to use Technicolor because Disney had an exclusive right to it, so Max added special filters and the result was the same as any state of the art coloring process.
This was a very interesting and engaging read. I couldn't put it down. The author painted a loving, prideful picture of his father. Max seemed like a very driven but also sometimes complicated man. I find him a far more inspiring and decent person compared to Walt Disney because Fleischer seemed far less self-serving, reactionary, and genuinely cared about his employees. I'd recommend this book to animation fans and pop-culture historians alike.
This biography, written by Max's son, famed director Richard Fleischer, details Max's early life, his break into the animation business, his involvement with industrial filmmaking during WWI, and the founding of Fleischer Studios. After the birth of his company, Max had great success but it was also a tumultuos and difficult career related to his involvement with Paramount Pictures, and the rivalry he felt toward Walt Disney.
Today, he is most remembered for his Popeye and Betty Boop cartoons, and for producing the most beautiful cartoons ever made, the Fleischer Superman shorts. But, he also created the first two-reel color cartoon - Poor Cinderella - and the first ever sound cartoon, My Old Kentucky Home, which predates Disney’s Steamboat Willie by nearly four years. But he also improved on the Cinecolor process, unable to use Technicolor because Disney had an exclusive right to it, so Max added special filters and the result was the same as any state of the art coloring process.
This was a very interesting and engaging read. I couldn't put it down. The author painted a loving, prideful picture of his father. Max seemed like a very driven but also sometimes complicated man. I find him a far more inspiring and decent person compared to Walt Disney because Fleischer seemed far less self-serving, reactionary, and genuinely cared about his employees. I'd recommend this book to animation fans and pop-culture historians alike.
July 15, 2017
The late film director Richard Fleischer tells the story of his father, the pioneering animator Max Fleischer (Betty Boop, Popeye, Superman, "Gulliver's Travels") in this slim but most charming memoir. It turns ugly when Max is screwed over by Paramount whose executives are the villains here and not, surprisingly, rival animator Walt Disney who -- in this story, at any rate -- turns out to be a gentleman. It's an important bit of movie history and it must have been gratifying for Richard to set the historical record straight.
June 20, 2018
More of a really touching tribute to Max Fleischer rather than a biography, yet this book has so many amazing facts and stories about Max Fleischer that I knew nothing about! This book reveals an entire world behind the Max Fleischer cartoons that are both inspiring and heart wrenching. This book really shows what an amazing man Max Fleischer was for the world of animation. I highly recommend this for any animation fan out there.
July 5, 2023
Excellent
I'm admittedly a cartoon snob, so, of course, I value Max Fleischer's cartoons above the later cartoons of, say, Hanna-Barbera. So, this book was eye-opening and very interesting. Max Fleischer was a man of principles and those principles, unfortunately, led to a very sad end. Paramount is the villain in this story and it's almost unbelievable how low they could stoop to take advantage of Fleischer.
I'm admittedly a cartoon snob, so, of course, I value Max Fleischer's cartoons above the later cartoons of, say, Hanna-Barbera. So, this book was eye-opening and very interesting. Max Fleischer was a man of principles and those principles, unfortunately, led to a very sad end. Paramount is the villain in this story and it's almost unbelievable how low they could stoop to take advantage of Fleischer.
September 25, 2017
Fascinating and utterly dispiriting in a way I was not expecting. Both a celebration of animation techniques being pushed forward and made globally successful and a sad recollection of the bastardry of old Hollywood.
April 20, 2023
A loving tribute to an incredibly talented father by Richard Fleischer. An easy to read biography that covers the trials and tribulations of the creator of the KoKo the Clown, Betty Boop, Popeye and Superman cartoons. A good read!
August 2, 2017
I enjoyed "Out of the Inkwell". Very informative look at Max Fleischer's career.
I must tell you, though -- the last page of this book is one of the saddest you may ever read.
I must tell you, though -- the last page of this book is one of the saddest you may ever read.
July 15, 2021
Neither unbiased nor entirely historically accurate, but this is a warm and loving tribute from a son to his exceptional father.
October 31, 2023
Would love an in-depth unbiased look at Max Fleischer's life, this unfortunately was not that. A fun quick read that I wish had far more detail about just. how revolutionary Fleischer was.
August 13, 2016
Max Fleischer was an innovative and entertaining animator whose fair-mindedness and inexperience with the business world led him to lose his properties and enabled others to take advantage of him. The man who created Koko the Clown, Betty Boop, and Popeye is now obscured by Disney's legacy.
Fleischer's story is not in chronological order and the author often introduces a new idea but then leaves it to return to it later. There are also several areas that should have been more developed, especially the contract that turned Fleischer Studios into Famous Studios and gave Paramount all of the rights to the Fleischer characters. The story ends abruptly with Max's death, but this was a perfect opportunity for the author to summarize his father's impact on the animation world and why he is not better known.
Although the writing isn't completely scholarly, it is filled with warmth and good information on a much-neglected animator.
Fleischer's story is not in chronological order and the author often introduces a new idea but then leaves it to return to it later. There are also several areas that should have been more developed, especially the contract that turned Fleischer Studios into Famous Studios and gave Paramount all of the rights to the Fleischer characters. The story ends abruptly with Max's death, but this was a perfect opportunity for the author to summarize his father's impact on the animation world and why he is not better known.
Although the writing isn't completely scholarly, it is filled with warmth and good information on a much-neglected animator.
April 28, 2019
Ive always loved the Betty Boop cartoons, despite that I didn't actually know much about the creator. This book was amazing, it was really easy to read and gave a real insight to Max Fleischer, as his son Richard was retelling his fathers' story I felt like I was there with Max all the way which worked really well because you become emotionally attached to him.
This book made me happy, sad, angry, giggle and cry and is by far the best book I've read so far this year.
I would recommend this book to anyone who was a fan of Max Fleischer's cartoons because it gives a completely new side to the cartoons that you don't have when you're watching them, you don't realise how much work went into making them look the way they did and how much Max had to struggle in order to succeed. This is such a good book.
This book made me happy, sad, angry, giggle and cry and is by far the best book I've read so far this year.
I would recommend this book to anyone who was a fan of Max Fleischer's cartoons because it gives a completely new side to the cartoons that you don't have when you're watching them, you don't realise how much work went into making them look the way they did and how much Max had to struggle in order to succeed. This is such a good book.
June 21, 2011
It was great to read about Max' great career and what better person to tell it than his own son. It sickens me though how got screwed throughout the second half of his life by Paramount. Max is without a doubt the greatest animator of all time and it just sickens me that most of his films and shorts (excluding Popeye) are being sold for $1 at a Jembro.
September 25, 2007
Really about two-and-a-half stars, but about the only game in town regarding Fleischer Studios, unless you prefer crackpot Marxist academics elaborating tendentious theories without humor.
June 20, 2013
A fascinating yet compact portrait of Max Fleischer lovingly written by Richard Fleischer, his son. I enjoyed learning about the period, Max's creative drive and the evolution of animation.
May 11, 2019
This book reads like an assignment for a 6th grader to write about his family history. With little information that couldn't be gotten from Wikipedia and even less insight, Richard Fleischer fails as much in his prose as in his research. Wouldn't have finished this if I wasn't shooting for 25 books this year, and this one was so short that by the time I'd given up it was nearly over.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews