Alice Comedies
Encyclopedia
The "Alice Comedies" are a series of animated cartoon
s
created by Walt Disney
in the 1920s, in which a live action
little girl named Alice (originally played by Virginia Davis
) and an animated cat named Julius have adventures in an animated landscape.
, and their staff made the first Alice Comedy, a one-reel (ten-minute) short subject
titled Alice's Wonderland
, while still heading the failing Laugh-O-Gram Studio
in Kansas City, Missouri
.
Alice's Wonderland begins with Alice entering a cartoon studio to witness cartoons being created. Alice is amazed by what she sees: The cartoon characters come to life and play around. After heading to bed that night, she dreams of being in the cartoon world, welcomed by all of the characters. Alice plays with them until a group of lions break free from a cage and chase her.
This short helped set the stage for what was to come in the later Alice Comedies, as it established the world as a playful dream and also introduced the elements which would soon define the series.
to live with his uncle Robert and his brother Roy
. In California, Disney continued to send out proposals for the Alice series, in hopes of obtaining a distribution deal, which was finally arranged through Winkler Pictures, run by Margaret Winkler and her fianceé, Charles Mintz, on the basis of Alice's Wonderland. Disney convinced Davis' family to bring her from Missouri to Los Angeles to star in the series.
(1914), starring actress Pearl White
. One such Alice cartoon, Alice's Mysterious Mystery (1926) features two cartoon characters who allegedly resemble members of the Ku Klux Klan
. One of the villains drags a dog character into a room marked "Death Chamber", and pulls out a long strand of sausage. In "Alice and the Dog Catcher" she is leader of a club called the Klix Klax Klub. Where all the kids wear paper bags over their heads with their faces painted on them.
. In 2000, Inkwell Images released a DVD titled Alice in Cartoonland - The Original Alice Comedies by Walt Disney in the series Golden Classics with ten short films from the series as well as some documentaries and a poster gallery. In 2007, Kit Parker Films released another DVD called Alice in Cartoonland by Walt Disney: 35 mm Collector's Set with ten films from the series and a selection of bonus features. There are 14 films from the series on these two DVDs.
In 2005 and again in 2007, ten shorts in the series were released as part of the Walt Disney Treasures
series. Seven were part of the Disney Rarities that was released in 2005, while three more were released as part of The Adventures of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, released in 2007.
Walt Disney both directed and produced every film this series. Four actresses have played Alice: Virginia Davis
(15), Margie Gay (31), Dawn O'Day (1) and Lois Hardwick (10). The film Alice in the Jungle contains only archival footage of Virginia Davis.
Animated cartoon
An animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot...
s
created by Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
in the 1920s, in which a live action
Live action
In filmmaking, video production, and other media, the term live action refers to cinematography, videography not produced using animation...
little girl named Alice (originally played by Virginia Davis
Virginia Davis
Virginia Davis was an American movie child actor. She was born in Kansas City, Missouri.-Early career:Davis began working for Walt Disney's Kansas City company, Laugh-O-Gram Studio, in the summer of 1924. She was hired to act in a film called Alice's Wonderland, which combined live action with...
) and an animated cat named Julius have adventures in an animated landscape.
Alice's Wonderland
Disney, Ub IwerksUb Iwerks
Ub Iwerks, A.S.C. was a two-time Academy Award winning American animator, cartoonist, character designer, inventor, creator of Mickey Mouse, and special effects technician, who was famous for his work for Walt Disney....
, and their staff made the first Alice Comedy, a one-reel (ten-minute) short subject
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
titled Alice's Wonderland
Alice's Wonderland
Alice's Wonderland is a Walt Disney short silent film, in black and white, produced in Kansas City, Missouri. This short was the first of Walt Disney's famous Alice Comedies and had a working title of Alice in Slumberland...
, while still heading the failing Laugh-O-Gram Studio
Laugh-O-Gram Studio
Laugh-O-Gram Studio was a film studio located on the second floor of the McConahay Building at 1127 East 31st in Kansas City, Missouri.The studio played a role in the early years of animation: it was home to many of the pioneers of animation, brought there by Walt Disney, and is said to be the...
in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
.
Alice's Wonderland begins with Alice entering a cartoon studio to witness cartoons being created. Alice is amazed by what she sees: The cartoon characters come to life and play around. After heading to bed that night, she dreams of being in the cartoon world, welcomed by all of the characters. Alice plays with them until a group of lions break free from a cage and chase her.
This short helped set the stage for what was to come in the later Alice Comedies, as it established the world as a playful dream and also introduced the elements which would soon define the series.
The Alice Comedies series begins
After completing the film, the studio went bankrupt and was forced to shut down. After raising money by working as a freelance photographer, Disney bought a one-way train ticket to Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
to live with his uncle Robert and his brother Roy
Roy O. Disney
Roy Oliver Disney was, with his younger brother, Walt Disney, the co-founder of what is now The Walt Disney Company.-Early life:...
. In California, Disney continued to send out proposals for the Alice series, in hopes of obtaining a distribution deal, which was finally arranged through Winkler Pictures, run by Margaret Winkler and her fianceé, Charles Mintz, on the basis of Alice's Wonderland. Disney convinced Davis' family to bring her from Missouri to Los Angeles to star in the series.
Content
Although seen as cute and funny in their time, the Alice Comedies contain content which might be considered surprising and somewhat harsh today by sensitive viewers. Alice is a little girl, yet she spends much of her time avoiding danger, and even getting kidnapped by the cartoon villains, threatened with such perils as being tied to a log in a sawmill. These scenes are parodies of similar scenes in movie serials such as The Perils of PaulineThe Perils of Pauline (1914 serial)
The Perils of Pauline is a motion picture serial shown in weekly installments featuring Pearl White as the title character. Pauline has often been cited as a famous example of a damsel in distress, although some analyses hold that her character was more resourceful and less helpless than the...
(1914), starring actress Pearl White
Pearl White
Pearl Fay White was an American film actress, the so-called "Stunt Queen" of silent films, most notably in The Perils of Pauline.-Early life:...
. One such Alice cartoon, Alice's Mysterious Mystery (1926) features two cartoon characters who allegedly resemble members of the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
. One of the villains drags a dog character into a room marked "Death Chamber", and pulls out a long strand of sausage. In "Alice and the Dog Catcher" she is leader of a club called the Klix Klax Klub. Where all the kids wear paper bags over their heads with their faces painted on them.
Shorts and subsequent releases
The shorts are now in the public domainPublic domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
. In 2000, Inkwell Images released a DVD titled Alice in Cartoonland - The Original Alice Comedies by Walt Disney in the series Golden Classics with ten short films from the series as well as some documentaries and a poster gallery. In 2007, Kit Parker Films released another DVD called Alice in Cartoonland by Walt Disney: 35 mm Collector's Set with ten films from the series and a selection of bonus features. There are 14 films from the series on these two DVDs.
In 2005 and again in 2007, ten shorts in the series were released as part of the Walt Disney Treasures
Walt Disney Treasures
The Walt Disney Treasures is a two-disc DVD set of classic Disney works. They cover work from the studio's earliest days to their more recent work...
series. Seven were part of the Disney Rarities that was released in 2005, while three more were released as part of The Adventures of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, released in 2007.
Walt Disney both directed and produced every film this series. Four actresses have played Alice: Virginia Davis
Virginia Davis
Virginia Davis was an American movie child actor. She was born in Kansas City, Missouri.-Early career:Davis began working for Walt Disney's Kansas City company, Laugh-O-Gram Studio, in the summer of 1924. She was hired to act in a film called Alice's Wonderland, which combined live action with...
(15), Margie Gay (31), Dawn O'Day (1) and Lois Hardwick (10). The film Alice in the Jungle contains only archival footage of Virginia Davis.
| # | Short film | Date | Actress | DVD release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alice's Wonderland Alice's Wonderland Alice's Wonderland is a Walt Disney short silent film, in black and white, produced in Kansas City, Missouri. This short was the first of Walt Disney's famous Alice Comedies and had a working title of Alice in Slumberland... |
1923 | Walt Disney Treasures: Disney Rarities: Celebrated Shorts, 1920s–1960s Walt Disney Treasures: Wave Five -The Chronological Donald, Volume Two:This set covers the second leg of Donald Duck's long career, starting from 1942 to 1946, covering World War II in the process. The Japanese, French and German releases of this set only contains 29 of the 32 shorts available on the American release. The shorts... |
|
| 2 | Alice's Day at Sea | March 1, 1924 | Virginia Davis | |
| 3 | Alice's Spooky Adventure Alice's spooky adventure Alice's Spooky Adventure is a black-and-white silent short subject created by Walt Disney.-Plot:When a ball is accidentally knocked through the window of a neighborhood haunted house, Alice is the only one brave enough to go inside to retrieve it... |
April 1, 1924 | Virginia Davis | |
| 4 | Alice's Wild West Show | May 1, 1924 | Virginia Davis | Walt Disney Treasures: Disney Rarities: Celebrated Shorts, 1920s–1960s Walt Disney Treasures: Wave Five -The Chronological Donald, Volume Two:This set covers the second leg of Donald Duck's long career, starting from 1942 to 1946, covering World War II in the process. The Japanese, French and German releases of this set only contains 29 of the 32 shorts available on the American release. The shorts... |
| 5 | Alice's Fishy Story | June 1, 1924 | Virginia Davis | |
| 6 | Alice and the Dog Catcher | July 1, 1924 | Virginia Davis | |
| 7 | Alice the Peacemaker | August 1, 1924 | Virginia Davis | |
| 8 | Alice Gets in Dutch | November 1, 1924 | Virginia Davis | Walt Disney Treasures: Disney Rarities: Celebrated Shorts, 1920s–1960s Walt Disney Treasures: Wave Five -The Chronological Donald, Volume Two:This set covers the second leg of Donald Duck's long career, starting from 1942 to 1946, covering World War II in the process. The Japanese, French and German releases of this set only contains 29 of the 32 shorts available on the American release. The shorts... |
| 9 | Alice Hunting in Africa | November 15, 1924 | Virginia Davis | |
| 10 | Alice and the Three Bears | December 1, 1924 | Virginia Davis | |
| 11 | Alice the Piper | December 15, 1924 | Virginia Davis | |
| 12 | Alice Cans the Cannibals | January 1, 1925 | Virginia Davis | |
| 13 | Alice the Toreador | January 15, 1925 | Virginia Davis | Alice in Cartoonland - The Original Alice Comedies by Walt Disney |
| 14 | Alice Gets Stung | February 1, 1925 | Virginia Davis | Walt Disney Treasures: The Adventures of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Walt Disney Treasures: Wave Seven -The Chronological Donald, Volume Three:50,000 sets produced.-Disc one:1947* Straight Shooters, 18 April 1947* Sleepy Time Donald, 9 May 1947* Donald's Dilemma, 11 July 1947... |
| 15 | Alice Solves the Puzzle Alice Solves the Puzzle Alice Solves the Puzzle is a 1925 animated short film by Walt Disney in the Alice Comedies series, and the first to feature Pete.-Plot:A girl named Alice is stuck on a hard crossword puzzle when her cat tells her they should go to the beach. They swim in the ocean for a while then dry off and Alice... |
February 15, 1925 | Margie Gay | Alice in Cartoonland - The Original Alice Comedies by Walt Disney |
| 16 | Alice's Egg Plant | May 30, 1925 | Dawn O'Day | Walt Disney Treasures: Disney Rarities: Celebrated Shorts, 1920s–1960s Walt Disney Treasures: Wave Five -The Chronological Donald, Volume Two:This set covers the second leg of Donald Duck's long career, starting from 1942 to 1946, covering World War II in the process. The Japanese, French and German releases of this set only contains 29 of the 32 shorts available on the American release. The shorts... |
| 17 | Alice Loses Out | June 15, 1925 | Margie Gay | |
| 18 | Alice Gets Stage Struck | June 30, 1925 | Margie Gay | Alice in Cartoonland - The Original Alice Comedies by Walt Disney |
| 19 | Alice Wins the Derby | July 15, 1925 | Margie Gay | Alice in Cartoonland - The Original Alice Comedies by Walt Disney |
| 20 | Alice Picks the Champ | July 30, 1925 | Margie Gay | (Only a fragment of this cartoon is known to exist) |
| 21 | Alice's Tin Pony | August 15, 1925 | Margie Gay | Alice in Cartoonland - 35 mm Collector's Set |
| 22 | Alice Chops the Suey | August 30, 1925 | Margie Gay | Alice in Cartoonland - 35 mm Collector's Set |
| 23 | Alice the Jail Bird | September 15, 1925 | Margie Gay | Alice in Cartoonland - 35 mm Collector's Set |
| 24 | Alice Plays Cupid | October 15, 1925 | Margie Gay | |
| 25 | Alice Rattled by Rats | November 15, 1925 | Margie Gay | Alice in Cartoonland - The Original Alice Comedies by Walt Disney |
| 26 | Alice in the Jungle | December 15, 1925 | Virginia Davis | Walt Disney Treasures: Disney Rarities: Celebrated Shorts, 1920s–1960s Walt Disney Treasures: Wave Five -The Chronological Donald, Volume Two:This set covers the second leg of Donald Duck's long career, starting from 1942 to 1946, covering World War II in the process. The Japanese, French and German releases of this set only contains 29 of the 32 shorts available on the American release. The shorts... |
| 27 | Alice on the Farm | January 1, 1926 | Margie Gay | Alice in Cartoonland - The Original Alice Comedies by Walt Disney |
| 28 | Alice's Balloon Race | January 15, 1926 | Margie Gay | Walt Disney Treasures: The Adventures of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Walt Disney Treasures: Wave Seven -The Chronological Donald, Volume Three:50,000 sets produced.-Disc one:1947* Straight Shooters, 18 April 1947* Sleepy Time Donald, 9 May 1947* Donald's Dilemma, 11 July 1947... |
| 29 | Alice's Orphan | January 15, 1926 | Margie Gay | Alice in Cartoonland - 35 mm Collector's Set |
| 30 | Alice's Little Parade | February 1, 1926 | Margie Gay | |
| 31 | Alice's Mysterious Mystery | February 15, 1926 | Margie Gay | Walt Disney Treasures: Disney Rarities: Celebrated Shorts, 1920s–1960s Walt Disney Treasures: Wave Five -The Chronological Donald, Volume Two:This set covers the second leg of Donald Duck's long career, starting from 1942 to 1946, covering World War II in the process. The Japanese, French and German releases of this set only contains 29 of the 32 shorts available on the American release. The shorts... |
| 32 | Alice Charms the Fish | September 6, 1926 | Margie Gay | (Lost cartoon) |
| 33 | Alice's Monkey Business | September 20, 1926 | Margie Gay | (Lost cartoon) |
| 34 | Alice in the Wooly West | October 4, 1926 | Margie Gay | Walt Disney Treasures: The Adventures of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Walt Disney Treasures: Wave Seven -The Chronological Donald, Volume Three:50,000 sets produced.-Disc one:1947* Straight Shooters, 18 April 1947* Sleepy Time Donald, 9 May 1947* Donald's Dilemma, 11 July 1947... |
| 35 | Alice the Fire Fighter | October 18, 1926 | Margie Gay | |
| 36 | Alice Cuts the Ice | November 1, 1926 | Margie Gay | (Lost cartoon) |
| 37 | Alice Helps the Romance | November 15, 1926 | Margie Gay | |
| 38 | Alice's Spanish Guitar | November 29, 1926 | Margie Gay | |
| 39 | Alice's Brown Derby | December 13, 1926 | Margie Gay | |
| 40 | Alice the LumberJack | December 27, 1926 | Margie Gay | (Lost cartoon) |
| 41 | Alice the Golf Bug | January 10, 1927 | Margie Gay | (Lost cartoon) |
| 42 | Alice Foils the Pirates | January 24, 1927 | Margie Gay | (Lost cartoon) |
| 43 | Alice at the Carnival | February 10, 1927 | Margie Gay | (Lost cartoon) |
| 44 | Alice at the Rodeo | February 21, 1927 | Margie Gay | |
| 45 | Alice the Collegiate | March 7, 1927 | Margie Gay | (Lost cartoon) |
| 46 | Alice in the Alps | March 21, 1927 | Margie Gay | (Lost cartoon) |
| 47 | Alice's Auto Race | April 4, 1927 | Margie Gay | (Lost cartoon) |
| 48 | Alice's Circus Daze | April 18, 1927 | Lois Hardwick | |
| 49 | Alice's Knaughty Knight | May 2, 1927 | Lois Hardwick | (Lost cartoon) |
| 50 | Alice's Three Bad Eggs | May 16, 1927 | Lois Hardwick | (Lost cartoon) |
| 51 | Alice's Picnic | May 30, 1927 | Lois Hardwick | (Lost cartoon) |
| 52 | Alice's Channel Swim | June 13, 1927 | Lois Hardwick | (Lost cartoon) |
| 53 | Alice in the Klondike | June 27, 1927 | Lois Hardwick | (Lost cartoon) |
| 54 | Alice's Medicine Show | July 11, 1927 | Lois Hardwick | (Lost cartoon) |
| 55 | Alice the Whaler | July 25, 1927 | Lois Hardwick | Walt Disney Treasures: Disney Rarities: Celebrated Shorts, 1920s–1960s Walt Disney Treasures: Wave Five -The Chronological Donald, Volume Two:This set covers the second leg of Donald Duck's long career, starting from 1942 to 1946, covering World War II in the process. The Japanese, French and German releases of this set only contains 29 of the 32 shorts available on the American release. The shorts... |
| 56 | Alice the Beach Nut | August 8, 1927 | Lois Hardwick | (Lost cartoon) |
| 57 | Alice in the Big League | August 22, 1927 | Lois Hardwick | |
External links
- Alice Comedies filmography at The Encyclopedia of Disney Animated Shorts