MAX FLEISCHER

Max Fleischer (along with his brother Dave) were legends and pioneers in animated films. They made the very first sound cartoon in 1924, beating Walt Disney by several years. They had great success with their Out of the Inkwell cartoons, Popeye, Betty Boop, and much more, including the Superman cartoons, widely regarded as the finest cartoons ever made! But after Walt Disney made Snow White, the Fleischers made Gulliver's Travels, which did not do well at the box office, and their next major project, Mr. Bug Goes To Town, had the bad fortune to be released two days before the attack on Pearl Harbor, and it also did poorly. At this same time, the Fleischer brothers had a major falling out, and in 1942, they split completely. After they made the last of their Superman cartoons in 1942, Paramount ceased control of their studio. Each of the brothers made a few more cartoons, but their careers were essentially over.