Editing Fleischer Studios (section)

=== Sound films ===
The early experiments with sound synchronization gave Fleischer Studios experience in perfecting the post-production method of recording, aided by several inventions by founder, Max Fleischer. With the conversion to sound, Paramount needed more sound films, and cartoons could be produced faster than feature films. As the ''[[Screen Songs]]'' returned Fleischer to the established song film format, a new sound series, ''[[Talkartoons]]'' replaced the silent ''Inkwell Imps'', the first being ''Noah's Lark'' released on October 25, 1929. Earlier entries in the series were one-shot cartoons, until the appearance of [[Bimbo (cartoon)|''Bimbo'']] as of the fourth entry. Bimbo evolved through several redesigns in each cartoon for the first year. While the intent was to develop him as the star of the series, it was the cameo appearance of a [[Helen Kane]] caricature in the seventh entry, ''[[Dizzy Dishes]]'' that took center stage. Audience reactions to the New York preview were so great that Paramount encouraged the continued development of the most famous character to come from the Fleischer Studio by that time, [[Betty Boop]]. While originated as a hybrid human/canine character, Betty Boop was transformed into the human character she is known as by 1932. Having become the main attraction of the ''Talkartoons'', she was given her own series, which ran until 1939.

The "Jazz Baby" Flapper character, Betty Boop lifted the spirits of Depression Era audiences with her paradoxical mixture of childlike innocence and sexual allure. Being a musical novelty character, she was a natural for theatrical entertainment. Several of her early cartoons were developed as promotional vehicles for some of the top Black Jazz performers of the day including [[Louis Armstrong]] (''I'll Be Glad When You're Dead You Rascal, You''), [[Don Redman]] (''I Heard''), and most notably, the three cartoons made with [[Cab Calloway]], ''Minnie the Moocher'', ''Snow White'', and ''The Old Man of the Mountain''. This was considered a bold action in light of the Jim Crow policies active in the South where such films would not be shown.

In 1934, the [[Hays Code]] resulted in severe censorship for films. This affected the content of all of Paramount's films as well, which tended to reflect a more "mature" tone in the features of the [[Marx Brothers]], [[W. C. Fields|W.C. Fields]], and most of all, [[Mae West]]. As a result, each of these stars was released as Paramount changed the content of its films to reflect a more "general audience" in order to comply with the new Code and stay in business. Paramount had also gone through three reorganizations from bankruptcy between 1931 and 1936. The new management under [[Barney Balaban]] set out to make more general audience films of the type made at MGM, but for lower budgets. This change in content policy affected the content of cartoons that Fleischer was to produce for Paramount, which urged emulation of the Walt Disney product.

While Paramount was a large organization with a network of theaters, its fiscal consciousness was largely responsible for preventing Fleischer Studios from acquiring the three-strip [[Technicolor]] process, leaving it available for a four-year exclusivity with [[Walt Disney]], who created a new market for color cartoons, established by Academy Award winner, ''[[Flowers and Trees]]'' (1932).

Paramount acquiesced to the release of the [[Color Classics]] series starting in 1934, but with the exclusivity of the three-color process still held by Disney, Fleischer Studios used the available two-color processes, [[Cinecolor]], a two-emulsion red and blue process, and [[Two-color Technicolor]], using red and green. By 1936, the Disney exclusivity had expired, and Fleischer Studios used the three-color process in its color cartoons beginning with ''[[Somewhere in Dreamland]]'' and continued using it for the remainder of its active years.

The Fleischer Studio's greatest success came with the licensing of [[E.C. Segar]]'s [[comic strip]] character [[Popeye|Popeye the Sailor]] beginning in 1933. ''Popeye'' eventually became the most popular series the studio ever produced, and its success surpassed [[Walt Disney]]'s [[Mickey Mouse]] cartoons, documented by popularity polls. With the availability of full spectrum color, the Fleischer Studios produced three two-reel ''Popeye'' featurettes, ''[[Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor]]'' (1936), ''[[Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves]]'' (1937), and ''[[Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp|Popeye the Sailor Meets Aladdin's Wonderful Lamp]]'' (1939). This series of longer-format cartoons were an indication of the emergence of the animated feature film as a commercially viable project beginning with Walt Disney's ''[[Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)|Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs]]'' (1937).

The Fleischer Studios had reached its zenith by 1936, with four series and 52 annual releases. Due to the phenomenal success of the Popeye cartoons, Paramount demanded more, and the Fleischer Studio experienced rapid expansion in order to balance out the increased workload. The crowded conditions, production speedups, drawing quotas, and internal management problems resulted in [[1937 Fleischer Studios strike|a labor strike]] beginning in May 1937 which lasted for five months. This strike was a test case, the first launched in the motion picture industry, and produced a nationwide boycott of Fleischer cartoons for the duration.

[[File:GulliversTravelsFleisherStudios003.jpg|thumb|260px|''[[Gulliver's Travels (1939 film)|Gulliver's Travels]]'' (1939) was Fleischer Studios' first feature-length animated production.]]
Max Fleischer had been petitioning Paramount for three years about producing an animated feature. Paramount vetoed his proposals until the proven success of Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' (1937). Paramount now wanted an animated feature for a 1939 Christmas release. This request came at the time of preparations for relocating to [[Miami, Florida]]. While the relocation had been a consideration for some time, its final motivation was made a reality due to lower corporate [[tax]] structures and an alleged escape from the remaining hostility from the strike.

The new Fleischer Studio opened in October 1938, and production on its first feature, ''[[Gulliver's Travels (1939 film)|Gulliver's Travels]]'' (1939), went from the development stage begun in New York to active production in Miami. The score was by Paramount staff composer, Victor Young and recorded at the Paramount west coast facilities. While limited to only 60 theaters in a one-month release, ''Gulliver's Travels'' earned more than $3 million in the United States alone, exceeding its original $500,000 estimated cost. Accordingly, a second feature was ordered for the Christmas period, ''[[Mr. Bug Goes to Town]]'' (1941).