 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2009) |
.jpg){kind=logo} Talkartoons promotional poster with studio logo | |
| Industry | Motion pictures |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Bray Productions Out of the Inkwell Studios |
| Founded | 1929 |
| Founder | Max Fleischer Dave Fleischer |
| Defunct | July 3, 1942 |
| Fate | Renamed and reorganized as Famous Studios after its acquisition by Paramount Pictures and the resignation of its founders. |
| Successors | Studio: Famous Studios (fully-owned subsidiary of Paramount Pictures, renamed to Paramount Cartoon Studios in 1956) Paramount Animation Library: Paramount Pictures (through Melange Pictures) Warner Bros. (through Turner Entertainment Co. and DC Entertainment) (Popeye the Sailor and Superman only) |
| Headquarters | Broadway, New York City, New York, U.S. (1929–1938)
Miami, Florida, U.S. (1938–1942) |
| Products | Animated short subjects and feature films |
| Owner | Paramount Pictures Inc. (1941–42) |
Number of employees | Approx. 800 by 1939 |
| Website | fleischerstudios |
Fleischer Studios (/ˈflaɪʃər/) was an American animation studio founded in 1929 by brothers Max and Dave Fleischer, who ran the pioneering company from its inception until its acquisition by Paramount Pictures, the parent company and the distributor of its films. In its prime, Fleischer Studios was a premier producer of animated cartoons for theaters, with Walt Disney Productions being its chief competitor in the 1930s.
Fleischer Studios included Out of the Inkwell and Talkartoons characters like, Koko the Clown, Betty Boop, Bimbo, Popeye the Sailor, and the comic character Superman. Unlike other studios, whose characters were anthropomorphic animals, the Fleischers' most successful characters were humans (with the exception of Bimbo, a black-and-white cartoon dog). The cartoons of the Fleischer Studio were very different from those of Disney, both in concept and in execution. As a result, they were rough rather than refined and consciously artistic rather than commercial, but in their unique way, their artistry was expressed through a culmination of the arts and sciences.[1] This approach focused on surrealism, dark humor, adult psychological elements, and sexuality. Furthermore, the environments were grittier and urban, often set in squalid surroundings, reflecting the Great Depression as well as German Expressionism.
- ^ Pointer, Ray (2016). The Art and Inventions of Max Fleischer: American Animation Pioneer, McFarland & Co. Publishers. Pg. 5