16mm Cartoons: Raunchy, Sexy & Risqué + Q&A

Back in the ‘pre-code’ era of the 1920s and early 1930s, animated cartoons were made to entertain the adults in the audience. The results were often sexually suggestive, if not borderline explicit. Much later, with the long overdue relaxation of old censorship codes, independent and experimental animators of the 1960s and beyond became free to openly explore the raunchy and risqué once more. Salacious sexiness, lustful adultery, queerness, Peeping Toms, and other questionable—or perfectly human—adult behaviors were only some of the wonderfully ‘vulgar’ themes present in animated shorts made in both eras.

The Roxy welcomes animation archivist and historian Tommy José Stathes to showcase a curated selection of these envelope-pushing cartoons of yesteryear. This 16mm presentation includes some of the most outrageous and hilarious examples he’s found over the past 25 years of collecting vintage archival prints. The screening concludes with an infamous 1920s hardcore pornographic cartoon; clearly intended for a more mature audience. Our 90 minute film program includes an intermission and will be followed by a live Q&A session with Stathes.

Suggested age: 18+