Play Safe (1936)

A 1936 Fleischer studio cartoon. This is one of a run of color cartoons made to compete with Disney at the time.

Play Safe is a haunting movie made more terrifying by the degraded sound quality. As with many other projects, it contains full 3d scenes and appears completely anachronistic compared to contemporary cartoons of its time.

The plot of the cartoon is a child who falls asleep on the train tracks and must be saved from certain death by his dog. The risk of serious death and dismemberment continues until the final moments of the film.

To modern audiences, the use of animation transposed over 3d sets, moving cameras, demonic iconography, and a harsh dissonant sound track leads the cartoon to be frightening and bizarre.