By the mid-1930s, Felix the Cat, once the biggest star of silent animation, had lost ground to new sound-era characters like Mickey Mouse and Betty Boop. Neptune Nonsense, produced by Van Beuren Studios in 1936, was part of an attempt to bring Felix back to life—this time in glorious color, with sound, music, and a more modern, kid-friendly tone.
In this short, Felix dives beneath the waves and finds himself in a whimsical underwater world, where he meets King Neptune and a parade of sea creatures. The short uses playful music, slapstick comedy, and fantastical visuals to charm younger audiences and reintroduce Felix as a more relatable, cheerful character than his earlier, more mischievous silent-era self.
🎬 Why is it worth watching?
- Part of Felix’s sound-era revival attempt
- A rare example of Felix the Cat in color
- Packed with underwater fantasy and silly sea creatures
- Aimed at younger viewers with a lighter, more whimsical tone
- Early use of synchronized music and animation in a Felix cartoon
🎨 Trivia
- Van Beuren licensed Felix in the 1930s and gave him a rubber-hose animation style similar to other popular characters of the time
- The shift included a friendlier personality and simpler storylines suitable for children
- Only a small number of color Felix shorts were made before the character disappeared from theatrical cartoons until his later television revival
- The cartoon’s surreal underwater setting gave animators freedom to explore visual gags with jellyfish orchestras, talking fish, and other imaginative touches
Like many Van Beuren cartoons of the era, Neptune Nonsense is believed to be in the public domain, making it freely available to watch and share.