''Somewhere in Dreamland'' is a 1936 animated short in

Max Fleischer Max Fleischer (born Majer Fleischer ; July 19, 1883 – September 11, 1972) was an American animator and studio owner. Born in Kraków, in Austrian Poland, Fleischer immigrated to the United States where he became a pioneer in the development ...

Color Classics ''Color Classics'' are a series of animated short films produced by Fleischer Studios for Paramount Pictures from 1934 to 1941 as a competitor to Walt Disney's '' Silly Symphonies''. As the name implies, all of the shorts were made in color for ...

series. The film was produced by Max Fleischer, directed by Dave Fleischer, co-directed by Dawn Fleischer, and was animated by Fleischer veterans Seymour Kneitel and Roland Crandall. The cartoon, set during the contemporary

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, follows two impoverished children who dream that they are in Dreamland where there is an area full of candy and ice cream. The cartoon is Fleischer's first in three-strip

Technicolor Technicolor is a family of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes. The first version, Process 1, was introduced in 1916, and improved versions followed over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black-and ...

Plot

On a winter evening, a young brother and sister in ragged clothes pull a wagon through town, gathering firewood. They pass by several merchants' shops and stop for a moment to admire the confectioneries in the bakery. As a friendly

baker A baker is a tradesperson who baking, bakes and sometimes Sales, sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient histo ...

sees the children, he goes inside and comes back with cupcakes for them, but they have already left. The baker, the

tailor A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century. History Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...

, and the market owner gather to make a plan to help the poor children. The children reach their rundown home and sit down to supper consisting of hard bread and flat water. The children eat quickly, with the boy saying that he is still hungry. Their mother, unable to provide more food, begins to cry, at which the boy takes back what he said to comfort her, and she then kisses them goodnight. They change into their nighties, and they each sing a part of a song as they fall asleep beneath their tattered sheets. In their sleep, they enter Dreamland. They happily frolic through the wondrous land, which includes a merry-go-round cake, fields that grow ice cream cones and popcorn, toys, nice clothes, and two luxurious beds. They skip and laugh happily and then lie down on the soft beds, only to awaken back in their own shabby bedroom. To their surprise, a large feast is on the kitchen table, as well as toys and clothing surrounding the room, all of which is provided by the merchants. The children look up to the baker, the tailor, and the market owner, asking twice if all these things are for them. The merchants nod in affirmation. The children shout in joy and begin to eat. However, the boy, suspicious of his good fortune, sticks a fork in his bottom to ensure that he is not still dreaming. The children laugh and continue to eat as the cartoon closes.

Legacy

In 2021, as part of a new initiative by the Fleischer estate (in co-operation with Paramount Pictures) to formally restore the Fleischers' entire filmography, a remastered print of ''Somewhere in Dreamland'' (sourced from the original negatives) premiered on the

MeTV MeTV, an acronym for Memorable Entertainment Television, is an American broadcast television network owned by Weigel Broadcasting. Marketed as "The Definitive Destination for Classic TV", the network airs a variety of classic television progra ...

network on December 13 during ''MeTV's Super Colossal Cartoon Christmas'', later re-airing on their weekday morning cartoon series '' Toon In with Me''.

References

{{reflist 1930s American animated films 1930s color films American animated short films Color Classics cartoons Films about dreams Films about poverty Fleischer Studios short films Great Depression films Paramount Pictures short films Short films directed by Dave Fleischer 1930s English-language films Animated films about children Films about single parent families Animated films about siblings English-language short films 1936 animated short films