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The Sailor Man enters the war years.

This is the set Popeye fans have been both anticipating and dreading all at once. With the sets released chronologically (this, the third volume collects the 32 shorts starring the famous sailor that were released between 1941 and 1943), it was a matter of time before we got to the point that not only did the Fleischer Brothers depart the series (with Paramount’s in-house Famous Studios taking over), but also when the shorts starting gearing themselves up for World War II.

The obvious – that these shorts aren’t quite up to the caliber of the first few dozen – is understandable. Max and Dave were headed out the door and the men who gave us not only the rough-and-tumble Popeye but Betty Boop and the superior Superman cartoons were about to become a notch (granted, a massive notch) in animation history. They were already showing signs of slowing down here, as they were tiring of the good vs. bad themes that usually involved Bluto or other unshaven villains (one cartoon is simply Popeye and Olive tearing the apartment up looking for a winning sweepstakes ticket). Then we get the WWII shorts, where Popeye gets redesigned and fends off the Japanese as part of the U.S. Navy.

It’s certainly a change of pace for the shorts. No more beating the hell out of each other for the sake of it. There was a reason to kick ass now, and it…well, it somewhat diluted the fun. They’re still top-notch, mind you, just not as top-notch as earlier shorts. It should be noted that, as these are uncensored and complete cartoons, the WWII-era are the epitome of all those “viewer discretion advised” warnings we get on so many cartoon sets these days; they include incredibly topical and derogatory stereotypes of the time.

This set, comprised of two discs, is as good quality-wise as the previous two. The restored shorts are in beautiful condition and look absolutely astounding. Special features include short documentaries looking at Myron Waldman (one of the main animators after Fleischer), Popeye’s induction into the Navy and Popeye’s four nephews. There’s also a documentary on the early years of animation as well as four early non-Popeye cartoons included as extras.

Popeye volume 3 is an interesting collection that comes at the tail end of a fantastic run. It may not have the hilarity of the first two volumes, but it’s probably a much more important installment overall.

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