Mid-Century Modern Animation: Volume 1 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Mid-Century Modern Animation: Volume 1 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 23, 2022

If you'd like to go down a certain internet rabbit hole, I can suggest that looking up definitions for what "mid-century modern" means, especially with regard to the 20th century, since to say the least there is a wide variety of opinions. I've personally always associated that term with a timeframe probably roughly spanning the early to mid-fifties to mid-sixties, but I may be in the minority. This really appealing collection of animated fare Thunderbean has aggregated for this release do tend to come from (again roughly) that time frame, but as even a cursory glance at the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review may reveal, there is at least as much of a stylistic variance in so-called "mid-century animation" as there may be with regard to the definition of "mid-century" itself.

Mid-Century Modern Animation Volume 1* contains the following shorts (see screenshots 18 through 20 for various menus, which clarifies how Thunderbean has laid out this disc):

• Destination Earth (1956)


• Big Tim (1949)


• Planet Patrol (1959)


• Swab Your Choppers (1948)


• The Sailor and the Seagull (1949)


• The Magic Fluke (1949)


• It's Only the Beginning (1951)

Even a cursory glance at the production years of this particular batch of cartoons might suggest that it's weighted pretty heavily toward what even those who have a broader view of what "mid-century modern" means than I personally do might consider the early years of the movement. And I have to say while Destination Earth and Planet Patrol especially have what I'd define as a "classic" mid-century modern look, some of the earlier material here definitely reminded me more of the gorgeous, almost painterly, animation that was the hallmark of the 1930s and especially 1940s.

In fact some of the earlier material here has a definite Fleischer and/or Disney appearance rather than what I'd term (again from my own personal apprehension of the style) the more minimalist, maybe Depatie-Freleng or even Hanna Barbera, look that defines the late fifties and early sixties in particular. In that latter regard, Planet Patrol is almost like an outer space version of The Yogi Bear Show, replete with both Yogi-esque and Boo Boo-esque characters (and voices), albeit with a tad of Jay Ward thrown with a very Snidely Whiplash-esque villain. I found this momentarily perplexing since if the production year is correct, Planet Patrol seemed to presage at least the Yogi series until I remembered Yogi and Boo Boo were supporting characters on The Huckleberry Hound Show which began in 1958. One way or the other, Planet Patrol may have been more or less simultaneously produced as Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends debuted in 1959.

The subject matters of the shorts in particular will probably often come off as being quite humorous to any jaded 21st century types, with an emphasis on post-World War II prosperity and occasionally problems, but with a kind of through line in many of these pieces suggesting that technology will guide us to a brighter tomorrow. The other major "categories" on this disc include commercials, which offer a number of notable names like Disney and/or Tex Avery helping to hawk products (who knew Mickey Mouse was a Nash salesrodent?), as well as a few more peculiar items, like the "let's all go to the snack bar" sequences that used to play at drive-ins (for those of you who may be mid-century modern productions yourselves who remember drive-ins) and a kind of wacky set of animated weather shorts that were evidently available to be licensed in various markets for local news broadcasts.

As can be seen in a couple of the screenshots, there are some passing live action moments on tap, and It's Only the Beginning, an ode to capitalism and nylon stockings (and, no, I'm not kidding) offers the fun sight of none other than Whit Bissell in a "performance" that probably didn't make his demo reel.

*It looks like a Volume 2 was announced at some point, but I can't find it available anywhere. There may be some information on our Forum thread devoted to Thunderbean, but I haven't had time to thoroughly search.

Mid-Century Modern Animation: Volume 1 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Mid-Century Modern Animation Volume 1 is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Thunderbean Animation with AVC encoded 1080p transfers that tend to hover around Academy Ratio, though as you can see by parsing through the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review, there are some minor variations in actual width (and height, for the matter). Thunderbean continues to impress with this "indie" approach toward restoration, and this set offers another generally very pleasing collection of transfers, though of course there are at times rather wide quality fluctuations between the many offerings on this disc. In terms of what are called "Industrial and Theatrical Shorts" I'd probably rate the "oral hygiene" short Swab Your Choppers at the bottom of the quality pile, with a pretty soft and desaturated appearance, but a lot of the rest of these offerings have amazingly vivid palettes and secure line detail. There's definitely damage that simply hasn't been completely eliminated, and some shorts have scratches, nicks and other blemishes, but on the whole, these have organic presentations that preserve the history while perhaps gussying it up a bit.

Note: As mentioned above in the main body of the review, I've posted screenshots of the two main submenus. While each individual item is accessible by clicking on its title, each separate category is actually authored as a whole, so that selecting any individual short or other item will automatically move on to whatever is after it in that particular category (so that, for example, clicking on Destination Earth in the Industrial and Theatrical Cartoons submenu is in essence a "Play All" button).

Mid-Century Modern Animation: Volume 1 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

All of the material on this disc has LPCM 2.0 Mono audio, and as with the video there are some variances, though age related wear and tear may actually be a bit more evident on the audio side of things than on the video, which is not to suggest there's anything major to be overly concerned about. There are many instances of hiss, pops and cracks and occasional distortion, but on the whole all of the music and dialogue is presented without any overly problematic issues.

Mid-Century Modern Animation: Volume 1 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There's frankly nothing labeled on this disc as a supplement, but per longstanding tradition, I'm treating the following as bonus material:

• TV Weatherman Spots Commentary by Dave Kirwan


• Shamus Culhane Showreel Commentary by Dave Kirwan

Note: Both of these can be accessed under a separate Commentaries option on the Main Menu.

Mid-Century Modern Animation: Volume 1 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Having quite recently had to sit through the near tedium of Mid- Century, I'm at least happy to announce that none of the cartoons here feature a "murder house", though the style that's on display in that live action film is definitely more in line with offerings like Planet Patrol and Destination Earth than some of the earlier shorts and/or other offerings in this set. One way or the other, though, this is a really wonderfully nostalgic collection that continues Thunderbean's commendable tradition of restoring cult items. While there are certainly quality fluctuations here due to the widely variant source elements, on the whole technical merits are secure. For mid-century aficionados if for no one else, Recommended.