Born on 17 July 1883 in Vienna, Austria, Max Fleischer was raised in a family of creative and inventive people. Immigrating to the United States with his family when he was four years old, Fleischer was raised in New York City. His entry into the field of animation began in 1915 when he and his brother, Dave, produced instructional cartoons for the U. S. Army. He was soon noticed by Paramount Pictures and contributed greatly to early innovations in the animation industry.

During the 1930s, Fleischer released some of his most popular cartoon stars, including Betty Boop and Popeye. Although he and his brother created a few feature-length films hoping to capitalize on the success of Disney’s Snow White (1938), they were generally unsuccessful movies. It has been said that Fleischer was “at his best with grotesquely designed characters and wild non-sequitur sight gags; he was at his worst when trying to emulate Walt Disney.”

Paramount eventually bought Fleischer’s studio and he worked with the company as the production chief of cartooning until his retirement in the 1960s. Throughout his career, Fleischer was known for his experimental and innovative techniques; he is credited with more than 20 motion picture production inventions and he was always trying out new tricks with the color, sound, and optical aspects of his work. Although he passed away in. 1972, Fleischer is still recognized as one of the greatest American animators of the twentieth century.