The Fly's Last Flight (Popeye the Sailor)

The Fly's Last Flight (episode 168)
December 23, 1949: "The day Popeye the Sailor went downhill."
Directed by: Seymour Kneitel Written by: Larz Bourne Release date: December 23, 1949 Franchise: Popeye the Sailor Prequel: Barking Dogs Don't Fite (previous short) Sequel: How Green Is My Spinach (next short)

The Fly's Last Flight is a 1949 Popeye the Sailor cartoon produced by Famous Studios and was the 168th cartoon in the series. It is a color remake of Fleischer Studios' "Flies Ain’t Human".

Why It Should Fly Away

1. It's a color remake of "Flies Ain't Human," yet it lacks the original cartoon's charm.
2. The fly in this cartoon is extremely unlikable since he keeps disturbing Popeye's nap, beats up Popeye after eating his spinach and never gets punished for his actions. Even the fly from "Flies Ain’t Human" was much more sympathetic than the fly here.
   • It doesn't help when we first see the fly, he does the whole "devil horn and tail" thingy, making it seem like we're suppose to be against him and yet wins in the end.
3. Some violent scenes even for the standards of Popeye, such as Popeye choking on bug spray and getting electrocuted by an electrical socket.
4. A few of the jokes are weak and mediocre.
5. The plot involving Popeye and the fly doesn’t show up until around the second half.
6. The pacing is very slow and poor.
7. Popeye is subjected to constant mistreatment in the cartoon, as his sole desire is to get some sleep.
8. Horrible ending: Popeye seemingly kills the fly at the cost of destroying his own house... Only for it to be revealed that he is alive, and he invites his peers to dance on Popeye's head, causing Popeye to go insane.
9. This cartoon marked the beginning of the decline in Popeye cartoons, as from this short onward, the series began to exhibit slower pacing and produced color remakes of the original black and white Fleischer cartoons.

Redeeming Qualities

1. Good animation for its time.
2. Popeye is a likable character in this short.
3. Jack Mercer still does great voicing Popeye as usual.
4. Decent music by Winston Sharples.
5. Some moments can be funny at times.

Reception

Both this short and its respective black-and-white original ("Flies Ain't Human") hold an IMDb rating of 6.5/10.

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