Popeye: Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp (1939)
“One sailor, one lamp, and three wishes' worth of spinach-powered trouble.”
Streamed free from the Internet Archive · no signup, no cost — this film is in the public domain.
Synopsis
This Popeye cartoon is the third and grandest of the Fleischer two-reel Technicolor specials, a Popeye spin on the Arabian Nights. Olive Oyl, dreaming up a screen treatment for a movie studio, casts herself as the princess and Popeye as Aladdin, and her story springs to life. Popeye-as-Aladdin discovers a battered magic lamp, summons its powerful genie, and squares off against a scheming vizier who wants the lamp's magic for himself. Wimpy turns up to mooch his way through the fantasy, and spinach inevitably saves the day. Running a full twenty-one minutes in rich color, it is the longest and most ambitious of the Popeye color features, and the blend of fairy-tale spectacle and sailor-suit slapstick makes it a standout in the Popeye filmography.
Cast
About the Director
Dave Fleischer — Credited to Dave Fleischer and produced by Max Fleischer, the short was released by Paramount Pictures in 1939 with David Tendlar as head animator and music supervised by Sammy Timberg. It was the only one of the three Popeye color specials made at the studio's newly relocated facility in Miami, Florida, and the move reshaped the voice cast as well as the production.
Why It’s Free: The Public-Domain Story
This cartoon is in the United States public domain because its original copyright was never renewed. The copyright law of the time required a renewal filing in the film's 28th year to maintain protection, and no renewal was filed for this short. It accordingly passed into the public domain and may be freely copied, distributed, and streamed.
Behind the Scenes
The Popeye Color Specials were prestige productions, roughly three times the length of an ordinary Popeye short and often billed alongside or above the feature attraction. This was the last of the three and the longest at twenty-one minutes. When Fleischer Studios moved to Miami, Mae Questel declined to relocate, so Margie Hines, the wife of Popeye voice Jack Mercer, took over as Olive Oyl, voicing the character through 1943.
Did You Know?
- At twenty-one minutes it is the longest entry in the Popeye Color Specials series.
- It was the only color special produced at the Fleischers' new Miami studio.
- Margie Hines voiced Olive Oyl here after Mae Questel chose not to move to Florida.
Reception & Legacy
The Popeye color specials are widely regarded as high points of Fleischer Studios' theatrical output, and this Arabian Nights entry is praised for its scale, color, and design. Now a public-domain staple, it endures as a favorite among classic-animation fans and a showcase of the studio's late-1930s craft.
Superman: Electric Earthquake
Superman: The Bulleteers
Superman: Billion Dollar Limited
Superman: The Arctic Giant