Horst in Translation ([email protected]) "Ko-Ko's Earth Control" is a 6-minute cartoon by Dave Fleischer and this is from 1928, which means two more years and it will have its 90th anniversary. It is about the clown Ko-Ko and his dog who enter a building, which is a somehow the center of the world as it includes all kinds of levers and regulation when it comes to creating balance on the Planet Eart, which refers to nature, but also to buildings for example and to gravity in general. And you know what happens next. The two protagonists are not evil, but they are as clueless as they are chaotic and they cause all kinds of havoc one would imagine. The perfect assistants to true evil masterminds. But these two don't even need an evil boss to come up with complete catastrophe all around. I thought this was pretty decent for a black-and-white silent cartoon. By 1928, it was not too long anymore until sound and color came and the Golden Age of Animation started. And lets be honest, compared to what we got to witness in the following 2 decades, this one here simply is not a good film anymore. I would say only watch it if you really really (really really) love old cartoons.

morrison-dylan-fan With a poll taking place on IMDbs Classic Film board for the best titles of 1928,I started looking round for cartoons to view from the year,and I stumbled across one by Dave Fleischer,which led to me getting ready to see Koko take over the earth.The plot:Walking round with his dog Fitz,Koko stumbles on a building which contains leavers which control various aspects of the earth.Messing around with ones controlling the weather,Koko and Fritz spot a lever which if touched will destroy the earth.Finding the lever far too tempting,Koko and Fritz pull the lever.View on the film:Drawn in thick marker pen, Fleischer gives the animation a bold appearance,which sadly lacks any sense of detail.Whilst the animation is drawn in a broad manner, Fleischer displays a real precision in the blending of various film style,with Koko & Fritz steps into live action giving the animation a strong depth,whilst Fleischer covers the screen in dashes of startling lightning,as the world turns on Koko.

bob the moo I had recently been reminded of Ko-Ko the clown when I saw him as a supporting character for Betty Boop and I had never really known that he and his dog Fitz were characters in their own right. Having enjoyed him in the cartoon Snow White I decided to give him a try here. The plot sees the two characters walking the Earth and finding a control room which turns on the rain, day to night etc – but Fitz seems more interested in a lever which warns that if pulled the world will come to an end. Despite Ko-Ko's efforts, how many seconds do you reckon it will be before the lever gets thrown?The thing I loved about Ko-Ko in the recent Snow White was that his section was blessed with imaginative and creative imagery and I looked forward to the same here. This was not totally the case as I felt the short could have gone further with some of the animated images and done more of the surreal touches such as the moon and sun coming together etc. As it was, the move into live action made for a nice chance of tone but also made it a bit more "ordinary" as we see people fighting changes in gravity and also having some buildings collapse in a way that looks very much like the style of Monty Python (albeit several decades before they did it!).Despite my reservations though I did enjoy the film. I much prefer Fitz to Ko-Ko as a character but both work well together and Fleischer's animation and style is a lot of fun – although I do wish it had gone further within the animated world before snapping out into the real world.

MartinHafer This is an amazingly imaginative film and one that deserves to be remembered. Even though KO-KO'S EARTH CONTROL came out the same year as Mickey Mouse debuted, somehow the mouse was remembered and KO-KO went on to be a lame sidekick for Betty Boop. This is a shame because I had so much fun watching this film--even more than when I recently watched PLANE CRAZY and STEAMBOAT WILLIE (Mickey's first two films).The film is odd and surreal, with Ko-Ko and his idiotic dog, Fitz walking around the Earth again and again (which they could circumnavigate in about 30 seconds--tops!). Eventually they discover a control room that controls not only the weather for the Earth but the solar system! Being curious, Ko-Ko monkeys around--making it go from day to night again and again. However, Fitz is an idiot and insists on trying to pull a lever that would destroy the planet. Oddly, despite Ko-Ko's best efforts, Fitz gets his wish and the Apocalypse begins! And, in an odd twist, it's all rather funny and makes one almost look forward to total destruction!! Bizarre, imaginative and totally irreverent--this short cartoon is a must for lovers of animation.