Feature-length animated films are so ubiquitous now, we rarely stop to wonder where the concept came from. From the dawn of animation in the late 1800s until Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937 , this art form was considered far too time-consuming and labor-intensive to extend beyond short one-reelers, shown as the opening act to live action movies. Disney changed all that. And aside from the bright anomaly of Don Bluth Studios, Walt Disney Studios utterly dominated the field right up until the 21st century. But what is less well-known is that, in the beginning, Disney faced serious competition from another animation group: Fleischer Studios. Brothers Max and Dave Fleischer developed their own distinctive style of animation and storytelling, one that was (at least at first) heavily influenced by a gritter, more urban humor and exciting jazz sensibility than Disney's rather tame offerings. And when Disney achieved success with its first animated feature films, Fleis
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