1001 Classic Cartoons You Need to Watch Before You Die

#1

Release date: 09 Nov 1919 | Running time: 00:04:15

Black and white

Long before Mickey or Bugs, one clever black cat paved the way for animated stardom. This cartoon is considered to be the birth of Felix the Cat.

#2

Plane Crazy (Walt Disney Studio)

Release date: 15 May 1928 | Running time: 00:05:56

Black and white Short film

The first cartoon ever animated with Mickey Mouse.

#3

Steamboat Willie (Walt Disney Studio)

Release date: 18 Nov 1928 | Running time: 00:07:47

Black and white Short film

This one is a "must see". It's the first Mickey Mouse cartoon to be released to the public, and its success marked the star's first official appearance.

#4

The Gallopin' Gaucho (Walt Disney Studio)

Release date: 30 Dec 1928 | Running time: 00:06:29

Black and white Short film

Mickey's Forgotten Second Outing. It demonstrates the evolution of Mickey Mouse's personality, from mischievous and rough to more polished and friendly in later cartoons.

#5

The Haunted House (Walt Disney Studio)

Release date: 02 Dec 1929 | Running time: 00:06:49

Black and white

This early Mickey Mouse short blended comedy and horror in a way that was both funny and unsettling

#6

Flowers and Trees (Walt Disney Studio)

Release date: 30 Jul 1932 | Running time: 00:07:48

Short film Technicolor

As the first cartoon made in the three-strip Technicolor process, Flowers and Trees proved that color could enhance storytelling and captivate audiences. Its success encouraged studios to transition from black-and-white to color animation. Also, it earned the first Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1932.

#7

The Mad Doctor (Walt Disney Studio)

Release date: 20 Jan 1933 | Running time: 00:06:52

Black and white

The Mad Doctor is one of the darkest and most unusual entries in the classic Mickey Mouse series.

#8

Popeye the Sailor (Fleischer Studios)

Release date: 14 Jul 1933 | Running time: 00:07:37

Black and white

Still Packs a Punch! Only on-screen appearance where Betty Boop and Popeye share the same cartoon. It remains a unique crossover moment in animation history.

#9

Poor Cinderella (Fleischer Studios)

Release date: 03 Aug 1934 | Running time: 00:10:35

Cinecolor Color Classics

First in the series of Fleischer's Color classics. It used Cinecolor as Walt Disney held an exclusive contract with Technicolor for its superior three-color process.

#10

Neptune Nonsense (Van Beuren Studios)

Release date: 20 Mar 1936 | Running time: 00:07:32

Technicolor

Released in 1936 by Van Beuren Studios, Neptune Nonsense stars the iconic Felix the Cat in one of his sound-era adventures. it features one of Felix’s best late-era appearances

#11

The Blow Out (Warner Bros.)

Release date: 04 Apr 1936 | Running time: 00:07:30

Black and white

This was Avery’s second cartoon for Warner Bros., and it already showed signs of the anarchic humor that would define his work.

#12

Thru the Mirror (Walt Disney Studio)

Release date: 30 May 1936 | Running time: 00:08:00

Technicolor

Loosely inspired by Lewis Carroll’s “Through the Looking-Glass”, the film follows Mickey as he steps through his bedroom mirror into a bizarre and whimsical dream world.

#13

Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor (Fleischer Studios)

Release date: 27 Nov 1936 | Running time: 00:16:33

Technicolor

The first of three two-reel (long-form) color specials featuring Popeye and only Popeye cartoon ever to be nominated for the Academy Award.

#14

Porky’s Duck Hunt (Warner Bros.)

Release date: 17 Apr 1937 | Running time: 00:08:47

Black and white

First appearance of Daffy Duck, one of Warner Bros.' most iconic characters. A pivotal shift toward more manic, irreverent humor in animation.

#15

Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves (Fleischer Studios)

Release date: 26 Nov 1937 | Running time: 00:17:15

Technicolor

Bigger Battles, Bolder Animation! Second color Popeye special animated fully in Technicolor and a true masterpiece that you just have to watch.

#16

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Walt Disney Studio)

Release date: 21 Dec 1937 | Running time: 01:28:00

Feature film Technicolor

The success of Snow White proved that animation could sustain a feature-length narrative and deliver powerful emotional experiences. It launched the Disney studio into a new era and laid the foundation for the modern animated film industry.

#17

Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp (Fleischer Studios)

Release date: 07 Apr 1939 | Running time: 00:21:13

Technicolor

Fleischer’s Final Epic Adventure.

#18

Puss Gets the Boot (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)

Release date: 10 Feb 1940 | Running time: 00:09:00

Puss Gets the Boot is a landmark in animation history - it introduced audiences to the chaotic cat-and-mouse duo that would later be known as Tom and Jerry. Despite studio skepticism, the short was a hit leading to an entire series

#19

Scaredy Cat (Warner Bros.)

Release date: 18 Dec 1948 | Running time: 00:07:25

Directed with a cinematic touch, Scaredy Cat feels almost Hitchcockian at times. It’s the first in a trilogy of horror-themed shorts starring Sylvester and Porky.

#20

Symphony in Slang (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)

Release date: 16 Jun 1951 | Running time: 00:06:43

Technicolor

Told in flashback form, Symphony in Slang is one-of-a-kind animated short directed by Tex Avery that turns everyday slang into literal visual gags.