I came across this old cartoon as a surprise extra on a public- domain copy of a Charlie Chaplin VHS tape, and it was good for a snicker or two.
The short animated piece, MOVIE MAD, starred a long-forgotten character (I'm guessing, as I have never heard of him) called FLIP THE FROG, who is basically a walking, talking, white glove, bow- tie & short-pants wearing little black frog. In this outing, Flip is introduced to us as he is reading up on how to become a movie director, which essentially comes down to dressing up like Charlie Chaplin! He then goes on to read about acting and eventually finds himself in front of a old-time movie studio where lots of other cartoon animals are auditioning. Attempting to "break in" to the business, and the madness that subsequently ensues, particularly with the studio security-dog (type-casting if I ever saw it!) is what makes up the loose plot from there on in.
What struck me first about MOVIE MAD, and Flip the Frog, were the similarities to early Disney characters and animation; black, ropey arms and legs, white gloves, and a similar fluidity in motion (much better than many cartoons today I might add). I found out later that that can be accredited to the Director/Animator, Ub Iwerks, who honed his craft at Disney Studios before venturing out on his own to try his hand at it.
Although there isn't anything wrong with MOVIE MAD, it doesn't really go anywhere, either with regards to building an engaging character in Flip the Frog, or in creating a compelling reason to cheer him on in his endeavours to make it in show-biz. Maybe that's asking a lot of a simple ten minute cartoon, but it has been done better probably both before and since. It's still a cute little piece though.
6/10. A nice watch................. but I don't expect too many cartoon frogs will pay homage to Flip in years to come.
