Munir's Disney Retrospective -- Animated Classic #11: The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)

By Munir Abedrabbo.

Last Week's: Munir's Disney Retrospective -- Animated Classic #10: Melody Time (1948)

The last of the “package” films is also easily the best of the bunch, and remains an underrated treasure from the great studio. Adapting two well know stories, (“The Wind in the Willows” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”) this film provides genuine fun and thrilling action that will surely enchant the entire family. The animation is also better than its predecessors and everything in the film suggests much more confidence in the Disney crew than any of the other “package” films. This film features two of the Disney studio's best segments, and it's too bad that the film remains an obscure entry, because it has plenty to offer to viewers of all ages. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad is considered a “package” film, but it's truly a class apart from the rest of them. Rating: 4.5/5.

Next Week: Animated Classic #12 Review: Cinderella (1950)

Munir's Disney Retrospective -- Animated Classic #10: Melody Time (1948)

By Munir Abedrabbo.

Last Week's: Munir's Disney Retrospective -- Animated Classic #9: Fun and Fancy Free (1947)

Very similar to Make Mine Music in structure, Melody Time nonetheless manages to provide a much more satisfying experience than the former. Whereas Make Mine Music featured uneven segments that leaves the viewer wanting, Melody Time showcases a very stable selection of shorts that are fun and entertaining without become tiresome or redundant. Shorts like The Legend of Johnny Appleseed, Pecos Bill and Blame it on the Samba are sure to delight any Disney fan or casual viewer. While Melody does not match the quality of Fun and Fancy Free, it is nonetheless one of this period's better offerings. Rating: 3.5/5.

Next Week: Animated Classic #11 Review: The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)

Munir's Disney Retrospective -- Animated Classic #9: Fun and Fancy Free (1947)

By Munir Abedrabbo.

Last Week's: Munir's Disney Retrospective -- Animated Classic #8: Make Mine Music (1946)

Here, finally, we have the first fully satisfying anthology film, and one that deserves a better reputation and more exposure than it gets nowadays. Part of its success is that it only has two very strong segments instead of many weak ones, and also because it features many beloved Disney characters (Mickey, Donald, Goofy and Jiminy Cricket!) in various roles. Both segments ‘Bongo’ about a bear in love and ‘Mickey and the Beanstalk’, a variation of the famous Jack and the Beanstalk story, feature plenty of laughs and good character development. Also helping matters is Jiminy Cricket’s intervention as the host, as well as famous ventriloquist Edgar Bergen, as himself, and his marionettes providing some comic relief and serving as narrator for the Mickey short. All these ingredients blend perfectly to produce a movie that, while still composed of short films, manages to deliver high quality feature entertainment and one of the best segments featuring Mickey & Co. in the studio’s history. Rating: 4/5.

Next Week: Animated Classic #10 Review: Melody Time (1948)

Munir's Disney Retrospective -- Animated Classic #8: Make Mine Music (1946)

By Munir Abedrabbo.

Last Week's: Munir's Disney Retrospective -- Animated Classic #7: The Three Caballeros (1945)

With the War over but the financial difficulties not, Walt continued with the anthology films for the remainder of the 40s. The first non-Latin American anthology film was Make Mine Music, and unfortunately it's one of the weakest of the six. Narrating the shorts with different musical rhythms and popular singers of the time, Make Mine Music is a mixed bag of good shorts (The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met, Peter and the Wolf, All the Cats Join In) and dull ones (Without You, Casey at the Bat) that ultimately fails to impress and creates an unsatisfying experience for the viewer. It doesn't help that an entire segment (The Martins and the Coys) was completely removed from later home video releases. Rating: 3/5.

Next Week: Animated Classic #9 Review: Fun and Fancy Free (1947)

Munir's Disney Retrospective -- Animated Classic #7: The Three Caballeros (1945)

By Munir Abedrabbo.

Last Week's: Munir's Disney Retrospective -- Animated Classic #6: Saludos Amigos (1943)

Continuing "The Good Neighbor Policy”, Disney’s next Latin American based film was The Three Caballeros. More of a companion piece than a sequel to Saludos Amigos, Caballeros features two characters from the previous film: Donald Duck from the U.S. and José Carioca from Brazil and pairs them up with a new friend: Panchito from Mexico. More cohesive than Saludos but following the same pattern and style, (also featuring live-action footage) Caballeros is a more satisfying endeavour than Saludos. It’s less didactic and showcases bolder, funner segments; it also feels more like a unified film, rather than just shorts patched together. But, even if is better than Saludos, it still lacks a fully satisfying story and the last nonsensical act - at first promising, but later tiresome - fails to elevate Caballeros to a higher status. Rating: 3.5/5

Next Week: Animated Classic #8 Review: Make Mine Music (1946)

Munir's Disney Retrospective -- Animated Classic #6: Saludos Amigos (1943)

By Munir Abedrabbo.

Make Sure You've Read: Munir's Disney Retrospective -- War Period Introduction

When the US joined World War II, the government began launching strategies to reach out to their southern neighbours, in an effort to stop the spread of Nazism to other countries. In order to achieve this, they began creating anti-Hitler propaganda, and animation was a top contributor (Donald Duck’s Der Fuehrer's Face is a clear example of this). Saludos Amigos launched what was called “The Good Neighbor Policy”, attempting to strengthen the ties with Latin America. It's Disney’s shortest film to date and is partially live-action, partially short film and features Donald Duck, Goofy and other newly created characters. Unfortunately, even though it means well and has a nice educational approach (as a Latin American myself I found that charming instead of insulting), the film doesn't offer much replay value and certain aspects (such as the live-action footage) feel dated (even if it is good to see Walt and co. in the film). It's certainly worth a look for historical value and to enjoy some some charming moments, but on the whole Saludos Amigos feels lacking. Rating: 3/5.

Next Week: Animated Classic #7 Review: The Three Caballeros (1945)

Related posts: Animation Essays - Disney at War, and the Importance of Cinderella

Munir's Disney Retrospective -- War Period Introduction

By Munir Abedrabbo.

War Period: The Anthology Films (1943-1949)

Overview

After a far too short period of developing and innovating animation techniques and completely changing the animation industry with ambitious projects, World War II took its toll on the Disney Studio. Pinocchio, Fantasia and Bambi weren't as successful as Walt had hoped and, out of a need to keep the studio afloat during and after the War, he had to cut expense. Disney then released a series of inexpensive shorts, encompassed in various feature films. Universally known as the Anthology Films nowadays, this period is rather obscure for the casual Disney fan that tends to jump from the end of the Golden Age with Bambi to the Silver Age with Cinderella. Nonetheless, even if these films aren't widely known, and even if many of them offer uneven experiences to the audience, they are certainly worth a look and they’re an important part of the studio’s history during that difficult time.

 

Tomorrow: Animated Classic #6 Review: Saludos Amigos