According to Maltin, early Betty Boop shorts demonstrate the essential difference between Fleischer's cartoons and Disney cartoons.

• A. Disney's deals with a child's natural fears; Fleischer's depicts adult traumas and emotions
• B. Disney's animation was more technically advanced in timing
• C. Fleischer's shorts used color while Disney were black-and-white
• D. Fleischer's shorts were silent while Disney's had sound

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is the tonal focus and audience each studio aimed at. Disney’s early shorts lean toward child-friendly wonder and reassurance, presenting situations that a young viewer can identify with and see resolved in a hopeful, gentle way. Fleischer’s Betty Boop cartoons, on the other hand, bring in adult themes—romance, flirtation, urban anxieties, and more open, sometimes surreal emotional content—reflecting concerns and experiences aimed at grown-ups. This contrast in subject matter and mood is what Maltin is signaling: Betty Boop embodies Fleischer’s willingness to explore adult emotions and tensions, while Disney tends to frame humor and adventure in terms accessible to children. The other options mix up technical aspects (like timing, color, or silence vs. sound) that aren’t the defining difference Maltin emphasizes.