For most of the 1930’s, the contrast couldn’t have been greater between the cartoons of the Disney brothers in California, and the Fleischer brothers in New York. While Disney pursued realism, the Fleischer cartoons were unreal.
Something that persisted at both studios was the depiction of cultural and racial stereotypes. To the credit of the Fleischers, they would feature black performers, including Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, and the Mills Brothers.
The Fleischer studio wasn’t the same after Max moved the operation to Florida. That was his first big mistake. His second big mistake was deciding to compete head-on with Disney by producing feature-length cartoons, leading Paramount to call in its loans and take over the business.