1963 - SON OF FLUBBER, sequel to The Absent Minded Professor

As the Walt Disney organization moved into the 1950's and 1960's the cost of production and the box office return on their animated pictures became more problematic.  Animated films like Sleeping Beauty while artistically stunning were so expensive the box office was a lot less than than was expected.  Disney moved more into the area of less expensive live action "family films"  usually with some type of fantasy element or lots of slapstick.

Disney had a lot of success with The Absent Minded Professor, with Fred MacMurry as a chemistry professor who makes a substance in his garage no less that's called "flubber" a bunch of goo that defies gravity.  This sets the film up for lots of slapstick a lot of it admittedly funny and it all climaxed in a zany basketball game with players bouncing all over the gym like Superman.

 

Naturally a sequel was called for and Professor Fred was back this time inventing a gas that makes it rain. In the words of some critic. "If you're going to make a sequel make a sequel, make the exact same movie." And that's what they did here, almost every gag from The Absent Minded Professor is repeated, right up to the wacky football game instead of a wacky basket ball game.  

 

Truth be told a lot of this movie plays kind of slow.  Audiences are now used to a faster pace in their movie viewing and Son of Flubber kind of meanders along for the most part,  There is some funny stuff and Disney did know how to play to their family friendly audience for the most part.  Fred MacMurry was always a decent comic who could occasionally rise to the occasion as an actor working for Billy Wilder.  The film for the most part is just OK.

The screenplay was by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi a couple of Disney veterans, the running time is 100 minutes.