Ko-Ko Chops Suey

In this 1924 entry of the 'Out of the Inkwell' series, the boundaries between the creator's desk and the animated world dissolve into a chaotic culinary investigation. Ko-Ko the Clown, driven by a mischievous curiosity, decides he must uncover the secrets of how chop suey is prepared. Accompanied by his canine companion Fitz, Ko-Ko transitions from the stark white of the drawing board into a fever-dream version of a Chinese kitchen. What follows is a sequence of high-energy slapstick and technical wizardry, where Dave Fleischer’s live-action presence anchors a narrative that eventually spirals into the era's typical, and deeply uncomfortable, ethnic caricatures. The film serves as a technical showcase for the rotoscoping process, even as it serves as a cultural artifact of 1920s prejudices.