Making 'Em Move

A sassy cat visits a cartoon studio and learns the mysteries of animation. The process involved in creating a film is portrayed through gag-like scenes, including drawing, looping, filming and sound. These lessons should not be taken too literally: there's a walking camera here, as well as a mouse who doubles as a pencil sharpener and other surprises. There are several "cartoon within a cartoon" sequences, including a brilliantly witty depiction of an animator creating a "flip book" of cels as a model poses for each page- he flips the book for us when he's done, revealing a sexy hula dance! In the final scenario, we see the cartoon screened for an audience of Aesop animals, who thrill to the animated version of the formulaic "Nell" story.

Cat, Mouse

A series of animated short subjects created by Paul Terry and actor-turned-writer Howard Estabrook. Estabrook suggested making a series of cartoons based on Aesop's Fables. Although Terry claimed he had never heard of Aesop, he felt that Estabrook's idea was something worthwhile. Terry immediately began to set up a new studio called Fables Studios and received backing from the Keith-Albee Theatre circuit.

The earliest films were loose adaptations of the actual fables. Later entries usually revolved around cats, mice, and the disgruntled Farmer Al Falfa. Each short concluded with a "moral" that usually had nothing to do with the actual cartoon itself.

In 1929, Terry quit to start his own TerryToons Studios and John Foster took over the series under Amadee J. Van Beuren's brand new Van Beuren Corporation, a renamed Fable Studios. The series finally came to a close in 1933.