Animator Max Fleischer played a crucial role in the history of animated cinema. He created the beloved character Betty Boop and produced the first Popeye and Superman cartoons. He also invented the rotoscope, a pioneering technology for creating realistic animated movements. The Fabulous Fleischer Cartoons Restored team is dedicated to preserving Fleischer's films by restoring them from original prints and negatives. Adam Savage's Tested visited the Blackhawk Films scanning facility in California and spoke with restoration expert Steve Stanchfield about the process of bringing these classic films back to life. While there, they watched the team restore a nearly 100-year-old Koko the Clown short.
Get ready to relive some holiday nostalgia with this fully restored version of "Christmas Comes But Once a Year," a classic cartoon from 1936. You may recognize it from Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special in 1988.