Paul Fennell

Birth : 1909-11-09,

Death : 1990-01-18

History

Paul Fennell was a storyboard artist who got his start as an animator at Disney Studios in 1933, contributing as an uncredited animator to shorts such as Mickey’s Mellerdrammer (1933), Mickey’s Mechanical Man (1933), and Father’s Noah’s Ark (1933). Leaving in 1933 to work at Leon Schlesinger, alongside other Disney animators, Bill Mason and Tom Palmer, Paul Fennell produced animations for Warner Bros., and during the war directed cartoon propaganda films for the army. In the early ’40s, Fennell formed an independent company called Cartoons, Ltd., developed with Jerry Brewer and Ed Benedict, producing animations such as This Changing World, released in 1941 by Columbia pictures, and theatrical advertisements mixing live action and animation, for corporations such as Sunkist, Esso Gas, and The American Tobacco Company. From: http://rarebit.org/?people=paul-fennell

Movies

How War Came

Director

An animated documentary describing the involvement of Japan, Italy and Nazi Germany as the aggressors and instigators of World War II.

Historical Reel: Broken Treaties

Director

Radio commentator Swing is seen at the beginning, introducing the animated film to follow. The action shows the various treaties and non-aggression pacts of the 1930's and how they served to expose the foolish trust the allied countries put in them, when Hitler broke them all in his march of conquest.

The Carpenters

Director

Carpenters Clancy, Mr. Teewilliger and Herman bumblingly struggle to build a house with disastrous results.

To Spring

Layout

Gnomes greet the coming of spring by manufacturing various bright colours.

To Spring

Story

Gnomes greet the coming of spring by manufacturing various bright colours.

To Spring

Director

Gnomes greet the coming of spring by manufacturing various bright colours.

I've Got to Sing a Torch Song

Animation

Blackout gags and music, including the title song originated in the movie musical Gold Diggers of 1933. Hollywood figures caricatured include Tallulah Bankhead, Joan Blondell, James Cagney, Bing Crosby, Guy Kibbee, Zasu Pitts, Mae West, Bert Wheeler and Bob Woolsey, Ed Wynn, George Bernard Shaw, Mussolini, Ben Bernie, The Boswell Sisters and Greta Garbo, who does the "Dat's all, folks!".

Mickey's Mechanical Man

Animation

Mickey has built a robot to compete in the boxing ring against the giant gorilla, the Kongo Killer. Whenever it hears Minnie's car horn, it goes crazy and starts punching any picture of Killer that it sees, even if it's on a brick wall, thus hurting itself. Mickey manages to barely patch his robot together to take on Killer, but after some early success, it gets pummeled by the ape. Minnie fetches the car horn, which brings it back, and it trounces Killer, then flies apart.

Father Noah's Ark

Animation

Noah, his family (wife, 3 sons, their wives), and various animals all help build the ark. The rains come, and the skunks barely miss the boat (not that anyone was particularly looking for them), but they manage to swim to it. After the rain and many lamentations by the humans, the sun returns, to the great joy of all. The ground appears, and the animals (and many new babies) disembark.

Mickey's Mellerdrammer

Animation

Mickey Mouse and his friends stage their own production of Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin.

Birds in the Spring

Animation

Two birds rejoice over the hatching of their three eggs; as they grow, the hatchlings are taught to sing and fly. One falls from the nest and has adventures with a rattlesnake and a beehive before finding his way home.

Santa's Workshop

Animation

Santa's little helpers must hurry to finish the toys before Christmas Day.

King Neptune

Animation

After a short introduction, one of Neptune's mermaids is captured by a pirate ship, and their anchor chain entangles King Neptune; the various sea creatures launch a full-on assault on the pirate ship, and eventually the giant King himself gets free and creates major havoc for the ship.