A Classic Max Fleischer Christmas Cartoon Gets An Awesome Restoration (VIDEO)

December 21, 2022 Victor Medina

Max Fleischer’s legacy in animation is legendary: the creator of Betty Boop was also the man behind the classic Popeye and Superman shorts, and his animated work still stands among the finest ever produced. Now, a group of industrious Fleischer fans, led by Max’s granddaughter, have restored a classic Fleischer Christmas cartoon, just in time to enjoy for the holidays (and featured below). It’s an incredible transformation for a cartoon that has been aired on television for decades in low quality.

“Christmas Comes But Once a Year” was first released on December 4, 1936 by Paramount Pictures, who distributed Fleischer Studio cartoons. It features Professor Grampy, a character from the Betty Boop cartoon series, as he brings presents and lots of Christmas joy to orphans. The cartoon’s catchy song has made it a memorable favorite for generations, and it is now restored to its former glory by Fabulous Fleischer Cartoons Restored LLC. Paramount Pictures provided the camera negative scan and Deluxe Audio provided the audio scan that Thad Komorowski and Jack Theakston used to restore the animated short.

Fabulous Fleischer Cartoons Restored, led by Max’s granddaughter, Jane Fleischer Reid, is not affiliated with Fleischer Studios, but they are working to restore as many of the studio’s animated shorts as possible. Some of the over 700 cartoons the studio created have already been lost forever, making their efforts to restore and archive as many as possible all the more important. The group has a Patreon page where fans can support their efforts.

This short video shows the difference the restoration makes, reviving the bold colors as Fleischer originally intended, and a level of detail lost for generations.