Education never ends and I'm stunned by all the twists and turns of the animation industry by 1957. I've always treated all the animation studios as unique and dstinct, but the degree of staff turnovers and agreement deals means that many of my favroite animators from MGM/Hanna-Barbera, Warner Bros. and UPA often worked together on the same projects - just don't let the executive office find out!

UPA was determined to make Mr. Magoo as popular as any Disney character, all that was needed was the right story. By 1958, television was deemed the wrong vehicle for Magoo's success. The plan was a feature length film.

Enter Mr. Magoo's "1001 Arabian Nights", released in 1959.

I only saw this movie once, and I was so little that as the years passed it all seemed more of a dream, just my imagination. Overall this movie was a flop, and did not help UPA advance the popularity of their best known character.

Now that I've found this old movie on YouTube, it looks like another case of the villain stealing the show, a result of brilliant voice acting. The magnificent voice of Hans Conried gave life the the character of the Wicked Wazir, and by the middle of the movie you really want this guy in every scene!

I actually like the fat "Genie of the Lamp", nice voice with an interesting attitude. But the age old question remains, can a Genie and Master really be friends?