Treasure Island

History and Review Written by Michael J. Ruhland

Year Released: 1950
Michael's Movie Grade: B+

                                                     Premise 

A young boy joins a dangerous sea journey in which he befriends the pirate Long John Silver.  

                                                      History
Treasure Island was the first Disney film, not to feature any animation. While Disney had made 2 live action films earlier, both of those films had some animation in them. In fact Walt had originally thought of doing this film as an animated feature, but he quickly realized he did not need any animation.

Disney films had be doing quite well in Britain, but the government did not allow the money they made over there to be spent in the U.S. Partly because of this Walt decided to make some of his studio's live action films over in Britain. So this entire film was shot over in Britain. However this brought a unique problem. Disney live action regular Bobby Driscoll was cast to play Jim Hawkins. However he could only get a three month work permit in Britain. So all of his scenes had to be shot first, and out of order. His main co-actor would be British actor Robert Newton, and he would do something quite important with his role as Long John Silver. He is often credited with creating the stereotypical pirate speech for this film. So anyone who has jokingly talked like a pirate has this film to thank.

As Disney had not yet found a regular live action director, this film again would be directed by someone who had never worked at Disney before or after. This director would be a man named Byron Haskin. Bryon Haskin had previously worked not only as a director (I Walk Alone), but also as a cinematographer (Across the Pacific, Black Fury), and a special effects man (The Roaring Twenties, All This and Heaven Too, High Sierra). As you can see from this he had already worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, on some great movies before this film. He would later direct a sequel film to Treasure Island, called Long John Silver, released 5 years later. Interestingly this film would not be made at Disney but for Treasure Island Pictures Pty. Ltd., a studio that made only that one film. It would also star Robert Newton as Long John Silver. Because this movie was being filmed in Britain, Walt would have less to do with this this film than ever before. Because of this Haskin had more freedom than any Disney director had before him had (except of course Walt on some of the shorts he directed himself).

Treasure Island while not one of Disney's greatest hits, did make money at the box office. The critics did pan it for taking to many liberates with the novel, but today it is considered one of the closet adaptions of the book.

                                                             Review
Possibly the best film adaption of Treasure Island. While it does lag at times, it is filled with enough truly excellent moments to more than make up for that.

Treasure Island features many moments full of great film making. F.A. Young's cinematography and the work of all those who worked on the sets are particularly great, and add much to nearly every scene. Haskin was a great choice for director. What really makes this film work is the seriousness and intensity the material is treated with. While there is nothing inappropriate for kids, there are quite a few scenes that can be quite shocking and intense, that may surprise those who just view Disney films as just sugar coated escapism. These scenes are completely gripping and would alone make this film worth watching.

Just as great is the film versions of Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver. These characters are extremely vivid and memorable, and often steal the scenes they are in. These great characterizations are achieved though both Lawrence Edward Watkin's script and the performances of Bobby Driscoll and Robert Newton. Unfortunately though the other characters are not as memorable as these two, and often times feel underdeveloped. While not boring we never feel like we truly know them.

Overall this is a great adaption of Treasure Island, and a great film in it's own right. A very well made film and a great beginning for Disney films without animation.

                                                    Film Credits

Director: Bryon Haskin

Based on the book by Robert Louis Stevenson

Writer: Lawrence Edward Watkin

Cast: Bobby Driscoll (Jim Hawkins), Robert Newton (Long John Silver), Basil Sydney (Captain Smollett), Walter Fitzgerald (Squire Trelawney), Denis O'Dea (Dr. Livesy), Finlay Currie (Capt. Billy Bones), Ralph Truman (George Merry), Geoffrey Keen (Israel Hands), Geoffrey Wilkinson (Ben Gunn), John Laurie (Blind Pew), Francis De Wolff (Black Dog), David Davies (Mr. Arrow), John Gregson (Redruth), Andrew Blackett (Gray), William Devlin (Morgan), Howard Douglas (Williams), Harry Locke (Haggott), Sam Kydd (Cady), Stephen Jack (Job), Harold Jamieson (Scully), Diarmuid Kelly (Bolen), Reginald Drummond (Vane), Gordon Mulholland (Durgin), Patrick Troughton (Roach), Jim O'Brady (Wolfe), Chris Adcock (Pike), Tom Lucas (Upson), Leo Phillips (Spotts), Eddie Moran (Bart), Bob Head (Tardy), Ken Buckle (Joyce), Paddy Brannigan (Hunter), Jack Arrow (Norton), Freddy Clark (Bray)

Producers: Perce Pearce, Walt Disney, Herbert Smith

Music: Clifton Parker

Cinematography: F. A. Young

Editor: Alan Jaggs

Production Design: Thomas N. Morahan

Costume Design: Sheila Graham

Casting: Maude Spector

Assistant Directors: Mark Evans, George Fowler, Gordon Heaver, Pat MacDonnell, David W. Orton

Makeup Department: Tony Sforzini, Vivienne Walker, R.L. Alexander, Olga Angelinetta, Gladys Atkinson, Sarah Beber, Gene Beck, Frances Dobson, Betty Dymore, Vera Franklin, Eddie Knight, Ann Morley, Alice Piper, Nora Ridgeway, Geoffrey Rodway, Grace Spellacey, Pearl Tipaldi, Sidney Turner, Joan White, Joyce Wood

Production Managers: Douglas Peirce, Fred Leahy

Art Department: Len Banks, W. Evans, R.H. Gillard, Bert Jempson, Norman Lloyd, Basil Mannin, Bill Nason, Bert Norman, M. Quick, J. Ralph, Fred Richards, W. Searle, George Smith, F. Stannard, Pat Ward, R. Wingfield, Wally Young

Sound Department: Kenneth Heeley-Ray, Geoffrey Daniels, Peter Davies, David Hildyard, Anthony J. Kay, Jack Locke, Austin Partridge

Camera Department: L. Cave-Chinn, Skeets Kelly, Stanley W. Sayer, Harry Baker, Frank Bellingham, Tom Gardner, Arthur Ibbetson, Bob Kindred, Frank Kingston, William Leach, Don Lewis, George Pink , Derek Whitehurst

Costume Department: Fred Birch, Bert Brown, Fred Pridmore

Assistant Editors: Dennis Gurney, Dennis Sawyer, Charles Squires

                                            Resources Used
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043067/?ref_=rvi_tt
http://www.thedisneyfilms.com/2009/12/treasure-island-1950.html
The Disney Films by Leonard Maltin

-Michael J. Ruhland

Cinderella

History and Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland













Year Released:1950
Michael's Movie Grade: A-

                                                           Premise

A young woman who is treated like a servant by her stepmother and stepsisters, dreams of going to a ball. 

                                                          History
Cinderella was one of the most important films for Disney. This film remarked the return to a feature length animated story as apposed to a package film. This would be one of the greatest risks Disney would ever take. If Cinderella did not do well at the box office, than the studio would have gone bankrupt, and the Disney company would not exist today. The amount of money used to make Cinderella was staggeringly more than any of the package films or their previous two mostly live action films. Especially considering the financial failure of Pinocchio, Fantasia, and Bambi, this is a risk no other Hollywood studio would have made.

The choice for the source material was a simple one. Cinderella was in fact Walt's favorite fairy tale. In fact this 1950 version was not the first time Walt Disney had worked on a film version of Cinderella. In 1922 Walt directed a short cartoon version of Cinderella entitled Cinderella. There are very few similarities between the two films, however.

The source material was also chosen because Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs had been the biggest hit the studio had had up to this time, so it was decided that a romantic fairy tale about a princess having her dreams come true would be a good idea for a return to animated feature length stories for Disney.

Cinderella plays another important role in Disney history, it was the first film that all of Disney's Nine Old Men worked on, Disney's Nine Old Men were Ward Kimball, John Lounsbery, Marc Davis, Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnson, Les Clark, Eric Larson, Wolfgang Reithman, and Milt Kahl. These were who Walt Disney personally considered the best Disney animators, and men who he felt he could put his complete trust in. Though they had all been at Disney for a while, and all have done some very important work, Cinderella marks the first time they had a worked on the same film. This is mainly due to often times multiple features would be worked on at once, so different animators were assigned different characters. As with earlier Disney feature length animated stories supervising animators would be cast by character. For instance in this film, Marc Davis and Eric Larson would be the supervising animators for Cinderella herself, Ward Kimball and John Lounsbery would be the supervising animators for the mice, along with Lucifer the cat and Bruno the dog, Milt Kahl would be in charge of the Fairy Godmother, the prince, the king and the duke, Frank Thomas would be in charge of the evil stepmother, Ollie Johnson for the ugly stepsisters, and so forth. The directing team for Cinderella was made up of Disney regulars Hamilton Luske, Wilfred Jackson, and Clyde Geronimi, who would return as the directors for Disney's next animated feature, Alice in Wonderland.

Though it had been used in earlier animated Disney films, Cinderella used much more live action reference then Disney has ever used before in an animated film. It is estimated 90% of the movie was first shot in live action before the animation begun. This was done to not only get the animation done quicker, but also cheaper, because the animators would not need to animate as many different drafts of one scene.

Like in Snow White the studio could not find a way to make the prince that interesting, because of this his part in the film was shortened, and a few scenes that revolved around him were cut from the final film.

Cinderella was just the hit Disney needed at this time, a big one. It caused a sensation and audiences had renewed the excitement they felt for Snow White. No Disney film had made as much money since Snow White, 13 years earlier. Disney was now back in the game of making animated feature length stories, something of course the studio still does to this day.

                                                                Review
Cinderella is simply a very lovely film. It is full of great film making, and great animation, but most of all it is very charming, and a great feel good movie.

The animation in the film is simply top notch. I have a particular fondness for Ward Kimball and John Lounsburry's work on Lucifer the cat. His facial expressions are simply hilarious, and bring an energy and likability to a character that could have easily been bland and one note. The scene where he is looking for Gus under the tea cups, features some of the funniest animation to ever be in a Disney film.

The film making in Cinderella is simply fantastic. The scene where Cinderella sings Sing Sweet Nightingale features some very impressive filmmaking and it ranks among one of the greatest scenes in Disney history.  The scene where Cinderella is locked in her room, brings us echos of Hitchcock, and does so brilliantly. As well the dress tearing scene marks not only one of Disney's most emotional moments, but is brilliantly staged. I could go on but this film is full of brilliant little touches that enhance the movie a lot.

However this film has some faults as well. With apologies to voices artists James McDonald,  Clint McCauley, Helen Seibert, June Sullivan, and Lucille Williams, the mice's voices can be annoying at times, and their song number is not that great. Also though an improvement over the prince in Snow White, the prince is still a bland character. However with how great the rest of the film is it is easy to forgive these minor faults.

 Overall this is simply a very lovely film, that is full of charm and beauty. 



                                                            Film Credits

Directors: Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, Clyde Geronimi

Based off the original story by Charles Perrault.

Written By: Bill Peet, Ted Sears, Homer Brightman, Ken Anderson, Erdman Penner, Winston Hibler, Harry Reeves, Joe Rinaldi

Voices: Ilene Woods (Cinderella), Eleanor Audley (Lady Tremaine), Verna Felton (Fairy Godmother), Luis Van Rooten (King, Grand Duke), James Macdonald (Gus, Jaq, Bruno), June Foray (Lucifer), William Phipps (Prince Charming), Mike Douglas (Prince Charming (Singing Voice)), Don Barclay (Doorman), Rhoda Williams (Drizella, Tremaine), Lucille Bliss (Anastasia Tremaine), Lucille Williams (Perla), Clint McCauley (Mice), Betty Lou Gerson (Narrator), Helen Seibert (Mouse), June Sullivan (Mouse)

Producer: Walt Disney

Production Supervisor: Ben Sharpsteen

Editor: Donald Halliday

Music: Paul J. Smith, Oliver Wallace

Songwriters: Mack David, Jerry Livingston, Al Hoffman

Assistant Directors: Mike Holoboff, Larry Lansburgh, Ted Sebern

Sound Department: Robert O. Cook, C.O. Slyfield, Harold J. Steck

Effects Animators: George Rowley, Josh Meador, Jack Boyd

Special Effects: Ub Iwerks

Color Styling: Mary Blair, Claude Coats, John Hench, Don DaGradi

Layout Artists: Mac Stewart, Tom Codrick, Lance Nolley, Don Griffith, A. Kendall O'Connor, Hugh Hennesy, Charles Philippi, Thor Putnam

Background Artists: Brice Mack, Ralph Hulett, Dick Anthony, Art Riley, Ray Huffine, Merle Cox, Thelma Witmer

Supervising Animator: Eric Larson, Milt Kahl, Frank Thomas, John Lounsbery, Wolfgang Reitherman, Ward Kimball, Ollie Johnston, Marc Davis, Les Clark, Norm Ferguson

Assistant Animator: Iwao Takamoto

Animators:  Don Lusk, Hugh Fraser, Fred Moore, Judge Witaker, Marvin Woodward, George Nicholas, Phil Duncan, Hal King, Harvey Toombs, Cliff Nordberg, Hal Ambro, Ken O'Brien, Edwin Aardal, Blaine Gibson, Jerry Hathcock, Dan MacManus, John McManus

                                                           Resources Used
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042332/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt
http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon-characters/28-Cinderella
The Disney Films by Leonard Maltin

-Michael J. Ruhland

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

History and Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland






















Michael's Movie Grade: A+
Year Released: 1949

                                                                     Premise

A collection of two cartoon featurettes both based off classic literary tales. The first is based off of The Wind and the Willows and the second is based off of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.  


                                                                      History

With The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, we are going to take our last look at Disney's Package films. The Package films were a series of Disney Features that were really just a collection of shorts put together instead of having a singular feature length story. These films made up the majority of Disney's feature film output after Bambi and before Cinderella. The reason this trend started was for multiple reasons. One of these reasons was because Disney was having financial problems due to the poor box office performances of Pinocchio, Fantasia, The Reluctant Dragon, and Bambi. The package films were cheaper to make than those films were, so they often turned up a bigger profit. Another reason was when WW2 started many Disney animators had been drafted, and the studio was making films for the U.S. government. So this film in a way marks the end of an era of Disney history.

Both the stories used in this film had been previously planned to be feature length animated stories. In fact Walt had bought the rights to make a film based off Wind and the Willows in 1938, after the success of the studios first feature film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. However even though a script had been written by 1941, the previous two reasons for the package films, made the film be put on hold. Around 1945 the studio had begun to experiment with the idea of making a feature film based off of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, however the story just did not lend itself to a whole feature film. So with the success of the package films, it was decided that these should be put together to make one feature film.

It was originally planned for Jiminy Cricket to return again, as he did in Fun and Fancy Free. He would have introduced The Wind in the Willows segment. However, this idea would be dropped so that the segment would be narrated by actor Basil Rathbone, who at this time was most known for playing the famous detective Sherlock Holmes in very popular series of films. To contrast with Rathbone's very British voice, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, would be narrated by popular corner Bing Crosby, who had already had himself, a really good film career, with "the road movies", alongside Bob Hope, and quite a few other big hits, such as The Bells of Saint Mary.

Like the other package films, there would be multiple directors for this film, that were assigned different segments. All of these directors would be Disney regulars. James Algar would be a director for The Wind and the Willows segment, Clyde Geronimi, would be a director on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Segment, and Jack Kinney would be a director on both.

Jack Kinney would later write in his excellent memoir, Walt Disney and Assorted Characters (an essential read for any Disney fan), about a story meeting for the Ichabod Crane sequence, "Suddenly I heard the unit door bang and with a few coughs, Walt made his appearance, quickly sitting in front of the boards and immediately starting to drum his fingers on the chair arm. This was a surefire tip that he was in one of his gorilla moods. Frowning at the empty chairs, he lit a cigarette, and said, 'Okay Jack let's get going. What are you waiting for?' 

"So, I started telling the story, pointing out each sketch with an old pointer. The finger-drumming kept on as, offstage, the unit door opened, and the guys relaxed and laughing entered the room. By now it was around one-thirty. As the various groups gathered, they realized that 'man was in the forest' (a line from Bambi) as they quickly seated themselves. I bravely continued as if nothing unusual was taking place. There wasn't a sound from the group, other than the occasional cough from Walt and his incessant drumming.

"The audience reaction was deadly. Gags that were sure laughs hung there as I tried to carry the losing cause. Finally, toward the end of the sequence, there was a scene where Ichabod was in front of a cracked mirror, primping for a party at the heroine's father's house. After finishing his inspection, he cocks his hat and say, 'Ichabod, you handsome devil,' then picks up his riding crop and shoves it into his belt. 

"At this point I ad-libbed the action, saying, 'he sheaths his sword,' and acted out the sheathing with the pointer, using my left hand as Ichabod's belt. Well unfortunately for me, there was a long silver sticking out of the old pointer, and I 'sheathed' it, the gawddamned thing stuck in my finger. Walt laughed for the first time as I dropped the pointer, cussing like mad, and put my wounded finger in mouth to stop the blood. 

"Of course, everyone else laughed too, but not I. The tension was broken, as well as the skin on my finger. Walt got to his feet and started out of the room saying, jovially, 'okay put it into production' - leaving behind a long sigh from the sluggards. As I wrapped the handkerchief over the finger, I thought, 'The things you have to do around here to get a laugh.'"    

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad was a box office success and was very well liked by critics (especially compared to other package films). Many critics said that this was a return to form for Disney. However both audiences and critics were anxious to see another feature length animated story from Disney. Well in fact their next feature would be just that.

                                                 

Review

Again since this film is really a collection of two shorts I will review each short separately.

The Wind and The Willows: Excellent cartoon. Here you will see some of the best character animation Disney had done since Bambi. The real treat of this cartoon is how the characters truly come to life. This is done by great animation, voice acting and writing all working together. This short is not constantly hilarious, but when it is, it is top notch cartoon humor. Also the scene of Toad's escape (hugely animated by the great Ward Kimball), and the heist scene towards the end of the short are definitely the highlights of this cartoon. They are staged fantastically and are great film making by any standard. Not to give too much away but, the ending of this cartoon differs from that of the book, and honestly I like the cartoon's ending more. Grade: A+

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: Another excellent cartoon. This short features in it some of the greatest slapstick humor the studio ever did. Again while this cartoon is not always hilarious, when in it is as good as it gets. The scene at the Halloween dance (well the dancing part anyway), and the late night ride are both hilarious. However the late night ride isn't only funny it can be quite scary too, thanks to Wolfgang Reitherman's excellent animation of the headless horseman. However while it can get scary, it never gets too scary to where it loses any of it's great humor. Bing Crosby's almost tongue and cheek narration only adds to the great spirit of this cartoon. Grade: A+

Overall this is probally the best of Disney's Package films, and a real treat.

Film Credits

Directors: Jack Kinney, Clyde Geronimi, James Algar

Based off the books The Wind and the Willows by Kenneth Grahame and  The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving.

Writers: Erdman Penner, Ted Sears, Joe Rinaldi, Homer Brightman, Winston Hibler, Harry Reeves

Voices: Eric Blore (Toad), Colin Campbell (Mole), Campbell Grant (Angus), J. Pat O'Malley (Cyril), Claude Allister (Rat), Ollie Wallace (Winky), John McLeish (as John Ployardt) (Prosecutor), Leslie Denison (Judge, First Weasel), Edmond Stevens (Second Weasel), The Rhythmaires (Singers), Basil Rathbone (Narrator), Bing Crosby (Narrator)

Producer: Walt Disney

Music: Oliver Wallace, Joseph Dubin, Ken Darby, Al Teeter

Songwriters: Don Raye, Gene de Paul, Frank Churchill, Charles Wolcott, Larry Morey, Ray Gilbert

Production Supervisor: Ben Sharpsteen

Assistant Director:  Jack Bruner, Ted Sebern

Sound Department: Robert O. Cook, C.O. Slyfield, James MacDonald

Color and Styling: Mary Blair, Don Da Gradi, Claude Coats, John Hench

Effects Animators: George Rowley, Jack Boyd

Special Effects: Ub Iwerks

Background Artists: Art Riley, Ray Huffine, Brice Mack, Merle Cox, Dick Anthony

Layout Artists: Thor Putnam, Tom Codrick, Al Zinnen, Charles Philippi, Lance Nolley, Hugh Hennesy

Supervising Animators: Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, John Lounsbery, Wolfgang Reitherman, Milt Kahl, Ward Kimball

Assistant Animator: Iwao Takamoto

Animators: Marc Davis, Hugh Fraser, Don Lusk, Fred Moore, Harvey Toombs, John Sibley, Hal King, Hal Ambro, Edwin Aardal, Al Bertino, Les Clark, Volus Jones, Bill Justice, Rudy Larriva, Eric Larson, Murray McClellan, Ken O'Brien, Retta Scott, Henry Tanous, Judge Whitaker, Marvin Woodward, Robert W. Youngquist

Resources Used

Walt Disney and Other Assorted Characters: An Unauthorized Account of the Early Years at Disney's by Jack Kinney. 

http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon-characters/27-Adventures-Of-Ichabod-And-Mister-To

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041094/?ref_=ttsnd_snd_tt

http://www.thehollywoodnews.com/2013/03/16/disney-53-week-11-the-adventures-of-ichabod-and-mr-toad

-Michael J. Ruhland

So Dear To My Heart

History and Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland















Year Released: 1949
Michael's Movie Grade: A

                                          Premise 

A young boy befriends and cares for a black lamb. 


                                            History

With So Dear to My Heart, Walt Disney was getting closer to making live action films without animation. So Dear to My Heart is essentially a live action film, but with bits of animation added. In fact some early scripts don't have any animation sequences in them. Animated scenes were added mainly due to RKO (Disney's then current distributor) saying they would not distribute a Disney film without animation. In fact Walt found out that his contract with RKO stated that they would distribute only animated films or live action films with animation, but not a film that was all live action.

The director of the film would be Harold Schuster. The reason for this is that Walt Disney loved the film My Friend Flicka which Schuster directed, and Walt thought because of he would make the perfect director of So Dear to My Heart, because Flicka had in it, the qualities Walt wanted in this film. Though Schuster directed the live action majority of the film, the animated sequences were directed by Disney regular Hamilton Luske.

 So Dear to My Heart was so dear to Walt Disney's heart. Walt Disney had fallen in love with the book by Sterling North (Who also wrote the book Rascal, which would later be made into a Disney film in 1969), and he knew that he wanted there to be a Disney film adaption. right after he finished reading it. One reason Walt loved this book so much is because of it's small town Americana aspects. The reason these aspects appealed to Walt so much was because as a child he had spent four years on a farm near Marceline, Missouri, and he always had a nostalgia for farm life. Walt would later refer to this film as one of his personal favorites. In fact if you have ever seen Walt's Barn (His own personal barn that was made into a museum in Los Angles (and any Disney fan NEEDS to go)) it was heavily modeled after the barn in this movie. The trains used in this movie gave Walt the idea to make a place called Disneylandia which would use trains to help people, especially children, learn about history. This idea never came to fruition but was still a precursor to Disneyland. Walt even got involved in making miniatures for the film. For instance he built the miniature of Granny Kincaid’s cabin that was used in this film. This was a hobby of Walt's and something he loved doing. He planned to make more for his Disneylandia idea.

The actual railroad used in the film were bought by animator Ward Kimball. When Building Disneyland, Walt tried to buy back the railroad, but Kimball didn't want to give it up, so an exact copy was built for Disneyland.

Interestingly this film made a difference in the world of folk music as well, because for this film, Burl Ives performed a song called Lavender Blue which became his first big hit single.

Unfortunately the film was not a box office success, even though it was a big critical success.

Review

Great piece of small town Americana, that should definitely be better known and have a greater availability. This film is simply extremely charming, and you don't have to have ever lived in the country to feel it's nostalgia for small town America, and it can even make one nostalgic for a life he/she never lived.

So Dear to my Heart captures a feeling of small town America as well as any film possibly could. It is easy to see why Walt, a country boy, would consider this one of his favorite Disney films. This feeling is captured so well that even if you are watching this film in the big city, you feeling like you just took a trip to a very charming small town. This feeling is very addictive and I don't think I could ever watch this film and not have a smile on my face, during certain moments. Adding to this charm is the likability and reasonableness of these character, and the charming work of the actors portraying them as well. This film is full of the type of charm that makes Disney films, truly special. 

The animation scenes unfortunately feel out of place in this film, and one could argue that the movie would be better off without them. However they are still quite well done, and give us some catchy song numbers, but they still feel like they belong in a different film. They are however quite brief and never feel too intrusive.

Overall this is a great film that should be better known, and shows an improvement in Disney's live action film-making since Song of the South (Though that still is a quite good movie). If you a can find this film definitely watch it, because it is an unjustly forgotten Disney classic. 

                                                                   Film Credits
Director: Harold D. Schuster

Animation Director: Hamilton Luske

Writers: John Tucker Battle, Maurice Rapf, Ted Sears, Marc Davis, Ken Anderson, Bill Peet

Based off the book Midnight and Jeremiah by Sterling North

Live Action Cast: Bobby Driscoll (Jerry Kincaid), Luana Patten (Tildy), Beulah Bondi (Grandma Kincaid), Burl Ives (Uncle Hiram), Raymond Bond (Storekeeper), Daniel Haight (Storekeeper's Son), Harry Carey (Judge at County Fair), Matt Willis (Horse Trainer), Walter Soderling (Villager), Spelman B. Collins (Judge)

Voices: Ken Carson (Wise Old Owl), John Beal (Narrator)

Producers: Walt Disney, Perce Pearce

Music: Paul J. Smith

Songwriters: Larry Morey, Eliot Daniel, Irving Taylor, Ticker Freeman, Don Raye, Gene de Paul, Robert Wells,  Mel Tormé

Assistant Directors: Jasper Blystone, Joe Lefert

Cinematography: Winton C. Hoch

Film Editors: Lloyd L. Richardson, Thomas Scott

Production Manager: Fred Leahy

Art Director: John Ewing

Cartoon Art Treatment: John Hench, Mary Blair, Dick Kelsey.

Sets: Mac Alper

Makeup Artist: Ted Larsen

Hair Stylist: Vera Peterson

Sound Department: C.O. Slyfield, Max Hutchinson, Robert O. Cook

Camera Operator: Harvey Gould

Special Effects: Ub Iwerks

Effects Animators: George Rowley, Joshua Meador, Dan McManus

Background Artists: Art Riley, Ralph Hulett, Jimi Trout, Dick Anthony, Brice Mack, Ray Huffine

Layout Artists: A. Kendall O'Connor, Hugh Hennesy, Don Griffith, Thor Putnam

Animators: Eric Larson, John Lounsbery, Hal King, Milt Kahl, Les Clark, Don Lusk, Marvin Woodward, Hal Ambro

                                               Resources Used

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041890/?ref_=rvi_tt

http://www.mouseplanet.com/9333/So_Dear_to_My_Heart_The_Secrets_Behind_the_Film

http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon-characters/26-So-Dear-To-My-Heart

The Disney Films by Leonard Maltin

-Michael J. Ruhland

Melody Time

History and Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland
















Year Released: 1948
Michael's Movie Grade:B+

                                               Premise

A series of cartoon shorts centered on the theme of music. 

                                               History
Again, instead of doing one feature length animated story the Disney studio made a series of animated shorts put together to make a feature film. Again this was done mainly because of financial worries. Like it's sister film Make Mine Music, Melody Time focuses on the theme of music. Also like Make Mine Music, this film would be quite different from Fantasia, because of that film's financial failure and the negative reception it received from audiences and critics.  Melody Time would again be closer to Disney's more traditional cartoon shorts, rather than to the experimentation of Fantasia. Even though the Bumble Boogie segment was considered for Fantasia. This film would also feature a wide range of different performers and music, and would even include the last film performance of The Andrew Sisters, who had worked previously on Disney's Make Mine Music, and appeared along side famous comedy team Abbott and Costello,  under the direction of Arthur Lubin, (Abbott and Costello's first reoccurring director) in Buck Privates, In the Navy, and Hold That Ghost. Maxine Andrews remembered this film as a very happy experience, and considered Walt Disney to be a real gentleman. She also remembered seeing the storyboards for the films as two Disney songwriters (I don't know which ones since the song they performed seems to have been only written by Allie Wrubel) played the score, and Walt would explain the short to them. 

This film would be very similar to Make Mine Music, with different types of music and cartoons being featured. Again like Make Mine Music different cartoons would be handled by different directors. These directors would all be regular Disney animation directors, they would include Clyde Geronimi (Little Toot, Blame It on the Samba, Pecos Bill), Wilfred Jackson (The Legend of Johnny Appleseed), Jack Kinney (Bumble Boogie), and Hamilton Luske (Once Upon a Wintertime, Trees). Each would bring their own style, and give much variety to these shorts.


This film features some quick live action in it. Because at this time Walt was getting more interested in making a fully live action film, with no animation, which he would complete two years after this film was released, he often experimented with live action at this time. He was nervous about going completely into live action because the Disney studio was known for animation and many critics and audiences felt he had gone too far from what Disney films were known for, when the studio did Fantasia and Bambi. A live action scene features Bobby Driscoll, and Launa Patten, Disney's first reoccurring child actors, and the first actors to have a contract with the Disney studio. Also, in this quick live action scene appears Roy Rogers, Bob Nolan, and Sons of the Pioneers, all of whom would perform the song for the following cartoon. Also featured would be Roy Rogers' horse Trigger. Also, in the Blame It on the Samba cartoon, Donald Duck along with his south of the border friends, José Carioca and the Aracuan Bird, interact with a live action Ethel Smith.

After Saludos Amigos (1942) and The Three Caballeros (1944), the Disney studio planned to make a third South American themed feature film with Donald Duck. Known at the studio as the Carnival feature. That film really began production during the spring and summer of 1945. Like the previous movies, this would have been an anthology film that would have been separated into four different segments, that would essentially resemble Disney's cartoon shorts. When World War 2 came to an end, there would be no longer be a reason for such a film and the project was quietly abandoned. However, one portion of this film would reach the screen. This was Blame it on the Samba, which would become part of Melody Time.

As previously mentioned, this short would feature a live action, Ethel Smith. During the 1940's the U.S. government pushed its Good Neighbor policy by having many entertainers on both sides of the border serve as Goodwill Ambassadors and one of these was U.S. born Ethel Smith. Born in Pittsburgh (on November 22, 1902), at a young age Smith discovered Latin music and became a huge fan. In the mid-1930's she discovered the electric organ, a relatively new instrument and used it to play the Latin music she loved. By the late 1930's she was performing in Latin America. With this in mind, she became a perfect good will ambassador. In 1940 she gained an engagement at the Cassino Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro. She was so popular that she would be repeatedly held over, and she was there when the Disney studio visited Rio de Janeiro in August 1941 for the making of Saludos Amigos. While there is no definitive proof that anyone working at Disney came into contact with Ethel Smith, the Disney artists did often have meetings at the Copacabana and in December 1941 Smith sent a custom designed Christmas card to Walt and his wife Lillian. In the summer of 1944, she was in Hollywood working for MGM and performed Tico-Tico (which was a very popular song for her) for the Ester Williams movie, Bathing Beauty (1944). In late 1944, Disney artist Norm Ferguson was trying to bring together musicians for the Carnival feature, and he felt that with Ethel Smith now in Hollywood, she would be a perfect choice. The studio contacted her in early 1945. Mary Blair began working on various costume sketches for her with different costumes representing different countries. This was because it was considered to have appear in each segment and have her music connect the various segments. In February 1945 a Hammond organ was installed on the sound-effects recording stage. She recorded the Mexican song, La Parranda and the Cuban number Cachita paran pan pin. Norm Ferguson had hoped to use the Brazilian song Cavaquinho, yet the copyright status seemed a mystery. Ethel recorded various other songs as possible substitutes for Cavaquinho, but the studio was able to get the rights in May 1945. Disney lyricist Ray Gilbert would be assigned to write new English lyrics for this tune, and the result was Blame it on the Samba. Though this segment would eventually be put on a shelf when the Carnival feature was shelved as a whole, it would later see the light of day again. Ethel Smith was becoming an even bigger star due to supporting performances in live action movies and the option of Disney studio to use her services lasted up until spring 1947. In late 1946 production on the Blame it on the Samba sequence was revived. 

There was a proposed version of the sequence that at least made it to the storyboard stage, that would have featured both Ethel Smith and Carmen Miranda. In that version, Donald Duck and Joe Carioca went to a theater where both artists were performing. The two crash backstage where Smith is performing and end up in Miranda's dressing room. Later both artists go on stage to perform Blame it on the Samba. Donald and Joe Carioca are still backstage, where Donald is still lovestruck by a kiss from Carmen Miranda. Joe tells Donald romantic tales of Rio and Donald's mind transports the duck to a surreal fantasy world. This lovely dream would morph into a nightmare involving matchboxes and a performance of the Bonfire Ballet. This in turn would turn into a celebration of Brazil's Festa de sao Joao Brazil festival. It is not known if this plan was from before the project was originally shelved or after. There were also plans to have all three Caballeros appear in this segment but eventually Panchito was dropped due to the sequence having nothing to do with Mexico. This is when the Aracuan Bird would be added to the action. 

Some test shots for the live action filming were done on February 4, 1947. However actual live action filming was done on the week of February 10, 1947, with Ken Anderson as the live action director. A Hammond organ console was supplied by the Penny-Owsley Music Company in Los Angles. It would be mounted on a rotating platform on the studio's live action stage. Ethel would re-create her performance of this song to a recording she had made nearly two years prior. 
 
Melody Time did fairly well at the box office, and with critics. But many were wondering when they would see a full feature length animated story, but that was just two years in the future.

                                                                 Review

Again, since this film is just a series of shorts, I will review each short individually, and give them each their own grade, along with the grade for the film as a whole near the top of this page.

 Once Upon a Wintertime: Entertainingly little short is helped by great design work by Mary Blair. The story and the humor are nothing special, but they are nothing bad either. However the great stylized look of this segment has quite a charm to it, and the song is quite nice. Grade:C

Bumble Boogie: Very fun cartoon. Director Jack Kinney is a master at giving cartoons an addictive energy, and he does so very well here. The imagery is fantastic in this short as well. It is quite imaginative and fun to look at as well. The music has the same energy as the cartoon and the music and imagery fit together beautifully. Grade:A

Johnny Appleseed: Great piece of Americana, that only Disney could provide. This short is quite corny, but it has a spirit that fully overcomes that. Johnny is a quite likable character, the music is great, and  the imagery is great. Although the story isn't perfect, it is still quite likable, and holds all this cartoons charms perfectly. Grade:A- 

Little Toot: Fun if unexceptional short. The story is one we have seen a lot of before although it is handled well here, it has still been handled better elsewhere. The animation for this short is good, but not quite up to Disney standards.While the song is not the best song it fits the short well and the Andrew Sisters perform it great. Grade:C

Trees: Although this short has really beautiful imagery, the song doesn't work, and goes by much too fast to leave the impression it should. Singing the lyrics of Joyce KIlmer's poem to classical music just does not work. It honestly comes off as a bit pretentious. The idea simply is not as artistic as the filmmakers seemed to think it would be. However the imagery is really beautiful, with much of the same majesty that made Bambi work so well. Grade: C+

Blame it on the Samba: Fantastic short with great imagery, and great energy. This is just a beautifully constructed cartoon, and is full of fantastic imagination. Also the combination of animation and live action is beautifully achieved, and along with Disney's Three Caballeros, making up some of the best combinations between animation and live action, before Who Framed Roger Rabbit. The music has a great energy as well and compliments the cartoon perfectly/ Grade: A+

Pecos Bill: It probably is partly due to my love of country music that makes me love this short so much, but there is definitely more to it than that, mainly that this is a very funny cartoon. Every joke in here works, and the more unbelievable the more funny. This contains comic exaggerations at their best. The animation is very well done and compliments the jokes beautifully. Before the short starts though we have some beautiful animation of the desert, along with a great country song. This part is worthy of the best of Fantasia, and even a quite entertaining live action introduction. As a fan of country music I have to say the music we hear here is as great as the cartoon itself. Grade: A+

                                                                      Film Credits 

Directors:Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, Jack Kinney, Ken Anderson.

Writers: Winston Hibler, Erdman Penner, Harry Reeves, Homer Brightman, Ken Anderson, Ted Sears, Joe Rinaldi, William Cottrell, Art Scott, Jesse Marsh, Bob Moore, John Wallbridge.

Little Toot segment based off of a short story by Hardie Gramatky.

Voices: Buddy Clark (Master of Ceremonies), Dennis Day (Johnny Appleseed, Johnny's Angel, The Old Settler), Clarence Nash (Donald Duck), Pinto Colvig (Aracuan Bird)

Live Action Cast: Ethel Smith (Herself), Bob Nolan (Himself), Bobby Driscoll (Himself), Roy Rogers (Himself), Trigger, Luana Patten (Herself), The Sons of the Pioneers (Themselves)

Song Performers: Buddy Clark, Frances Langford, Freddy Martin and His Orchestra, Jack Fina, Dennis Day, The Andrews Sisters, Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians, Ethel Smith, The Dinning Sisters,  Roy Rogers, Sons of the Pioneers

Producer: Walt Disney

Songwriters: George David Weiss, Bennie Benjamin, Bobby Worth, Ray Gilbert, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Jack Fina, Kim Gannon, Walter Kent, Allie Wrubel, Oscar Rasbach,  Ernesto Nazareth, Eliot Daniel, Johnny Lange

Music: Eliot Daniel, Paul J. Smith

Cinematographer: Winton C. Hoch

Assistant Directors: Lou Debney, Mike Holoboff, Ted Sebern

Editors: Don Halliday, Thomas Scott

Effects Animators: George Rowley, Josh Meador, Jack Boyd, Dan MacManus

Special Effects: Ub Iwerks

Supervising Animators: Eric Larson, Ward Kimball, Milt Kahl, Ollie Johnston (as Oliver M. Johnston Jr)., John Lounsbery, Les Clark

Background Artists: Art Riley, Brice Mack, Ralph Hulett, Merle Cox, Dick Anthony

Layout Artists: Hugh Hennesy, Mac Stewart, Ken O'Connor, Lance Nolley, Al Zinnen, Bob Cormack, Don Griffith, Thor Putnam, Donald Da Gradi

Animators: Harvey Toombs, Marvin Woodward, Ed Aardal, Hal King, Cliff Norberg, Don Lusk, John Sibley, Rudy Larriva, Ken O'Brien, Bob Cannon, Judge Whitaker, Hal Ambro


                                                   Resources Used
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040580/?ref_=rvi_tt
http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon-characters/25-Melody-Time/#cartoon_writers
The Andrew Sisters: A Biography and Career Record by H. Arlo Nimmo
South of the Border With Disney by J.B. Kaufman

-Michael J. Ruhland

Fun and Fancy Free

History and Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland














Year Released: 1947

Michael's Movie Grade; B-

                                                         Premise

Jiminy Cricket hosts two cartoon featurettes. The first is about a circus bear named Bongo who finds himself in the wild for the first time. The second is a retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk with Mickey, Donald and Goofy.  



                                                          History

With World War 2, many Disney artists were drafted, and their foreign market had been shut off. The studio was also still worried by the financial failure of Pinocchio, and Bambi. Because of all this many animated feature length stories had been put on hold. At this time the studio was making animated feature films that were essentially multiple shorts put together and called a feature, but no films that had one feature length story.

Two ideas for animated features were a story of a circus bear named Bongo (Based on a short story by Sinclair Lewis, and a version of Jack and the Beanstalk staring Mickey, Donald, and Goofy. Because of these uncertain times instead of being released as separate features both were reduced in length and released together as one feature film. The two now shorts were be tied together with bridging sequences staring our old friend Jiminy Cricket. In this film he sings a song called I'm a Happy Go  Lucky Fellow which was originally written for Pinocchio, but ended up not being used in the final film. A line in this song is where the film's title, Fun and Fancy Free came from. Jiminy wasn't the only character from Pinocchio that was going to be reused in Fun and Fancy Free. It was planned that in the Mickey and the Beanstalk segment Honest John was going to be the one to sell Mickey the magic beans, but this scene was cut from the film. Since the Bongo section took place at the circus it was originally planned to reuse some of the characters from Dumbo, however this idea ended up being scrapped.

The original voice for Mickey Mouse was Walt Disney himself, but because Walt became heavily involved in too many projects to keep on doing the voice. So the voice for Mickey would be done by sound effects man James McDonald. The change in voice actors would happen during the making of Fun and Fancy Free. This film marks both the last time Walt Disney Would do the voice for a theatrical film, and the first time James McDonald would do Mickey's voice. Because their was barely a difference between the voices both can be heard here. However Walt would later do the voice for the introduction to the Mickey Mouse Club TV show.

Fun and Fancy Free was moderately successful both critically and financially, though many wondered when Disney would return to a full feature length animated story.

Review

Again since this film is made up of two cartoons put together, I am going to review both separately and give both a separate grade along with the collective grade towards the top of the page. 

Bongo: I don't know how Bongo could have possibly worked as a separate feature when it feels so overlong here. Sadly this is not that great. It's not really bad but it really pales in comparison to the work we are used to from Disney. The characters and the story just aren't that well developed, and would be better suited to a shorter running time. The idea of bears slapping each other to say "I love you" seems just silly, and not in a good way. However this short does feature some great background art, catchy songs (even if the lyrics aren't that great), and the beautiful voice of Dinah Shore. Overall a rather bland cartoon that feels too long, but is not without it's good points. Grade:D+

Mickey and the Beanstalk: A great overlooked cartoon short that would make the film worth seeing on it's own. Anyone studying character animation needs to watch this, as the character animation is full of great acting and is funny enough (in a quite subtle way) to improve every slapstick gag in the cartoon. The story is quite simple, but it never feels overlong like Bongo does. Willie the giant is a great character that I wish Disney could have found a way to use more of. He is especially helped by some great voice acting from a great and sadly overlooked comedic actor named Billy Gilbert (Who had previously voiced Sneezy in Snow White, and had also appeared often with Laurel and Hardy, and in silent Keystone Comedies, he also was in Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator, and had a small role in A Night at the Opera with the Marx Brothers). This segment starts with a live action Edgar Bergen, along with his puppets Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd, telling the story to Launa Patten and an animated Jiminy Cricket, while this would later be released for TV with Ludvig Von Drake narrating it, this is the version you should see. While many have pointed out that Bergen was not the greatest ventriloquist (you can easily see his mouth move), he was a great comedian. Him and his puppets comments are very funny, and it continues over the cartoon portions themselves improving that part as well. There is a true wit to this comedy and it adds a lot to the film. Overall this is a great cartoon that is unfortunately too often overlooked. Grade:A-

The scenes with just Jiminy are too brief to get their own grade, but they are quite charming, and I'm a Happy Go Lucky Fellow is quite a good song that I am glad we could hear in this film.  

Film Credits

Animation Directors: Jack Kinney, Hamilton Luske,  Bill Roberts

Live Action Director: William Morgan

Voices: Cliff Edwards (Jiminy Cricket), Jim Macdonald (Mickey Mouse, Lumpjaw),

Walt Disney (Mickey Mouse), Clarence 'Ducky' Nash (Donald), Pinto Colvig (Goofy), Anita Gordon (Harp), Billy Gilbert (Willie the Giant) ("Mickey and the Beanstalk"), Dinah Shore (Narrator), Edgar Bergan (Charlie McCarthy, Mortimer Snerd), The King's Men, The Dinning Sisters

Live Action Cast: Edgar Bergen (Himself), Luana Patten (Herself)

Producer: Walt Disney

Bongo segment based of the book Bongo by  Sinclair Lewis

Writers: Homer Brightman, Harry Reeves, Ted Sears, Lance Nolley, Eldon Dedini, Tom Oreb

Song Writers: Ned Washington, Eliot Daniel, Buddy Kaye, Bennie Benjamin, George David Weiss, Bill Walsh, Ray Noble, Paul J. Smith, Arthur Quenzer

Editor: Jack Bachom

Music: Eliot Daniel, Paul J. Smith, Oliver Wallace

Cinematography: Charles P. Boyle

Production Supervisor:  Ben Sharpsteen

Assistant Director: Joe Lefert, Mike Holoboff, Jack Atwood

Effects Animators: George Rowley, Jack Boyd

Special Effects: Ub Iwerks

Layout Artists: Donald Da Gradi, Al Zinnen, Ken O'Connor, Hugh Hennesy, John Hench, Glenn Scott

Background Artists: Ed Starr, Claude Coats, Art Riley, Brice Mack, Ray Huffine, Ralph Hulet

Supervising Animators: Ward Kimball, Les Clark, Fred Moore, John Lounsbery

Animators: Hugh Fraser, Phil Duncan, Judge Whitaker, Art Babbitt, John Sibley, Marc Davis, Harvey Toombs, Hal King, Ken O'Brien, Jack Campbell, Hugh Fraser, Edwin Aardal, Hal Ambro, Ted Berman, Al Bertino, Ted Bonnicksen, Bob Carlson, Al Coe, Blaine Gibson, George Goepper, Harry Holt, Ollie Johnston, Bill Justice, Rudy Larriva, Eric Larson, Don Lusk, Dan MacManus, Tom Massey, John McManus, Frank McSavage, Joshua Meador, G. Miller, Kenneth Muse, Milt Neil, Charles A. Nichols, Art Palmer, John Reed, Sandy Strother, Henry Tanous, Don Towsley, Bernard Wolf, Marvin Woodward, Robert W. Youngquist

Resources Used

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039404/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt

http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon-characters/24-Fun-Fancy-Free/#cartoon_directors

-Michael J. Ruhland

Song of the South

History and Review By Michael J. Ruhland

Year Released: 1946

Michael's Movie Grade:B
                                                       Premise 

A kindly storyteller shares a series of stories with a young boy.  


                                                        History

With Song of  the South Walt Disney's interest in moving into live action film became much more clear. For the first time in a Disney film, there would be more live action than animation. This would also have the distinction of being the first Disney film to present child actors that would reappear in later Disney films, something that would become increasingly common in Disney history. These two child stars would be Bobby Driscoll and Launa Patten. They were not only the first reoccurring child actors for Disney, but they were also the first actors to have a contract with the Disney studio.

Even though the studio had found live action actors who would continue working at Disney, they still had not found a live action director that would become a mainstay. Again the live action director was one who never worked at Disney before and never would again. This time it would be a man named Harve Foster. This was his debut as a main director, though he was an assistant director on some films before this including Gone With the Wind (The main director was Victor Fleming), and a film I particularly love A Chump at Oxford (the main director of that film was Alfred J. Goulding) staring the great comedy team of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Harve's career as a main director of theatrical films after this would not be a long one, but he would go on to direct many TV episodes for such shows as The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, and Racket Squad.  The director of the animated portions of the film would be a name much more common at Disney, Wilfred Jackson. Jackson had be directing at Disney since 1929 with the Mickey Mouse cartoon, Mickey's Follies. He would direct many of Disney's best short films from the 1930's. He was also a sequence director on the majority of Disney features at this point. He would later go on to be one of the main directors on such Disney features as Cinderella, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, and Lady and the Tramp.

The cinematography for this film would be done by Greg Toland, who was the cinematographer for such great films as Citizen Kane, and The Grapes of Wrath.

One bit of trouble the film found it's self in was for the song number Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah. Because of trouble the lighting when shooting the live action, it became very hard to combine it with animation. Wilfred Jackson stated that he and the rest of the animation crew thought for a long time about what to do about this, but couldn't come up with an answer. The solution was found by Walt himself. He suggested that when they shoot actor James Basket before singing , they cover up the lights with cardboard, and then we he began singing they would take the card board off so it would seem like he was entering the world of animation. Despite these problems Wilfred Jackson stated in an interview with Animation Historian Michael Barrier, " I had more fun working on Song of the South than any other one picture I ever made. I guess maybe working on Snow White was more exciting, and I guess maybe there were others that hit high spots in some other ways, but out of all the different pictures I worked on, Song of the South was the most fun. The group of people that it was my good fortune to work with was such a wonderful bunch of talent". He would go on to talk about how much he enjoyed working with such artists as Associate Producer Perce Pearce, Animators Milt Kahl, Marc Davis, Eric Larson, Ollie Johnston, and Johnny Lounsbery, and Layout Artist Ken Anderson.

There was also a small problem with animated lip-syncing. Not only did James Basket play the live action Uncle Remus, but he also voiced the animated Br'er Fox. Disney Animators Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnson remembered that he spoke  the part so fast lip-sync was hard to get right. This was not James Baskett's first time working with Disney as he also voiced one of the crows in Dumbo. Song of the South would be his last film role.

Song of the South was a financial success. Although critics did praise the animated portions of the film, they were not kind to the live action majority. The film did get two academy awards, one for Best Song, and James Baskett got an honorary award for his performance in the film.

The film received controversy from right after is was first released. Many critics dubbed the film "racist". This reputation still hurts Song of the South to this day, and it is never shown today on TV, and it's home video availability is much rarer than most Disney films are. However the music, and animated characters live on through the log ride at Disneyland.

                                                       Review

Though Disney's live action film making would soon grow more sophisticated, this film is quite charming. The movie leaves the audience feeling good, which is of course exactly what it set out to do.

The cast in this film is absolutely fantastic. James Baskett is extremely charming as Uncle Remus, and it is hard not to find him likable. This performance enhances every scene he is in, and brings much of the films charm. Baskett is just as funny as the voice of Br'er Fox as he is charming as Uncle Remus. With this film Disney has already shown us how good the studio could be at finding great child actors. Even if you take their ages out of the equation, Bobby Driscoll, and Launa Patten, are simply great talents. They are very charming whenever they are  on screen. Of course Hattie McDaniel is great here as she always is.

The story is underdeveloped and could have probably benefited from more screen time. The relationship between the mother and Uncle Remus is particularly underdeveloped, and often feels rushed. However despite these faults the story is at times beautiful in it's simplicity. The relationship between the kids and Uncle Remus is very charming, and adds heavily to the feel good spirit of the film.

The animated parts are a must see for cartoon fans. They are quick, funny, energetic, lively, and most of all charming. They are full of classic cartoon slapstick, and clever writing. The characters are quite likable as well. I would not have minded a series of shorts based off these short segments at all.

Something I love about this film is it's message of the importance of stories, imagination, and escapism.  It teaches us well it is important to live in the real world, fantasy can be just as important. Which is of course the reason we love and cherish Disney, and why Disney plays such an important part in our lives. Overall  this film is very charming, and a worthwhile experience for Disney fans

                                                          Film Credits

Live Action Director: Harve Foster

Animation Director: Wilfred Jackson

Based on the book Tales of Uncle Remus by Joel Chandler Harris

Writers: Dalton S. Reymond, Morton Grant, Maurice Rapf, Bill Peet, Ralph Wright, Vernon Stallings

Live Action Cast: James Baskett (Uncle Remus), Bobby Driscoll (Johnny), Luana Patten (Ginny), Ruth Warrick (Sally), Lucile Watson (Grandma), Hattie McDaniel (Aunt Tempy), Erik Rolf (John), Glenn Leedy (Toby), Mary Field (Mrs. Favers), Anita Brown (Maid), Georgie Nokes (Jake Favers), Gene Holland (Joe Favers)

Voices: James Baskett (Br'er Fox), Johnny Lee (Br'er Rabbit), Nick Stewart (Br'er Bear), Babette De Castro (Birds), Cherie De Castro (Birds), Peggy De Castro (Birds), Roy Glenn (Bullfrog), Clarence Nash (Mr. Bluebird)

Producers: Walt Disney, Perce Pearce

Songwriters: Ray Gilbert, Allie Wrubel, Robert MacGimsey, Charles Wolcott, Ken Darby, Foster Carling, Sam Coslow, Arthur Johnston, Eliot Daniel, Hy Heath, Johnny Lange

Music: Daniele Amfitheatrof, Charles Wolcott, Paul J. Smith

Cinematography: Gregg Toland

Film Editing: William Morgan

Art Directors: Perry Ferguson, Ken Anderson, Philip Barber, Harold Doughty, Hugh Hennesy, Charles Philippi

Costume Design: Mary Wills

Production Manager: Frederic Leahy

Assistant Director: William McGarry

Art Department: Elmer Plummer, Irving W. Sindler

Sound Department: Fred Lau, C.O. Slyfield, Harold J. Steck, Gloria Gottschalk

Special Effects: Ub Iwerks

Effects Animators: Brad Case, Blaine Gibson, Joshua Meador, George Rowley

Gaffer: Vic Jones

Layout Artist: Ken Anderson

Supervising Animators: Les Clark, Marc Davis, Ollie Johnston, Milt Kahl, Eric Larson, John Lounsbery

Background Artists: Mary Blair, Claude Coats, Al Dempster, Ray Huffine, Ralph Hulett, Brice Mack, Ed Starr

Animation Planner: Bill Peet

Assistant Animator:  Clarke Mallery

Animators: Hal Ambro, Jack Campbell, Al Coe, Hal King, Rudy Larriva, Don Lusk, Tom Massey, Murray McClellan, Cliff Nordberg, Ken O'Brien, Harvey Toombs, Paul Murry



                                      Resources Used

http://www.songofthesouth.net/

http://www.michaelbarrier.com/Interviews/Jackson1973/Jackson1973.html

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038969/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt




-Michael J. Ruhland