Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor (1936)

This week for Mubi Monday we’re going back to short films. In fact, we’re going to take a look at an Oscar nominated cartoon short starring a character that almost all of us are familiar with. Everyone be sure to eat your spinach and get ready for…Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor (1936).

Title: Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor

Director: Dave Fleischer

Released: November 27, 1936

Runtime: 16 minutes

Available to stream on: Mubi (here’s a month of Mubi on me)

Sinbad (Gus Wicke) is a sailor who lives on an island on the back of a whale. We learn this while Sinbad serenades us with his theme song. He’s a phenomenal, extraordinary fellow and all of the ladies love him. With him on his island are a legion of monsters who Sinbad has tamed; they all now do his bidding.

However, just when we’re led to believe that Sinbad is the star, Sinbad hears singing in the distance. He picks up his spy glass to get a closer look as to who is singing. Why, it’s none other than Popeye (Jack Mercer)! Popeye is out at sea with Olive Oyl (Mae Questel) and the hamburger loving Wimpy (Lou Fleischer).

Sinbad dispatches his giant bird to sink Popeye’s ship and bring Olive Oyl back to him. The bird is successful, however, Popeye and Wimpy manage to make it to shore on Sinbad’s island. A duck walking by catches Wimpy eye and Wimpy begins to chase him with a meat grinder. With Wimpy off determined to make a duck his lunch, Popeye is left to face Sinbad and his monsters alone.

Can Popeye defeat Sinbad and his monsters while also managing to save Olive Oyl?

When I saw a Popeye cartoon streaming on Mubi, I knew that I had to make it a part of Mubi Monday.

Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor (1936) turns eighty-eight years old this year. Despite its age, it holds up incredibly well.

The colors pop, the three-dimensional backgrounds are a marvel considering the time, and the attention to detail throughout is top-notch. If you go back and look again, each animal/monster that is singing along with Sinbad, their mouth movement match their part in the song perfectly.

Story wise, there isn’t much there, although there really doesn’t need to be. Pretty much all of Popeye’s adventures are the same. You know what to expect, that’s why you watch it. That being said, the muttering and mumbling of Popeye is something that is always unpredictable but always funny. I can only imagine how much fun Jack Mercer had while in the studio as Popeye.

Unfortunately, I can’t speak to how well Popeye plays for anyone who doesn’t have some sort of nostalgic connection to it. However, if you find yourself unfamiliar with Popeye the Sailor Man, his meeting with Sinbad isn’t a bad place to start.

Now, whether you have a nostalgic connection or not to Popeye, I want to hear what you thought of Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor (1936).

Leave me a comment below or reach out to me on social media!

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