Somewhere in Dreamland (1936) review - A beautifully sad sugar rush

Should you watch this 1936 cartoon today? Yes, if you want a quick, heavy dose of Great Depression sadness mixed with a weirdly intense dream about eating giant donuts. But if you hate old-school sentimentality that hits you over the head with a brick, steer clear.

The whole thing is only about nine minutes long, but man, it starts out depressing. These two little kids are walking through a snowy town, carrying a heavy basket of sticks they gathered for firewood.

They look so pitiful it's almost funny, especially when they pass by a bakery window and just stare at the bread. They have these huge, watery eyes that the animators clearly designed to make you feel bad.

The animation is beautiful, though. The Fleischer brothers used this cool turntable device to make the backgrounds look 3D, and you can really feel the cold in the streets.

But then the kids go home, eat a single hard piece of bread dipped in water, and go to bed. The mom is crying in the corner, and it is just a total downer.

This is where the dream starts, and the movie gets wonderfully weird. 🍭

Suddenly, a giant star-faced spirit sprinkles sleep dust on them, and they fly off to Dreamland. It is quite a shift from the grim reality of the first three minutes.

Dreamland is basically a sugary fever dream. There is a field of popcorn, a river of milk, and trees growing ice cream cones.

I noticed the boy eats a giant doughnut off a tree like a tire, which seems like a lot of work for a pastry. He just bites right into the middle of it while it spins.

The colors are so bright they almost hurt your eyes, especially after that dreary gray beginning. It is like the animators wanted to drown the audience in color to make up for the sadness.

It is interesting how the dream isn't about toys or playing. It is purely about survival and not being hungry anymore, which tells you everything about when this was made.

In some ways, it reminds me of the escapism in When Dreams Come True, where the dream is just a shield against a harsh reality.

Then they wake up. I won't ruin the ending, but the local shopkeepers turn out to be surprisingly nice.

It is a bit too sweet—literally—but it gets me every time. The music swells, and you can't help but feel a little bit soft inside.

Some little things that stood out to me:

• The way the mom's shadow looks giant and tired on the wall when she is washing clothes.
• The kids' shoes have actual holes in the soles, which is a brutal detail for a cartoon.
• That giant spoon they use to eat soup in the dream is terrifyingly large.

If you have ten minutes, go watch it. It is a neat little time capsule that makes you appreciate your own pantry.