| Alice Comedies | |
| Director: | Walt Disney |
| Animator: | Ub Iwerks Rollin Hamilton Hugh Harman Friz Freleng |
| Starring: | Alice |
| Color Process: | Black-and-white |
| Studio: | Laugh-O-Gram Studio Walt Disney Studio |
| Released: | 1923-1927 |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English (with intertitles) |
The Alice Comedies are a series of live-action animated shorts created by Walt Disney in the 1920s, in which a live action little girl named Alice (originally played by Virginia Davis) and an animated cat named Julius have adventures in an animated landscape. The shorts were the first work by what ultimately became The Walt Disney Company.
Disney, Ub Iwerks, and their staff made the first Alice Comedy, a one-reel (ten-minute) 1923 short subject titled Alice's Wonderland, while still heading the failing Laugh-O-Gram Studio in Kansas City, Missouri.[1]
Alice's Wonderland begins with Alice entering a cartoon studio to witness cartoons being created. Alice is amazed by what she sees: the cartoon characters come to life and play around. After heading to bed that night, she dreams of being in the cartoon world, welcomed by all of the characters. Alice plays with them until a group of lions break free from a cage and chase her. Though never released, this short helped set the stage for what was to come in the later Alice Comedies, as it established the world as a playful dream and also introduced the elements which would soon define the series. The idea of setting a real-world girl in an animated world was at this point in film history still unique. The design and voice of the later series were all set by this original film.
After completing the film, the studio went bankrupt and was forced to shut down. After raising money by working as a freelance photographer, Disney bought a one-way train ticket to Los Angeles, California to live with his uncle Robert and his brother Roy. In California, Disney continued to send out proposals for the Alice series, in hopes of obtaining a distribution agreement. A deal was finally arranged through Winkler Pictures, run by Margaret Winkler[2] and her fiancé, Charles Mintz. Because of a recent falling out with Pat Sullivan, the studio needed a quick replacement for their centerpiece Felix the Cat animated series.[3] Disney convinced Davis's family to bring her from Missouri to Los Angeles to star in the series.[4]
Walt Disney both directed and produced all 57 films in this series. Animation was done by Walt Disney, sometimes assisted by Rollin "Ham" Hamilton. Over the course of the series, four actresses played Alice: Virginia Davis (15), Margie Gay (31), Dawn O'Day (1) and Lois Hardwick (10). The film Alice in the Jungle contains only archival footage of Virginia Davis.
The shorts in this series are now all in the public domain in the United States. In 2000, Inkwell Images released Alice in Cartoonland – The Original Alice Comedies by Walt Disney in VHS, and in 2007 in DVD as part of the Golden Classics series with ten of the films as well as a documentary, poster gallery, and DVD ROM. In 2007, Kit Parker Films released another DVD called Alice in Cartoonland: The 35mm Collector's Set. In 2005 and again in 2007, ten shorts in the series were released as part of the Walt Disney Treasures series. Seven were part of the Disney Rarities that was released in 2005, while three more were released as part of The Adventures of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, released in 2007.
In 2016, Alice shorts held by the EYE Film Institute in Amsterdam were restored for global re-release.[5]
A total of 16 Alice Comedies shorts are thought to be lost, and 1 Alice Comedies short (Alice's Auto Race) has been partially found.
| Short film | Date | Actress | Status or DVD release | Short if available | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alice's Wonderland | October 16, 1923[6] | Walt Disney Treasures: Disney Rarities: Celebrated Shorts, 1920s–1960s and Special "Un-Anniversary" Edition of Alice in Wonderland | |||
| 2 | Alice's Day at Sea | March 1, 1924 | Virginia Davis | N/A | ||
| 3 | Alice's Spooky Adventure | April 1, 1924 | Virginia Davis | N/A | ||
| 4 | Alice's Wild West Show | May 1, 1924 | Virginia Davis | Walt Disney Treasures: Disney Rarities: Celebrated Shorts, 1920s–1960s | ||
| 5 | Alice's Fishy Story | June 1, 1924 | Virginia Davis | Unknown | ||
| 6 | Alice and the Dog Catcher | July 1, 1924 | Virginia Davis | |||
| 7 | Alice the Peacemaker | August 1, 1924 | Virginia Davis | Unknown | ||
| 8 | Alice Gets in Dutch | November 1, 1924 | Virginia Davis | Walt Disney Treasures: Disney Rarities: Celebrated Shorts, 1920s–1960s | ||
| 9 | Alice Hunting in Africa | November 15, 1924 | Virginia Davis | Unknown | ||
| 10 | Alice and the Three Bears | December 1, 1924 | Virginia Davis | |||
| 11 | Alice the Piper | December 15, 1924 | Virginia Davis | Unknown | ||
| 12 | Alice Cans the Cannibals | January 1, 1925 | Virginia Davis | A copy of the short with added music was uploaded to the Cult Cinema Classics Youtube channel April 14, 2024 | The full short can be watched Here | |
| 13 | Alice the Toreador | January 15, 1925 | Virginia Davis | Alice in Cartoonland – The Original Alice Comedies by Walt Disney | ||
| 14 | Alice Gets Stung | February 1, 1925 | Virginia Davis | Walt Disney Treasures: The Adventures of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit | ||
| 15 | Alice Solves the Puzzle | February 15, 1925 | Margie Gay | Alice in Cartoonland – The Original Alice Comedies by Walt Disney | The first appearance of what would become Pete. | |
| 16 | Alice's Egg Plant | May 30, 1925 | Dawn O'Day | Walt Disney Treasures: Disney Rarities: Celebrated Shorts, 1920s–1960s | ||
| 17 | Alice Loses Out | June 15, 1925 | Margie Gay | Unknown | ||
| 18 | Alice Gets Stage Struck | June 30, 1925 | Margie Gay | Alice in Cartoonland – The Original Alice Comedies by Walt Disney | ||
| 19 | Alice Wins the Derby | July 15, 1925 | Margie Gay | Alice in Cartoonland – The Original Alice Comedies by Walt Disney | ||
| 20 | Alice Picks the Champ | July 30, 1925 | Margie Gay | Formerly lost | ||
| 21 | Alice's Tin Pony | August 15, 1925 | Margie Gay | Alice in Cartoonland – 35 mm Collector's Set | ||
| 22 | Alice Chops the Suey | August 30, 1925 | Margie Gay | Alice in Cartoonland – 35 mm Collector's Set | ||
| 23 | Alice the Jail Bird | September 15, 1925 | Margie Gay | Alice in Cartoonland – 35 mm Collector's Set | ||
| 24 | Alice Plays Cupid | October 15, 1925 | Margie Gay | Unknown | ||
| 25 | Alice Rattled by Rats | November 15, 1925 | Margie Gay | Alice in Cartoonland – The Original Alice Comedies by Walt DisneyandTechnicolor Dreams - And Black & White Nightmares | ||
| 26 | Alice in the Jungle | December 15, 1925 | Virginia Davis | Walt Disney Treasures: Disney Rarities: Celebrated Shorts, 1920s–1960s | ||
| 27 | Alice on the Farm | January 1, 1926 | Margie Gay | Alice in Cartoonland – The Original Alice Comedies by Walt Disney | ||
| 28 | Alice's Balloon Race | January 15, 1926 | Margie Gay | Walt Disney Treasures: The Adventures of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit | ||
| 29 | Alice's Orphan | January 15, 1926 | Margie Gay | Alice in Cartoonland – The Original Alice Comedies by Walt Disney | ||
| 30 | Alice's Little Parade | February 1, 1926 | Margie Gay | Unknown | ||
| 31 | Alice's Mysterious Mystery | February 15, 1926 | Margie Gay | Walt Disney Treasures: Disney Rarities: Celebrated Shorts, 1920s–1960s | ||
| 32 | Alice Charms the Fish | September 6, 1926 | Margie Gay | Lost cartoonFirst Alice Comedies short to be distributed by the Film Booking Offices of America. | ||
| 33 | Alice's Monkey Business | September 20, 1926 | Margie Gay | Lost cartoon | ||
| 34 | Alice in the Wooly West | October 4, 1926 | Margie Gay | Walt Disney Treasures: The Adventures of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit | ||
| 35 | Alice the Fire Fighter | October 18, 1926 | Margie Gay | Unknown | ||
| 36 | Alice Cuts the Ice | November 1, 1926 | Margie Gay | Lost cartoon | ||
| 37 | Alice Helps the Romance | November 15, 1926 | Margie Gay | A Dutch copy of the short with added music was uploaded to the Cult Cinema Classics YouTube channel May 12, 2024 | The full short can be watched here | |
| 38 | Alice's Spanish Guitar | November 29, 1926 | Margie Gay | Unknown | ||
| 39 | Alice's Brown Derby | December 13, 1926 | Margie Gay | Unknown | ||
| 40 | Alice the LumberJack | December 27, 1926 | Margie Gay | Lost cartoon | ||
| 41 | Alice the Golf Bug | January 10, 1927 | Margie Gay | Lost cartoon | ||
| 42 | Alice Foils the Pirates | January 24, 1927 | Margie Gay | Lost cartoon | ||
| 43 | Alice at the Carnival | February 10, 1927 | Margie Gay | Lost cartoon | ||
| 44 | Alice at the Rodeo | February 21, 1927 | Margie Gay | Unknown | ||
| 45 | Alice the Collegiate | March 7, 1927 | Margie Gay | Lost cartoon | ||
| 46 | Alice in the Alps | March 21, 1927 | Margie Gay | Lost cartoon | ||
| 47 | Alice's Auto Race | April 4, 1927 | Margie Gay | Partially lost cartoon | ||
| 48 | Alice's Circus Daze | April 18, 1927 | Lois Hardwick | A copy was uploaded to the Cult Cinema Classics YouTube channel August 4, 2024 | The full short can be watched here | |
| 49 | Alice's Knaughty Knight | May 2, 1927 | Lois Hardwick | Lost cartoon | ||
| 50 | Alice's Three Bad Eggs | May 16, 1927 | Lois Hardwick | Lost cartoon | ||
| 51 | Alice's Picnic | May 30, 1927 | Lois Hardwick | Lost cartoon | ||
| 52 | Alice's Channel Swim | June 13, 1927 | Lois Hardwick | Lost cartoon | ||
| 53 | Alice in the Klondike | June 27, 1927 | Lois Hardwick | Lost cartoonLast appearance of Pete in the Alice Comedies. | ||
| 54 | Alice's Medicine Show | July 11, 1927 | Lois Hardwick | Lost cartoon | ||
| 55 | Alice the Whaler | July 25, 1927 | Lois Hardwick | Walt Disney Treasures: Disney Rarities: Celebrated Shorts, 1920s–1960s | ||
| 56 | Alice the Beach Nut | August 8, 1927 | Lois Hardwick | Lost cartoon | Last appearance of Julius the Cat. | |
| 57 | Alice in the Big League | August 22, 1927 | Lois Hardwick | Unknown | Last Alice Comedies short to be distributed by the Film Booking Offices of America. | |