The original 1987 release of The Puppetoon Movie contained 11 Puppetoons.[4] The 2000 DVD release included 9 additional Puppetoons and the 2013 Blu-ray release added 7 more.[5]
In 2020, The Puppetoon Movie Volume 2 was released on Blu-ray and DVD, featuring 17 shorts not included on any of the Puppetoon Movie releases and The Ship of the Ether.[6]
Plot
On a film set, Gumby and his friends are shooting a dinosaur movie. However, the Tyrannosaurus rex, Arnie, is reluctant to act ferocious. Upon questioning, Arnie feels unfit for the part, and explains that he once was ferocious, but thanks to the influence of George Pal, he has reformed. Gumby fails to understand the profound effect of Pal, so Arnie and Pokey show Gumby a set of Pal shorts to show him the significance of the artist.
Afterwards, Gumby and the crew meet other characters who Pal animated, such as the Pillsbury Doughboy and the Alka-Seltzer mascot Speedy as well as the titular monkey of the Curious George books and the titular amphibians of the Frog and Toad books. Gumby thanks Pal for making all this possible. The screen pans out and shows a gremlin, who looks at the audience, says "George Pal!" in a raspy voice, then ascends a support beam while laughing hysterically.
Home video
In addition to the film shorts listed above, the following Pal film shorts are also included in the 2000 DVD edition from Image Entertainment and the 2013 Blu-ray edition from B2MP: What Ho She Bumps, Mr. Strauss Takes a Walk, Olio for Jasper, Jasper's Derby, Ether Symphony, Aladdin and the Magic Lamp, The Magic Atlas, Jasper and the Haunted House, and The Ship of the Ether.
George Pal's Puppetoon body of work was recognized by a Special Oscar at the 16th Academy Awards in 1944. Pal received the Special Oscar "for the development of novel methods and techniques in the production of short subjects known as Puppetoons".[13]