I admit to being a fan of classic cartoons, the kind that were drawn by hand, especially those made either by the crew at Warner Brothers or those produced by Max Fleischer, seen in this photo with his biggest star. This Tuesday, Warner Brothers will be releasing the four disc set Popeye the Sailor: 1933-1938, Vol. 1.

For those who only know the spinach eating sailor from the more recent cartoons shown on television, these older cartoons are worth checking out. One of the hallmarks of the Fleischer produced cartoons was that everything was animated - not only the characters, but the backgrounds as well. While almost all of the sixty cartoons in the set are black and white, there are two Popeye cartoons made with the original Technicolor process, “Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor”, and “Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba’s Forty Thieves”.

The cartoons are all completely restored, including the opening Paramount logos. Included in the DVD set are documentaries on Popeye and Max Fleischer, as well as a boatload of audio commentaries. This DVD release is recommended for those who have never seen the early Popeye cartoons or have never seen Popeye at all, as well as those who love classic animation when everything was lovingly crafted.

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