" . . . Just live and let live," 'Aunt Delilah" the maid voices the Dizzy party line about World War Two, then raging across the planet. If only we'd leave the Blitzkrieg Boys to their own devices, everything would be hunky dory for America, according to the Dizzy Pollyanna apologists. Reviewers have a hard time honing in on the most egregious aspect of FIGARO AND CLEO, which is preceded by a racial disclaimer from the Dizzy class clown. With lines such as "Black cats mean trouble" and "I'll tan that Black hide of yours" and "You Cannibal!" and "Maybe your heart's not as Black as your hide after all," this caution seems more than warranted. However, when viewed in the wider War context, who's to say that Dizzy was ACTUALLY on the Allied side? As the "On the Front Lines" collection confesses, military officers blabbed tons of classified top secrets to Dizzy personnel. Though it was widely anticipated that U. S. troops would be home by the Holidays in 1943, hundreds of thousands died in "friendly fire" attacks drastically prolonging the conflict, as documented by multiple sources. Coincidence?
4 Reviews
Figaro the kitten vs Cleo the goldfish
TheLittleSongbird24 April 2012
I love this cartoon. It is funny and cute, with great chemistry between the two title characters and good gags. Mammy Twoshoes is a tad stereotypical I agree, but not in an offensive way. The exuberance of the music and the beautiful animation are the best assets of Figaro and Cleo. And Figaro and Cleo, two great characters from the Disney masterpiece Pinocchio, are just wonderful, Figaro is so cute with facial expressions to die for and Cleo is just as beautiful and endearing as the animation.
Overall, Figaro and Cleo is a great cartoon. It is not one of my favourites of all time, but I still love it for the quality of the animation and music and also because these two characters work so well together. One would wish there were more cartoons of them together. 10/10 Bethany Cox
Overall, Figaro and Cleo is a great cartoon. It is not one of my favourites of all time, but I still love it for the quality of the animation and music and also because these two characters work so well together. One would wish there were more cartoons of them together. 10/10 Bethany Cox
The Tale Of A Kitten & A Fish
Ron Oliver22 September 2002
A Walt Disney Cartoon.
FIGARO AND CLEO spend a lively day - with the one trying to devour the other.
Two of the minor (but cute) stars of PINOCCHIO (1940) were spun-off into their own cartoon here. Miss Cleo would soon retire from the screen, but Figaro would appear in a total of six cartoon shorts scattered through the decade. The film is fun, though unremarkable. The character of Mammy Twoshoes, seldom glimpsed above the ankle, is a mite stereotyped.
Walt Disney (1901-1966) was always intrigued by drawings. As a lad in Marceline, Missouri, he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper; later, as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War, he drew figures on the sides of his vehicle. Back in Kansas City, along with artist Ub Iwerks, Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters. Always the innovator, his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe. Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923, where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor. When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor, the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination, ensuring Disney's immortality. The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut, STEAMBOAT WILLIE (1928), a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music. The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared, and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color, illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development, an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable. Mickey's feisty, naughty behavior had captured millions of fans, but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions: temperamental Donald Duck, intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto. All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films. Against a blizzard of doomsayers, Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White, Pinocchio, Bambi, Peter Pan and Mr. Toad. Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse, or that simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off.
FIGARO AND CLEO spend a lively day - with the one trying to devour the other.
Two of the minor (but cute) stars of PINOCCHIO (1940) were spun-off into their own cartoon here. Miss Cleo would soon retire from the screen, but Figaro would appear in a total of six cartoon shorts scattered through the decade. The film is fun, though unremarkable. The character of Mammy Twoshoes, seldom glimpsed above the ankle, is a mite stereotyped.
Walt Disney (1901-1966) was always intrigued by drawings. As a lad in Marceline, Missouri, he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper; later, as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War, he drew figures on the sides of his vehicle. Back in Kansas City, along with artist Ub Iwerks, Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters. Always the innovator, his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe. Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923, where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor. When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor, the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination, ensuring Disney's immortality. The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut, STEAMBOAT WILLIE (1928), a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music. The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared, and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color, illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development, an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable. Mickey's feisty, naughty behavior had captured millions of fans, but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions: temperamental Donald Duck, intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto. All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films. Against a blizzard of doomsayers, Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White, Pinocchio, Bambi, Peter Pan and Mr. Toad. Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse, or that simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off.
Nice one featuring Figaro.
OllieSuave-0073 June 2017
This is the first Disney cartoon short featuring Figaro the kitten - a spin off from the full-length movie Pinocchio. Here, Figaro is tempted to make a dish out of Cleo while the maid is cleaning, since he has been denied his meal for making a mess of the place.
It's actually a pretty adorable cartoon featuring both animals, and the maid in her Southern accent added some humorous charm to the story. Her always catching Figaro trying to catch Cleo is funny, and even Figaro still acts cute throughout it all.
It's a nice little cartoon - very old school, but nostalgic.
Grade A
It's actually a pretty adorable cartoon featuring both animals, and the maid in her Southern accent added some humorous charm to the story. Her always catching Figaro trying to catch Cleo is funny, and even Figaro still acts cute throughout it all.
It's a nice little cartoon - very old school, but nostalgic.
Grade A
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