This cartoon exists only in fragmentary form and is on one of the Cartoons That Time Forgot DVDs. The fragments are reasonably good, though I'm not, truth be told, a fan of the Willie Whopper series. Having seen this, I would very much like to see Hell's Bells, a short Ub Iwerks directed some years earlier when he was first at Disney. Visually impressive, as always. Glad to see it in print. Worth watching. Recommended.
6 Reviews
Hell's Fire was my first time seeing a Willie Whopper cartoon
tavm18 April 2017
Just watched this restored Willie Whopper cartoon on YouTube. Willie is a boy who always tells exaggerated tales of his adventures, hence his last name being "Whopper"! In this one, he and his dog are sent down a volcano which is actually Hell with Satan himself greeting them. Also down there are Napoleon, Nero, and a guy with the sign "Prohibition" on him. It's this guy that gets the most jeers from the rest of the people down there. I liked the Cinecolor this was presented in despite lacking the Technicolor hues that was exclusive to the Disney cartoons of the time. This was quite humorous and enjoyable so on that note, I recommend Hell's Fire.
Volcanoes Don't Erupt; They Burp
ccthemovieman-131 May 2008
How many cartoons have guest appearances from Napoleon, Nero, Trotsky, Cleopatra and a few other famous people? That's one feature of this old cartoon.
We also see a volcano that blows smoke rings and we see a three-headed "hell hound" and other assorted weird sights.
A big joke in this cartoon is everyone and everything thing (like the volcano) burping. I guess the writers thought that would get a bunch a laughs each time, sort of like how film writers today think farting or some guy getting hit in his testicles is always hilarious.
The music is fast and furious, almost wearing you out by the end.
Note: this cartoon also is known by the title "amous Fairy tales - Masquerade Holiday."
We also see a volcano that blows smoke rings and we see a three-headed "hell hound" and other assorted weird sights.
A big joke in this cartoon is everyone and everything thing (like the volcano) burping. I guess the writers thought that would get a bunch a laughs each time, sort of like how film writers today think farting or some guy getting hit in his testicles is always hilarious.
The music is fast and furious, almost wearing you out by the end.
Note: this cartoon also is known by the title "amous Fairy tales - Masquerade Holiday."
Willie in Hell
Coolguy-728 June 2002
Willie Whopper and his dog are climbing up a volcano when it sucks them in and they end up in Hell. While I cannot decide which Willie Whopper cartoon out of all that I have seen is my favorite, this one is really good. I enjoy the background art of this cartoon as well as the animation. Some gags I enjoy are the famous dead people walking in line one after another. They include Emperor Nero playing his fiddle, Antony and Cleopatra, Simon Legree riding a dogsled, and Rasputin doing the Russian dance. One thing that puzzles me, however, is why Willie, being such a kindhearted person, would want to stop one guy from leaving Hell. This cartoon is a lost cartoon with a few segments left of it.
Fiery hell
TheLittleSongbird5 May 2018
Ub Iwerks's Willie Whopper series of cartoons was short-lived, only lasting a year from 1933 to 1934. On the most part the Willie Whopper cartoons are not great or cartoon/animated masterpieces and it is sort of understandable as to why Willie didn't make it bigger. However they are far from terrible ones either and do amuse and charm.
1934's 'Hell's Fire', as far as Willie Whopper cartoons go, is one of the best. This is coming from somebody who has only just gotten acquainted with the series as a huge animation fan. It is amusing and cute, as well as wonderfully weird and inventive, providing that one doesn't expect a masterpiece or too much.
Sure, 'Hell's Fire' may be on the formulaic side and is somewhat predictable. It is also a shame that structurally it feels slightly fragmented.
Willie himself is slightly bland and a slightly limited character. There is not much wrong actually.
On the other hand, 'Hell's Fire' is one of the best-looking Willie Whopper cartoons, there is some nice background detail, more drawing finesse and inventive little things, plus beautiful use of colour. The music is energetic and characterful with appealing orchestration. The cartoon goes at a lively pace, has an appealing charm and the tale is wonderfully outlandish.
'Hell's Fire' has a lot of very amusing, sometimes hilarious, and sweet little laughs which makes it entertaining. A lot of it is also very imaginative and almost surreal and wonderfully weird for Willie Whopper. Although slightly bland and limited, Willie avoids being annoying and he avoids being sickly sweet as well, fairly likeable. The supporting characters, consisting of famous dead people, are a lively and at times kooky bunch.
In summary, very good and one of Willie's best. 8/10 Bethany Cox
1934's 'Hell's Fire', as far as Willie Whopper cartoons go, is one of the best. This is coming from somebody who has only just gotten acquainted with the series as a huge animation fan. It is amusing and cute, as well as wonderfully weird and inventive, providing that one doesn't expect a masterpiece or too much.
Sure, 'Hell's Fire' may be on the formulaic side and is somewhat predictable. It is also a shame that structurally it feels slightly fragmented.
Willie himself is slightly bland and a slightly limited character. There is not much wrong actually.
On the other hand, 'Hell's Fire' is one of the best-looking Willie Whopper cartoons, there is some nice background detail, more drawing finesse and inventive little things, plus beautiful use of colour. The music is energetic and characterful with appealing orchestration. The cartoon goes at a lively pace, has an appealing charm and the tale is wonderfully outlandish.
'Hell's Fire' has a lot of very amusing, sometimes hilarious, and sweet little laughs which makes it entertaining. A lot of it is also very imaginative and almost surreal and wonderfully weird for Willie Whopper. Although slightly bland and limited, Willie avoids being annoying and he avoids being sickly sweet as well, fairly likeable. The supporting characters, consisting of famous dead people, are a lively and at times kooky bunch.
In summary, very good and one of Willie's best. 8/10 Bethany Cox
Too Bad Footage is Missing
Michael_Elliott25 March 2016
Hell's Fire (1934)
This Ub Iwerks animated short is part of the Willie Whopper series but sadly not all of it is available. This is just one of many films that are only available in a fragmental form, which is really too bad because what footage is here is quite good. The story seems pretty simple as Willie and his dog climb to the top of a volcano and fall in. Once on the inside the setting is pretty much Hell and they go up against a man who is obviously meant to be the Devil.
About half of the footage to this film is missing so it's impossible to really judge it but it's still very much worth watching. I really enjoyed the film as well as its dark humor and I thought the "visions" in Hell were quite good. There's some very good animation as well as some nice creative work including the volcano burping at the end after eating a certain person.
This Ub Iwerks animated short is part of the Willie Whopper series but sadly not all of it is available. This is just one of many films that are only available in a fragmental form, which is really too bad because what footage is here is quite good. The story seems pretty simple as Willie and his dog climb to the top of a volcano and fall in. Once on the inside the setting is pretty much Hell and they go up against a man who is obviously meant to be the Devil.
About half of the footage to this film is missing so it's impossible to really judge it but it's still very much worth watching. I really enjoyed the film as well as its dark humor and I thought the "visions" in Hell were quite good. There's some very good animation as well as some nice creative work including the volcano burping at the end after eating a certain person.
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