Max Fleischer

Production

Max Fleischer

Born — Died

1883-07-19 — 1972-09-11

Place of birth

Krakau, Galicia, Austria-Hungary [now Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland]

Known for

Production

Credits

100 titles

Max Fleischer (July 19, 1883 – September 11, 1972) was a Polish Jewish American animator, inventor, film director and producer. Fleischer was a pioneer in the development of the animated cartoon and served as the head of Fleischer Studios. He brought such animated characters as Betty Boop, Koko the Clown, Popeye and Superman to the movie screen and was responsible for a number of technological innovations including the Rotoscope. (Wikipedia)

Known for

Gulliver's Travels poster
6.2

Gulliver washes ashore on Lilliput and attempts to prevent war between that tiny kingdom and its equally-miniscule rival, Blefiscu, as well as smooth the way for the romance between the Princess and Prince of the opposing lands. In this he is alternately aided and hampered by the Lilliputian town crier and general fussbudget, Gabby. A life-threatening situation develops when the bumbling trio of Blefiscu spies, Sneak, Snoop, and Snitch, manage to steal Gulliver's pistol.

Gulliver's Travels

1939

Mr. Bug Goes to Town poster
6.3

The happy tranquility of Bugville is shattered when the populace learns that a colossal skyscraper is to be built over their tiny town.

Mr. Bug Goes to Town

1941

Olive's Boithday Presink poster
6.5

Popeye wants to get Olive a fur coat, but after a run-in with dishonest furrier Geezil decides the best way is to go hunting for a bear himself.

Olive's Boithday Presink

1941

Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor poster
6.6

After wrecking Popeye's ship and stealing away Olive Oyl, hero of Arabic legend Sindbad decides to test him and his ever-resilient new rival's strength in order to prove their supremacy as the "most remarkable, extraordinary fella" of Sindbad's menagerie island.

Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor

1936

Stealin Aint Honest poster
7.3

Olive has a map that shows the location of her secret gold mine, but while she's showing it to Popeye, claim jumper Bluto photographs it and gets there first.

Stealin Aint Honest

1940

Christmas Comes But Once a Year poster
7.1

At an orphanage, the children are sad because they received used defective toys as gifts. Professor Grampy sees the children while passing by in his sled and has an idea on how to give them a merry Christmas.

Christmas Comes But Once a Year

1936

Film credits

1930s · 4 titles

1920s · 49 titles

Koko Plays Pool poster
8.0

Max Fleischer and brother David are playing pool when Koko and Fitz force their way out of the ink bottle. They want to play pool too, so Max obligingly draws a table for their use.

Koko Plays Pool

1927

The Storm poster
7.2

Ko-Ko the Inkwell Clown and a baby get caught in a hurricane.

The Storm

1924

No artwork available
7.0

Koko and Fitz are sitting around bored while Max writes the day's scenario. When one of the cannibals he is writing about steals Max' head, it's up to our intrepid hero to rescue the boss, who doesn't know how to do things without his top.

KoKo Explores

1927

No artwork available
9.0

An Out of the Inkwell short.

Koko Eats

1925

No artwork available
8.0

An "Out of the Inkwell" short featuring Ko-Ko the Clown, this time as a fireman.

False Alarm

1923

Invisible Ink poster
6.9

Koko The Clown continually interrupts an animator, who turns his attention to trapping the clown.

Invisible Ink

1921

Ko-Ko Hops Off poster
7.0

Koko the clown and his dog attempt a round-the-world flight.

Ko-Ko Hops Off

1927

Perpetual Motion poster
6.0

Part of Max Fleischer's "Out of the Inkwell" series.

Perpetual Motion

1920

Cartoon Factory poster
7.1

Koko the Clown discovers a machine that can make cartoons.

Cartoon Factory

1924

Fishing poster
6.0

Max is too rushed to do a thorough job of drawing Koko this morning. Max is going fishing. However, to amuse the clown, he draws a fishing pole and a pond before he goes.

Fishing

1921

Ko-Ko's Hot Dog poster
9.0

Max and Dave Fliescher are eating hot dogs in their animation studio and begin drawing. The hot dog becomes a "real" dog, and it and Ko-Ko the Clown alarmingly end up inside a Gas Chamber.

Ko-Ko's Hot Dog

1928

No artwork available
9.0

An Out of the Inkwell short.

Koko Kidnapped

1926

The Reunion poster
6.7

Max helps the Inkwell Clown prepare for a family reunion.

The Reunion

1922

No artwork available
7.0

Max tricks Koko with a jumping bean. Koko finds a way to duplicate himself to get his revenge.

Jumping Beans

1922

The Chinaman poster
7.8

Max Fleischer considers hiring a new cartoonist. While the new guy draws Max's portrait, Koko gets into a fight with a cartoon Chinese man.

The Chinaman

1920

Modeling poster
6.7

The Clown causes trouble for the Cartoonist, and a sculptor using the studio, when he escapes from his backdrop and hides in the wet clay of a bust.

Modeling

1921

Birthday poster
6.0

A birthday celebration with Max Fleischer's Inkwell Clown.

Birthday

1922

The Clown's Little Brother poster
6.8

Koko the Clown's little brother comes to visit and wreaks havoc in Max Fleischer's studio.

The Clown's Little Brother

1920

Bubbles poster
7.0

Max and Koko The Clown bet who can blow the biggest soap bubble.

Bubbles

1922

Koko Nuts poster
10.0

Koko the clown is sent to the nut house by Max.

Koko Nuts

1925

No artwork available
9.0

Max is taking a railroad trip and pulls out his pen to draw Koko, Fitz and a railroad. Maybe the trip is too bumpy, because nothing works as it is supposed to.

Koko's Toot Toot

1926

No artwork available
8.5

After being told by Max to stay put in the studio, KoKo springs the coop (or inkwell, if you will) to follow his cartoonist to a restaurant for lunch, with chaos ensuing.

The Restaurant

1920

No artwork available
6.3

Max has a toothache, and it's up to The Clown and a bespectacled rabbit to pull out the aching tooth.

The Cure

1924

Ko-Ko the Barber poster
8.0

In this 1925 Out of the Inkwell short, Ko-Ko the Clown becomes a barber. As usual, he eventually escapes the animated world for the "real." He hides in a shaving mug and when Max tries to lather up.

Ko-Ko the Barber

1925

No artwork available
9.0

Ko-Ko the Inkwell Clown spends a vacation at a rubbery amusement park.

Vacation

1924

No artwork available
10.0

Ko-Ko fights Father Time.

Ko-Ko Beats Time

1929

KoKo's Klock poster
9.0

Max asks Ko-Ko to act as his alarm clock before going to sleep. While Max sleeps, Ko-Ko goes to work dressing Max for the next day and replacing his surroundings so he'll be ready to go when the alarm clock rings in the morning.

KoKo's Klock

1927

Koko in Toyland poster
8.0

In this Christmas season release, Max assembles a toy train track while Ko-Ko the Clown visits a cartoon toyland, playing cops and robbers and rescuing a doll in distress.

Koko in Toyland

1925

No artwork available
8.0

Ko-Ko is chased by a cartoony spider while Max deals with a mouse in his office.

Trapped

1923

Surprise poster
6.0

Koko is trying to rescue his sweetheart, who is trapped atop a rugged mountain. However, when Max Fleischer runs out of ink, how will he draw the ladder for Koko to climb?

Surprise

1923

Ko-Ko on the Run poster
8.0

Ko-Ko competes against a rival clown in a race.

Ko-Ko on the Run

1925

Koko Hot After It poster
7.5

“Out of the Inkwell” cartoon by Fleischer Studios.

Koko Hot After It

1926

Koko Gets Egg-Cited poster
8.0

Ko-Ko gathers eggs on a farm while Max works on an incubator.

Koko Gets Egg-Cited

1926

Ko-Ko's Haunted House poster
8.5

A friend of KoKo's animator draws a haunted house, and KoKo and his dog Fitz go inside. There, they encounter frightening hallways where every door leads to a new spook.

Ko-Ko's Haunted House

1928

Flies poster
6.0

Koko the Clown is antagonized by flying insects.

Flies

1922

No artwork available
4.0

The boss has got a microscope, but it might as well be another canvas for Koko, as he delves deep into the world of germs.

Ko-Ko's Germ Jam

1928

No artwork available
7.0

Ko-Ko is up to his usual mischief as Max prepares to run a track race.

Koko's Field Daze

1928

Mother Gooseland poster
7.0

"Out of the Inkwell” cartoon by Fleischer Studios.

Mother Gooseland

1924

Ko-Ko's Tattoo poster
7.0

Max draws a tattoo of a cat on his coworker, and Fitz chases the cat around when the tattoo comes to life.

Ko-Ko's Tattoo

1928

Koko the Hot Shot poster
7.0

Max creates a penny arcade with a shooting gallery, much to the detriment of Ko-Ko and Fitz the Dog.

Koko the Hot Shot

1925

Balloons poster
9.0

The Inkwell Clown goes for a balloon ride. Later, Max's studio is filled with so many balloons that it floats away.

Balloons

1923

Koko's Big Catch poster
NR

A Stuart reissue of the title 'Trapped' from 1923.

Koko's Big Catch

1924

No artwork available
7.7

This fascinating series features Max himself, filmed in live action, sitting at a drawing board and concocting adventures for his star performer Ko-Ko the Clown. Max is supposedly the guy in charge, and he takes sadistic glee in putting Ko-Ko through various forms of hell, but the clown usually fights back and sometimes gets the best of his Uncle Max. FADEAWAY elevates this charged relationship to new heights (or depths?) of nightmarish surrealism; it's also one of the most enjoyable Inkwell cartoons I've seen to date, packing lots of imaginative, unpredictable twists and turns into an eight minute running time.

Fadeaway

1926

Koko Needles the Boss poster
7.0

Ko-Ko the Clown is brought to life with a needle and thread.

Koko Needles the Boss

1927

Thanksgiving poster
10.0

Koko likes to join Max and his friends for Thanksgiving dinner. He can, under the condition of screening his films.

Thanksgiving

1925

Ko-Ko Makes 'Em Laugh poster
10.0

Ko-Ko and Fitz try to make a humorless Indian laugh.

Ko-Ko Makes 'Em Laugh

1927

Ko-Ko at the Circus poster
7.5

Max draws a circus poster featuring Ko-Ko the Clown and Fitz the dog, but the circus owner wants them replaced with a giant. On the poster, Ko-Ko and Fitz find ways to take on their oversized rival.

Ko-Ko at the Circus

1926

The Puzzle poster
6.7

Koko the Clown and his creator, Max Fleischer, go on a strange journey to Puzzle Town.

The Puzzle

1923

Bed Time poster
6.4

First, Max, in his pyjamas, gets back up and draws an isolated mountain area and puts Koko on top of a steep mountain. "That will keep you busy for the night," says the real-life somewhat nasty cartoonist to his subject. The cartoon really gets wild from that point with guest appearances from Mutt and Jeff, and other "stars" of the day as Koko experiences one adventure after another from the "Cave Of The Winds" to Goliath chasing him all over.

Bed Time

1923

Behind the camera

Gulliver's Travels poster
6.2

Gulliver washes ashore on Lilliput and attempts to prevent war between that tiny kingdom and its equally-miniscule rival, Blefiscu, as well as smooth the way for the romance between the Princess and Prince of the opposing lands. In this he is alternately aided and hampered by the Lilliputian town crier and general fussbudget, Gabby. A life-threatening situation develops when the bumbling trio of Blefiscu spies, Sneak, Snoop, and Snitch, manage to steal Gulliver's pistol.

Gulliver's Travels

1939

Mr. Bug Goes to Town poster
6.3

The happy tranquility of Bugville is shattered when the populace learns that a colossal skyscraper is to be built over their tiny town.

Mr. Bug Goes to Town

1941

Olive's Boithday Presink poster
6.5

Popeye wants to get Olive a fur coat, but after a run-in with dishonest furrier Geezil decides the best way is to go hunting for a bear himself.

Olive's Boithday Presink

1941

Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor poster
6.6

After wrecking Popeye's ship and stealing away Olive Oyl, hero of Arabic legend Sindbad decides to test him and his ever-resilient new rival's strength in order to prove their supremacy as the "most remarkable, extraordinary fella" of Sindbad's menagerie island.

Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor

1936

Stealin Aint Honest poster
7.3

Olive has a map that shows the location of her secret gold mine, but while she's showing it to Popeye, claim jumper Bluto photographs it and gets there first.

Stealin Aint Honest

1940

Christmas Comes But Once a Year poster
7.1

At an orphanage, the children are sad because they received used defective toys as gifts. Professor Grampy sees the children while passing by in his sled and has an idea on how to give them a merry Christmas.

Christmas Comes But Once a Year

1936

Terror on the Midway poster
6.5

When things go wrong at the circus, it's up to Superman to stop the escaped animals.

Terror on the Midway

1942

Kickin' the Conga Round poster
7.3

Shore leave in South America; Bluto muscles in on Popeye's girl, Olivia Oyla. Popeye muscles him out, but when they get to the conga club, he doesn't care to dance, so Bluto wins again.

Kickin' the Conga Round

1942

Superman poster
6.9

After The Daily Planet receives a letter from a mad scientist threatening to wreak destruction with his Electrothanasia Ray, Lois Lane heads out in the hopes of getting more information for a news story.

Superman

1941

The Paneless Window Washer poster
6.8

Bluto dirties all of an office building's windows himself, to drum up business for his window cleaning service. When he gets to Olive's stenographer office, about ten floors up, she says no: Popeye's going to wash her windows. And the battle with Popeye is on.

The Paneless Window Washer

1937

I-Ski Love-Ski You-Ski poster
6.9

Popeye takes Olive mountain climbing. Bluto sets various traps for them along the way.

I-Ski Love-Ski You-Ski

1936

Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp poster
7.1

Olive Oyl's screenplay for an Aladdin movie comes to life and Popeye battles for control of a genie in this, the last of the three Popeye color films.

Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp

1939

Max Fleischer's Superman 1941-1942 poster
7.2

More than just a landmark in superhero animation, Max Fleischer's Superman shorts were no less than the foundation for so many shows that succeeded it. Playing in theaters in 1941-42, only a few years after the Man of Steel made his debut in Action Comics, these 17 exciting films were produced by Fleischer and made famous the phrase "This looks like a job for Superman!" At 10 minutes, each film had just enough time to run the opening credits, establish the threat, let Lois Lane make a headstrong rush into peril, and allow Clark Kent to change to his alter ego and save the day. The films show a remarkably dynamic and atmospheric storytelling style that enables them to hold up for modern viewers. At first the films followed a science fiction-fantasy theme, but not unexpectedly for that time soon focused on wartime concerns.

Max Fleischer's Superman 1941-1942

1941

King of the Mardi Gras poster
6.9

A Mardi Gras celebration, looking pretty much like any carnival. Bluto is a strongman, claiming to be King of the Mardi Gras, and drawing a large crowd. Popeye, nearby, claims only, "I yam what I yam," and has no crowd, but still draws Bluto's wrath.

King of the Mardi Gras

1935

Olive's $weep$take Ticket poster
7.5

Olive gets a phone call that she has won first prize in a sweepstake. After a frantic search, she locates her ticket, only to have it blow out the window. Help, Popeye!

Olive's $weep$take Ticket

1941

I Likes Babies and Infinks poster
7.1

Swee'pea is crying, so Olive calls on Popeye to cheer the baby up. Popeye and Bluto compete by doing various silly antics.

I Likes Babies and Infinks

1937

Fowl Play poster
7.2

Popeye gives Olive a parrot that he's trained. Bluto sets the bird free and then tries to kill it.

Fowl Play

1937

The Mechanical Monsters poster
6.9

Superman battles a criminal mastermind and his robot army.

The Mechanical Monsters

1941

The Magnetic Telescope poster
6.9

When police interfere with a reckless scientist's experiment, it creates a deadly meteor shower only Superman can stop.

The Magnetic Telescope

1942

I'm in the Army Now poster
6.1

Olive tells Popeye and Bluto that she loves a man in a uniform, so they try to sign up at the recruiting station - that can only take one of them.

I'm in the Army Now

1936

Popeye Meets Rip Van Winkle poster
7.2

Rip Van Winkle is being thrown out for nonpayment of rent (for twenty years). Popeye happens by and carts the sleeper home, but soon discovers that Rip has a sleepwalking problem that gets both of them into some trouble with some dwarves.

Popeye Meets Rip Van Winkle

1941

Morning, Noon and Night Club poster
7.3

'Popito' and 'Olivita' are a dance team, performing at Wimpy's Cafe. Bluto is jealous, and heckles and otherwise disrupts the act.

Morning, Noon and Night Club

1937

Me Feelins is Hurt poster
5.5

Olive sends a farewell letter to Popeye: She's over sailors; it's cowboys for her; she's gone out west, to Bar None Ranch. Popeye immediately travels there to find her - and discovers Bluto runs the place.

Me Feelins is Hurt

1940

Popeye Meets William Tell poster
6.0

William Tell shoots an arrow, barely missing Popeye, then tells Popeye that he has just lost his son in an unfortunate arrow incident. Tell then defies the High Governor and is ordered to shoot an apple off his son's head; Popeye stands in for his son.

Popeye Meets William Tell

1940

Betty Boop's Museum poster
6.4

Koko is recruiting customers for a 50 cent sightseeing tour of the museum. Betty is Koko's only passenger. Betty gets locked inside by accident. The skeletons from the displays come to life and chase Betty, until she is finally rescued by Bimbo.

Betty Boop's Museum

1932

Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves poster
7.5

Popeye the Sailor, accompanied by Olive Oyl and Wimpy, is dispatched to stop the dreaded bandit Abu Hassan and his force of forty thieves.

Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves

1937

Plumbing Is a 'Pipe' poster
7.2

Olive has a small leak in a pipe; she makes the mistake of calling Wimpy to fix it, and the even bigger mistake of asking Popeye to help her do something until Wimpy can arrive. Meanwhile, Wimpy keeps realizing he's forgotten his tools, his gloves, etc. and going back. Popeye finally eats his spinach and manages some fixes to the system.

Plumbing Is a 'Pipe'

1938

Ghosks Is the Bunk poster
6.6

Olive reads a ghost story to Popeye and Bluto. Bluto leaves and rigs a haunted house and lures them to it. But they quickly discover him and, even better, a can of invisible paint.

Ghosks Is the Bunk

1939

Judge for a Day poster
7.2

Betty Boop, annoyed by 'public pests' like backslappers, gum parkers, and mud splashers, imagines what she'd do to them if she were a judge.

Judge for a Day

1935

Wimmin Hadn't Oughta Drive poster
7.3

Popeye has a new car; Olive wants a driving lesson. Things don't go well.

Wimmin Hadn't Oughta Drive

1940

Grampy's Indoor Outing poster
6.4

Betty Boop and Little Jimmy are prevented by a thunderstorm from going to the carnival. Inventive Grampy devises a substitute.

Grampy's Indoor Outing

1936

Dizzy Dishes poster
5.5

The Fleischer's Talkartoon short that debuted Betty Boop.

Dizzy Dishes

1930

The Arctic Giant poster
6.9

A frozen Tyrannosaurus rex is found and put on display in a museum, but when he thaws out and revives, Superman has to stop his rampage!

The Arctic Giant

1942

My Pop, My Pop poster
7.4

Popeye's 99-year-old father won't admit he's too old to help Popeye build a ship. Popeye tells him to build one side while he builds the other; Pappy's side is a mess. He falls asleep helping hoist the mast. While Pappy sleeps, Popeye rebuilds his side and finishes the above-decks, with a little help from spinach, of course.

My Pop, My Pop

1940

Organ Grinder's Swing poster
7.1

Popeye and Olive are grooving to the sounds of Wimpy the organ grinder, but their neighbor Bluto wants him to move on. Popeye and Bluto settle their disagreement in their usual fashion.

Organ Grinder's Swing

1937

Pleased to Meet Cha! poster
6.9

The boys arrive at Olive's house at the same time, but at different doors. They both come in, and whenever Olive isn't looking, they start fighting. She catches them, and tells them one will have to leave. Bluto tells Popey that whoever does the best trick can stay. As a result, they find ever more creative ways to abuse each other, much to Olive's merriment. Eventually, though, they start destroying her house, and Olive throws them both out, for a little while, anyhow.

Pleased to Meet Cha!

1935

Bunny Mooning poster
6.7

Jack and Jill Rabbit get hitched in this classic Fleischer Studios cartoon (made a year before Bugs Bunny hit the scene).

Bunny Mooning

1937

The Mighty Navy poster
7.2

Popeye joins the US Navy and routs the enemy in a one-man battle, but not before he causes his commanding officer plenty of aggravation.

The Mighty Navy

1941

The Betty Boop Limited poster
6.0

On a special train, Betty's show troupe rehearses: Betty sings, Bimbo juggles, and Koko does a soft-shoe. The train itself also does tricks.

The Betty Boop Limited

1932

Kitty from Kansas City poster
5.4

Sun bonneted Betty Boop takes a train to "Rudy Valley" where she gains weight and Rudy Vallee performs the title song with Bouncing Ball.

Kitty from Kansas City

1931