Koko's Earth Control

[@burningfire2000]

Just casually playing happy music in the background while the whole world is being destroyed lol

[@rhiannathornton5540]

Same, 2 years later

[@Discrimination_is_not_a_right]

Dog must be an end-timer.

[@djnicksedits5525]

Thats the happy music is the joke/punchline of the short.

[@georgeplagianos6487]

@@Discrimination_is_not_a_right Yep Doggie must be a fundamentalist

[@techjo85]

@@djnicksedits5525 Nope, the music was actually added in by U.M. & M. TV Corporation for reruns on TV in the 1950s.

[@Goreface69]

This is extremely high quality for the 1920s. No wonder New York dominated the cartoon industry and walt disney wanted to be as good/better than Fleischer. The drawings, backgrounds, cuts, effects, everything looks extremely clean and accurate. Really excellent work.

[@angelofdeath275]

Goreface69 I believe a former employee worked on Snow White, which is why it had rotoscope-like features....but Walter Disney never admitted it

[@grandautismostreams5033]

I want to say with it being unwell imps it’s 1929-31 ish?

[@DJWaffleston]

Max Fleischer is one of those guys who you can tell put everything into every single one of his works, and not just because of his animations, but you know that he works his hardest to make these characters alive. In my opinion, he is the best animator ever, and oddly enough, he's one of the very first modern animators. Also, the fact that he invented the Rotoscope technique places a huge landmark in the line of animation today.

[@eldersmit]

You can tell how much Max Fleischer loved Koko The clown but it shame that Koko couldn't reach the status of Mickey, Popeye or Boop. They try to pair Koko up with Bimbo but when you watch them together it just didn't click .

[@davidlanham99]

Pretty high tech for 1927.

[@JoshuaXRamey]

+David Lanham hell yeah Fleischer was ahead of his time.

[@massimilianomiotello3473]

1928

[@davidlanham99]

@@massimilianomiotello3473 The Roman numerals at the beginning say 1927.

[@massimilianomiotello3473]

@@davidlanham99 well probably

[@okamijubei]

@@davidlanham99 but likely started on 1927 but finished and copied in 1928.

[@anxiousbalrog]

Still a better apocalypse than 2012

[@pruzza23]

ah yes -2020

[@jinglataquin5759]

Or 2020

[@magdalenem4949]

your comment didn't age well

[@Troublemaker1022-r9c]

Ha, Ha, Ha............. 2022 makes 2012 and 2021 look like childs play, and we're only a couple months in.

[@sg-hunter]

i love how in older cartoons the music is such an integral part of the mood. just check out koko's st james infirmary. amazing.

[@jonathandellasantina7715]

Try playing kzbin.info/www/bejne/pXrWlH9jd8-mp5Y along with it, man.

[@Cameroo]

The first draft of the Neon Genesis Evangelion ending sure was weird....

[@tiny099]

The last one was kinda super weird too.

[@Gold_Tail]

IS THIS THIRD IMPACT

[@nintendorakyamato1859]

I love Neon Genesis Evangelion

[@ninjabobcat8959]

"It all comes tumbling down, tumbling down, tumbling down"

[@sonicfanboy3375]

I've never let you down I've been a fool to myself

[@Christofaaah]

3:44 I love these old cartoons so much. It's like back then, they seemed to have so much FUN just animating and stuff. I mean like, WTF, the world is ending and the dog is having a fist fight with a tree. Like, these people must of been improvising this cartoon as they went. Also, it reminds me of certain Pivot cartoons (Pivot is an easy-to-use stick figure animation program) that me and my brother and other kids used to make. They were just so innocent (besides the bloodshed) and fresh and fun.

[@tnaoro]

3:44

[@gnikcohs]

A breathtaking cartoon epic with great special effects. This is a cartoon masterpiece compressed into a scant 5 minutes and 43 seconds. The last minute or so was a whole disaster movie in 60 seconds ! and executed with tremendous ingenuity. But then the entire film was executed brilliantly. What an incredible place (and idea) was Earth Control so full of cool fx. And out of nowhere the stogie smoking volcano! Max Fleischer really was the singular artistic genius of 20th century cartooning.

[@Christofaaah]

To me it seems like this animation was made with so much love put into it, which I can't really say for recent cartoons which are planned and worked on by huge teams (not that there's anything wrong with that) These cartoons are just so experimental and silly and FUN. I don't know, I'm rambling. But thanks for posting this, btw. :)

[@stevepensando2593]

You should check out Smiling Friends. It's a show that kinda has an experimental vibe to it and it seems like everyone from the animators to voice actor are having fun

[@AdamFerrari64]

How this wasn’t voted into the top 50 cartoons list is beyond me. I know it just missed out but still

[@voelz1670]

This is amazing. It's original, it's unique, it's got passion and heart put into it, it's funny, clever and just all around very enjoyable to sit through even today. I could go on and list thing after thing made in the last 20 years which don't have any of that but i don't think i need to. Also the 2d animation on real world footage must of been some of the very first material of that type and is a joy to witness

[@JohnP-dt7cg]

How did they achieve the effect of the hand drawing in real time at the start back then? For 1920s that's some seriously impressive work!

[@dannyelflord9805]

My guess is it's actually a cut out of a hand, and it's animated stop motion style along with that actual drawings.

[@moogyboy6]

I might add that Max Fleischer was also the inventor of the rotoscope method of animation, ie tracing a live action film frame by frame. Koko was the first cartoon character to he largely drawn with rotoscope.

[@moogyboy6]

On a technical level, the Fleischers were equal, if not superior, to Disney at the time, but probably a little too weird in terms of story and character sensibilities to grow past the early constant-sight-gags oriented style of cartooning. As the novelty of moving drawings wore off, Disney put a lot more effort into hanging increasingly excellent animation onto cohesive and relatable stories, making cartoons into miniature movies. Fleischer never did catch up in that respect, unfortunately. As for this particular short, I agree it's typically brilliant early Fleischer, but for my money the whole "world blows up!" section works just a little too well. Choosing that happy-go-lucky generic silent movie music was probably questionable; I wonder how many pre-adolescent mental gears must have violently ground themselves to bits from cognitive dissonance when this made the afterschool TV rounds.

[@changolini]

Imagination ! When you could really critically think

[@Boris91939]

It’s been offically added into the National Film Registry for this year!!!

[@charbroiledmonk1033]

What late night fever dream has led me here

[@xChallengeFTWx]

Still a better apocalypse than 2020

[@gnikcohs]

Edgar Allan Poe wrote several stories in which he described what he called the "imp of the perverse". That is the psychological tendency to do something precisely because you should not. In some people, some times that tendency becomes over powering. For example people often blurt out the very thing they think, until they blurt it, they are NOT going to say. That cartoon dog was very anthropomorphic, eg he could read, and he acted like a human in an exaggerated medium like cartoons might act

[@samhansen83kg]

Remarkably significant, I’d say. I don’t know if it was intentional or not, but televised animation did end the world as we know it, and Fleisher’s characters pulled the lever in many ways. To think that this was released right when animation became an option for entertainment is profound, because when that happened, public entertainment went from a custom to an option, sweeping the rug from beneath casual society. Vaudeville, playhouses, and the circus died after this, or at least changed from common festivities to private entertainment options. Public society in its essence is now formality, having amputated the carefree part of the human spirit our ancestors once shared in common. Just like religion is treated now, entertainment has been culturally policed into a private practice, not to be enjoyed in common but in itself, with the occasional option of continuing ones mode of existence within private entertainment in real life, but only through the chosen medium. This is what GenCon is, for example. Now we have video games and an array of fictional multiverses, all simulations which we pick at our choosing, but none of which bear resemblance to the reality that animation accidentally killed.

[@_wormlet]

At no point in your opinionated waffle did you offer any evidence for the notion that televised animation ended or contributed to the ending of anything. Vaudeville for example was impacted by the new style of talkies and efficiencies in film distribution as well as a cultural shift which can hardly be laid at the door of animation. Your whole comment uses a lot of words but you said nothing of substance.

[@witefire31]

all of these shows are absolutely charming

[@heckzotica]

That dog is the master of the apocalypse!

[@durece100]

This scene is very fitting. 2:41

[@liamhumel8026]

Why the hell was that lever there in the first place?

[@durece100]

This is Koko's Earth Control, right? Without the lever, this cartoon won't be so epic.

[@MasDipoS]

Liam Humel Donald trump?

[@durece100]

This has nothing to do with this cartoon. Just focus.

[@kingofnerds1841]

In case things went to utter crap!

[@tarnokka]

Better Nate than lever.

[@DSheartlady]

these are the most enjoyable cartoons unlike today they are innovative 😊

[@mariogirard1221]

koko was one of my favorites when i was small😂what great souvenires

[@Shaymin00000]

5:11 some of Cyriak's earlier work.

[@treydagamester07]

Mitt Romney XIIV good one

[@Kobekola]

SOMEONE REMEMBERS HIM- oh this was posted 3 years ago

[@angelofdeath275]

I immediately thought of him as well

[@rebeccanoll2710]

One of those old cartoons that still creeps me out

[@ExplorerDS6789]

Love that soundtrack!

[@chipsunlimited]

Amazing, I can't believe my eyes, What a wonderful time, thanks!

[@AdamFerrari64]

The world would be a better place if Fleisher cartoons outlasted Disney ones

[@internetcomdianpeter]

the animation from 4:38 to 5:43 looks so realistic. It looks like real life. Max Whinebreger must of been an excellent drawer

[@cherryapple6469]

Yup. And it's Max Fleischer. XD

[@wannabeasubscriber528]

Oh, cool earth control you have it would be ashamed if I Pulled it

[@littyfam5136]

I wonder if Koko was a fan of Lean

[@MiguelAndresNunez]

Damn Koko back at it again

[@angelofdeath275]

This was extremely well made for its time, then they took it a step further with the 3 rotoscoped Cab Calloway shorts!

[@rrrraullll472]

Una obra de arte que genial

[@nickaa827]

i felt like i was gonna have a seizure watching the flashing parts

[@The_Burrowing_Brothers]

gotta love Koko’s homicidal ah dog- but honestly love this stuff lol

[@brilliantbrianna6407]

That damn dog. 😭🤣

[@VOMITQUEEN]

This was insanely ahead of its time

[@Shalimarfemme]

Just incredible!!

[@numbuh1507]

Before Mabel Pines caused the weirdmageddon, Koko's dog doomed both their world and OURS as well.

[@BlackBloodCombatClub]

This must be the work of an enemy stand!

[@malachithunder2764]

I love koko

[@polysemantor]

2:30-2:47 brilliant

[@tnaoro]

2:30 - 2:47

[@AdamFerrari64]

Just wanted to say, I love the music playing in the background.

[@isecream]

Pepsi The Clown before being transformed into a balloon-humanoid, circa 1928, colorless.

[@HollowHimself]

'recommended for you'

[@billmcdonnell79]

A shortened version with modern music and sound effects was on MTV's Liquid Television in the 1990's.

[@bbvenusian1960]

nothing today beats old time animation!!!

[@leephillips4402]

I love Cartoons with a good message.

[@gameoholic1994]

I guess what we saw at 4:36-5:43 was the first thing to ever pioneer the idea of live-action/animation hybrids.

[@Fibbing01]

Yes I want to know more about the soundtrack music too.

[@ufo5440]

perhaps the most famous koko cartoon

[@yoqiu_]

Wonder if the producers were on drugs when making this

[@wolfil8019]

That was marvelous!

[@user-gv6rs3yt8p]

Wow LMAO the clown and his dog go figure

[@tbirddddd]

This should be set to Tool's Learn to Swim.

[@Galaxieretter]

Whoever made this cartoon probably saw the veil, as some of the stuff drawn in this cartoon reflect what I had to deal with. I drew a character in 9th grade which looks a lot like Koko the Clown, in design of the outfit, except he was called "Psycho the Clown." He wasn't very popular but he was the first character I ever made up.

[@Slingy908]

The fact that Max Fleischer drew a self-destruct lever that destroys, both, the world he just drew and the real world implies that he has the power to destroy entire universes.

[@JSwindell]

This is why cats rule...heh,heh.heh! Really, the dog got a whipping but still proceeded to pull the lever.

[@bloodyinkpen]

Use tubedubber to sync this up with Kom Susser Tod from End of Evangelion. It's god damned amazing.

[@drewwinslow2105]

You mustn't do that! Can't help it, I'm a born Lever-puller.

[@jollyholly4643]

Drew Winslow ...."and a habitual line stepper...hehehe"

[@elgeneralxx]

They played this on liquid television

[@jackskellingtonation]

That's the result of corporate exploitation of art. Industry demands a time slot be filled so we just end up with generic shows. In my opinion however cartoon network is getting a lot better. It moved on from shows like total drama island to adventure time which is a major improvement.

[@dgw3650]

koko's dogbe like : 'aw sweet. man made horrors beyond my comprehension'

[@t.c.bramblett617]

Bimbo straight up wanted to end it all. And I don't blame him

[@IncredibleCactusRoll]

This short was recently remastered and put in the National Film Registry

[@Long-HairedLuigi]

This is SO hysterical! XD

[@JoeyyDoesLife]

Splendid!

[@ikanparii]

So smooth

[@mohammadaskar3760]

This was beautiful ^_^

[@AdamFerrari64]

1927 genius max fleischer

[@horrorzone6660]

Is that dog an early version of Bimbo or something?

[@sonicfanboy3375]

Yeah his name is "Fitz the Dog"

[@andyjay729]

Yeah, really. The first verse of "It all returns to nothing" comes just as the dog pulls the lever, and they're singing "It all comes tumbling down" while the New York skyline is of course crashing down. Will you be watching this on Dec. 21, or End of Evangelion, or the last three episodes of Madoka Magica?

[@jonathandellasantina7715]

Wow. It really works. Amazing.

[@marko-gj1uj]

They should have immediately gotten out after the clown Warned his dog not to pull the lever.

[@zaszlovjanos]

As we can see, Koko is worse than Death Star.

[@durece100]

Don't try to make unnecessary joke.

[@bellaklaraster]

so cool, thanks for this!

[@TomBombadilTheEldest]

why did the dog want to destroy the world so badly?

[@itiswhatitaintanditaintwha1427]

No need to drop acid for this!

[@Malachi-k4x]

Now i see why they say it was one of the best 😃

[@notlunaticdancer4393]

2:26 for ZA WARUDO

[@edgyboi728]

Piotr Apostel wow 😂

[@chucklipsig2595]

My first thought: Why do they even have that handle?

[@babyyaoo8916]

They made this in 1927? Wow.

[@galaxywarper92]

I'm sorry but cartoons will never be like this again. This animation has a message involving humanity and the earth as a whole. This has MEANING. Hell, I'd consider this a form of art expression. Sure we still have Pixar and the like, but a majority of cartoons nowadays deal with flashy violence, "morals" shoved down kids' throats, and/or fart/burp/sex jokes. Why can't there be more animation like this now? That can entertain, but isn't afraid to make us THINK. Maybe be emotional/dark/serious?

[@col5186]

galaxywarper92 you sound like you watch rick and morty

[@brittanyhuffman232]

Have you been living under a rock? Or are you just watching things and only taking it in for face value?

[@fleasy4393]

This short obviously came out before the discovery of photosensitive epilepsy, I'm not photosensitive and even I'm seeing spots.

[@andyjay729]

I guess God was hung over or something, and He's too cheap to hire security guards.

[@PedroGuerraTheThird]

Finn and Jake might have been inspired by these to. Hey, can anybody tell me the name of that dog?

[@lucassantoamore3692]

Fitz

[@sonicfanboy3375]

I can't believe he caused The Roaring

[@TheHypnotstCollector]

many cartoons are like dreams. or acid trips

[@enterBJ40]

thought the same; why? well maybe because the sign says (DO NOT....) which is a prohibition , a mandate, a rule.Breaking the rule its always tempting and this cartoon shows that it has his consequent

[@enterBJ40]

LOLZ!!! koko's TOTALLY FREAK OUT expression at 1:40....

[@davidyu274]

Funny Cartoon 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@L1L0]

anyone can tell me what the song at 0:56 is called? or maybe it's a different song that sounds so similar.. I need to find it!

[@jacintoguevara1121]

As I posted above it is Ernie Golden's Dancing Shadows. Your 0:56 mark divides the "verse" and the chorus. (Yes there are lyrics to this tune)

[@chasen47]

Jacinto Guevara You wouldn't happen to know the second piece in this short would you?

[@Charizard-c4l]

Can't wait! 👍

[@jamusthebartender]

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes---" Who watches the watchmen?" Apparently, it's Koko the Clown and his dog :)

[@spus.]

what song plays at 3:10?

[@HaltheStar]

I know this comment is like 7 years old, but I’ve been trying to figure it out too. Nothing comes up when putting it in websites or when searching by sound

[@spus.]

​@HaltheStar Hopefully we'll find out one day lmao

[@MrCodey360]

wow some many people, may have died from this epilepsy inducing sequence

[@omegaflowey9932]

Looks like kaufmo from T.A.D.C

[@galinap.3286]

The beginning was - rainfall control.