Circa 1940s. The comic strip like tale follows Maisie, an office girl, as she tries to make her job at 8:30 AM after setting her alarm for 8:25 AM, leading to a hectic morning.
The film is a character-driven story that highlights Maisie’s struggles and antics.
A short, animated film created by Columbia Pictures and Screen Gems.
INYIM Did You Know?
- Release Date: The Mad Hatter was released on November 3, 1940.
- Director: The film was directed by Sid Marcus, a prominent animator and director known for his work with Screen Gems.
- Plot: The story follows Maisie, a secretary who spends her day at work dreaming about hats. She visits a hat shop and orders a special hat, which is crafted by a group of eccentric and seemingly insane hat designers.
- Animation Style: The Mad Hatter features vibrant, colorful animation typical of the Color Rhapsody series, showcasing the artistic style and creativity of Screen Gems during that era.
- Legacy: Despite being lesser-known compared to other animated shorts of the time, The Mad Hatter remains a unique and quirky example of early American animation.
Screen Gems Animated Films
- Early Beginnings: Screen Gems started as M.J. Winkler Productions in 1921, producing animated shorts like “Out of the Inkwell” and “Felix the Cat.”
- Disney Connection: Winkler partnered with Walt Disney to produce the Alice Comedies and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit series.
- Transition to Screen Gems: In 1933, Columbia Pictures acquired a stake in Winkler Pictures, rebranding it as Screen Gems. The studio became a full-time animation studio in 1940.
- Color Rhapsody Series: Screen Gems produced the Color Rhapsody series, which included vibrant and colorful animated shorts like “The Mad Hatter.”
- Krazy Kat and Scrappy: Charles Mintz produced popular animated series like Krazy Kat and Scrappy during the 1930s and 1940s.
- Final Black-and-White Cartoons: Screen Gems was the last American animation studio to stop producing black-and-white cartoons, with its final black-and-white shorts appearing in 1946.
Have you seen this short film before? If not, you can watch it here. Press play on all the smiles and smirks below!
