Gulliver's Travels (1939 film)

Gulliver's Travels
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDave Fleischer
Animation directors
Seymour Kneitel
Willard Bowsky
Tom Palmer
Grim Natwick
William Henning
Roland Crandall
Thomas Johnson
Robert Leffingwell
Frank Kelling
Winfield Hoskins
Orestes Calpini
Screenplay byDan Gordon
Cal Howard
Tedd Pierce
I. Sparber
Edmond Seward
Story byEdmond Seward
Based on
Gulliver's Travels
by
Produced byMax Fleischer
StarringJessica Dragonette
Lanny Ross
CinematographyCharles Schettler
Music byVictor Young
Leo Robin (songs)
Ralph Rainger (songs)
Al Neiburg (songs)
Winston Sharples (songs)
Sammy Timberg (songs)
Production
company
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • December 22, 1939 (1939-12-22)
Running time
76 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$700,000
Box office$3.27 million

Gulliver's Travels is a 1939 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Fleischer Studios and released by Paramount Pictures. Loosely based on the first part of Jonathan Swift's 1726 novel, it was the first of two feature-length animated films by Fleischer Studios and the second animated film produced by an American studio, commissioned by Paramount after the success of Walt Disney Productions' Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). The film was produced by Max Fleischer and directed by Dave Fleischer, with animation sequences directed by Seymour Kneitel, Willard Bowsky, Tom Palmer, Grim Natwick, William Henning, Roland Crandall, Thomas Johnson, Robert Leffingwell, Frank Kelling, Winfield Hoskins, and Orestes Calpini.

Gulliver's Travels premiered in New York City on December 20, 1939, and went into general release in the United States on December 22. It received nominations for Best Music, Original Score and Best Music, Original Song ("Faithful Forever") at the 12th Academy Awards, losing both to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's The Wizard of Oz. Despite positive reviews from critics and box office success, Fleischer Studios did not recoup the budget spent on the film's production, portending the development of their next feature film, Mr. Bug Goes to Town, and the company's eventual demise in 1942.