Michael's Movie Grade: B
Year Released: 1963
History
Son of Flubber marked the studio's first feature length sequel, being a sequel to The Absent Minded Professor. However it was not the studio's first sequel ever. Before they had made two sequels to the extremely popular 1933 Silly Symphony short cartoon with three more shorts, The Big Bad Wolf, Three Little Wolves and Practical Pig. Despite this live action film being Disney's first feature length sequel, the studio would not release its first animated feature length sequel until 1990 with The Rescuers Down Under.
This film had the same director as the first one, Robert Stevenson. As well as this actors Fred MacMurray, Nancy Olson, Keenan Wynn, and Tommy Kirk also resumed the roles they had played for the last movie. Interestingly Ed Wynn is also in this film, but playing a completely different character than he played in the first movie. Also featured in this movie is Bob Sweeny. Bob Sweeny, had appeared in Toby Tyler or Ten Weeks With the Circus and Moon Pilot. This was his last time appearing in a Disney film, but he would later direct a few episodes of Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color. Like the first movie this one was shot in black and white in order to make the special effects more believable.
Critics felt that while the film was good it was not as good as The Absent Minded Professor. Audiences loved the film and it became a huge box office success.
When released this film had some tie-ins with various merchandise. These included footballs and football player toys. This merchandise however also included a Flubber toy, that was quickly recalled because it gave children rashes. Also while watching this film, look for Walt's grandson Walter Elias Disney Miller make a cameo as a baby in a fake commercial, as well as the satellites reused from an episode of Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color called Eyes in Outer space. Also note that with all the football involved in this film's storyline, co-producer Ron Miller played Football.
Review
Very good movie even if it isn't as great as The Absent Minded Professor.
The humor in this film is excellent. Like the first movie this film features plenty of different types of humor, such as slapstick, verbal word play, and political satire, and like in that movie they all work quite well. The slapstick of the football game is obviously the film's comedic highlight. All the slapstick humor here works fantastically and is only made better by various characters' reactions to the slapstick goings ons. However this is not the only really funny part of this movie. A talk with an IRS man leads to some of the funniest and smartest political satire to come out of the Disney studio. Also very funny is an advertisement for flubber floors, which features a great mixture of satire and slapstick. On top of this the acting is great and the characters are very likable.
However what keeps this movie from being as good as the first one is that it has too many stories. There is the romantic story, the story about saving the school with a lack of money, the story about the professor trying out his new invention, and the story of the professor's rivalry with Mr. Hawk. One problem with having this many stories is that none of them can feel fully devolved in a less than two hour movie. Another problem is that the stories seem to often be interrupting each other. The biggest problem though is that it loses some of the simple charm of the first movie. However there is so much good about this film that overcomes this fault quite well.
Definitely recommended, just keep in mind that the first film is better.
Film Credits
Director: Robert Stevenson
Writers: Bill Walsh, Dan Gagradi
Cast: Fred MacMurray (Prof. Ned Brainard), Nancy Olson Betsy Brainard), Keenan Wynn (Alzno P. Hawk), Tommy Kirk (Biff Hawk), Ed Wynn (A.J. Allan), Charles Ruggles (Judge Murdock), Leon Ames (President Rufus Daggett), Ken Murray (Mr. Hurley), William Demarest (Mr. Hummel), Paul Lynde (Sportscaster), Elliot Reed (Prof. Shelby Aston), Bob Swenney (Mr. Harker), Joanna Moore (Desiree), Edward Andrews (Defense Secretary), James Westerfeild (Officer Hanson), Forest Lewis (Officer Kelly), Alan Carney (Referee), Stuart Erwin (Coach Wilson), Alan Hewitt (Prosecutor), Jack Albertson (Mr. Barley), Eddie Ryder (Mr. Osborne), Harriet E. MacGibbon (Mrs. Edna Daggett), Beverly Wills (Commercial Actress), Wally Boag (Commercial Actor), Wed Miller (Commercial Actor), Ed Brandenburg (Courtroom Well-Wisher), Ron Brown (Football Player), Charlie (Himself), Steve Carruthers ( Military Officer), Christopher Dark (TV Announcer), Lindy Davis (Newsboy), Russell Carter ( Board Member), Don Edmonds (Moriarity), Joe Flynn (Rex Williams), George Ford (Court Room Spectator), Bryan Foulger (Proprietor), Michael Garret (Force General), Lee Giroux (Newscaster), Norman Grobonski (Football Player), Darby Hinton (Hobgoblin), Clegg Hoyt (George), Michael Jeffers (Court Room Well Wisher), Henry Hunter (Admiral), Gordon Jones (Rutland Football Coach), Virgil Johansson (Board Member), Harvey Korman (Husband), Mari Lynn (Commercial Actress), Ethan Laidlaw (Courtroom Well Wisher), Don McCart (Football Player), Tippi McClure (Police Officer), Mathew McCue (Board Member), Del McKennon (Juror), Walter Elias Disney Miller (Baby in Commercial), King Mojave (Board Member), Belle Montrose (Commercial Actress), Brad Morrow (Football Player), Burt Mustin (Bailiff), Ron Nyman (Courtroom Spectator), William H. O'Brien (Butler), J. Pat O'Malley (Sign-Painter), John Olezewlski (Football Player), Murray Pollack (Courtroom Spectator), Jack Rice (Juror), Waclaw Rekwart (Courtroom Spectator), Robert Robinson (Courtroom Well-Wisher), Hope Sansburry (Secretary), Phil Schumacher (Courtroom Well Wisher), Robert Shayne (Defense Secretary's Assistant), Hal Smith (Bartender), Arthur Tovey (Juror), Ginny Tyler ( Baby Walter Voice), Leon Tyler (Humphrey Hacker), Ned Wynn (Rutland Student Manager)
Producers: Walt Disney, Ron Miller, Bill Walsh
Music: George Burns
Cinematographer: Edward Colman
Editor: Cotton Warburton
Art Directors: Carroll Clark, William H. Tuntke
Set Decorators: Hal Gausman, Emile Kuri
Costume Designer: Bill Thomas
Makeup Artist: Pat McNally
Hair Stylist: Ruth Sandifer
Assistant Directors: Tom Leetch, Joseph L. McEveety
Second Unit Director: Arthur J. Vitarelli
Sound Artists: Robert O. Cook, Dean Thomas
Special Effects Artists: Peter Ellenshaw, Robert A. Mattley, Eustace Lycett, Jim Fetherolf
Stunt Artist: Paula Dell
Costume Department: Gertrude Casey, Chuck Keehne
Resources Used
The Disney Films by Leonard Maltin
Of Mice and Magic: A History of the American Animated Cartoon by Leonard Maltin
-Michael J. Ruhland
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