"Package Films: Part II & III"

Fun & Fancy Free (1947) & Melody Time (1948)

Due to the length of both of these films, I decided to combine their review into one, as there really isn't enough substance in both to deliver a deep enough review of each individually.
Fun & Fancy Free and Melody Time mark the second and third "Package Films" Walt released due to the constraints caused by the war efforts at the time. Continuing the theme of shorts making up a full length film. And just as the first (Make Mine Music), I began to recognize each short as something I remember watching at some point on television, so it was interesting to see how they coincided with each other as features,
Fun & Fancy Free might be the shortest of them all (at least in how it felt afterwards), with only two shorts making up the entirety of the film. And it did have somewhat of a narrative, as it showed Jiminy Cricket once again stealing away to someone's home in the night and propping up his feet as if he owned the place. He begins to sing about how the world seems so caught up in worrying and strife (which honestly at the time, they had every right to), and how going through life with the heir of being 'fun and fancy free' will lead to much more fulfillment. And then goes on to introduce the first story of Bongo the Bear, narrated and sung by Dinah Shore. Which was followed by the story of Mickey and the Beanstalk, told by famous ventriloquist, Edgar Bergen, and his two dummies, Charlie and Mortimer.
By the end of the movie, I was confused by how both of these tales had anything to do with the theme of Fun and Fancy Free. The first told of a circus bear, who escaped to the wilderness to find love, and learned the hard way that bears express their love to their mates by slapping them. The second was the traditional story of Jack and the Beanstalk, with Mickey, Donald, and Goofy taking on the role of Jack.
Overall, the movie's theme, seemed to be a poor attempt at tying two stories together as one, which, in all honesty, was what the studio was trying to do. But easily forgivable. Dinah Shore's vocals and songs were wonderful to hear. And Edgar Bergen's storytelling, peppered with musings from his own characters was a glimpse into what was entertainment at the time. For a Disney buff like me, it was great.
Melody Time, felt more like Make Mine Music, in the sense that it left behind the attempt at a narrative, and simply let music be the glue that held the stories together, and these were some of my favorites as a child.
Pecos Bill, Johnny Appleseed, and Little Toot the Tugboat, were the main features of this film. The first two being some of my first introductions as a child to american folklore. And the second being another story sung by the Andrews Sisters.
 Pecos Bill featured Roy Rogers, decked out in full cowboy swag, in a live action segment telling the story of the cowboy to two young kids around a campfire. This one was nostalgia incarnate for me, as not only did it make me miss my days at summer camp listening to songs and tales around the campfire, but it was also one of my favorite Disney cartoons as a child. And the music was awesome, setting the tone perfectly for the story.
Johnny Appleseed was another favorite of mine, being one of my favorite american pioneers I learned about in school. And despite it's slightly religious undertones, held up very well, along with most of the other shorts in how they would fair by today's standards. I highly recommend looking up these shorts online, next time you may be perusing YouTube for entertainment, as they are both very well done!
Overall, all of these were wonderful to return to after so many years. Not only did it remind me of how far Disney has come, but how far I've come by what shaped me and attracted me in my younger years, And to this day, I am constantly inspired by what I get out of watching these movies. The war times were tough for the Disney Studio, but he found a way to make the best of it with these films.
There's one more Package Film to review, and then we move on to Cinderella!
Stay tuned!!

"Package Films: Part I"

Make Mine Music (1946)

And now we delve VERY deep into the Disney Vault, with the first of the studio's "Package Films."
See, during World War II, Walt's studio lost a lot of manpower and resources, which left them with a lot of unfinished ideas and projects that were either too long for a short, or too short for a feature length film. So, being as resourceful as they could, they decided to cram a bunch of them together in a series of films. This one, being the first of four.
Make Mine Music picks up the proverbial ball, where Fantasia left it. It's a series of shorts all set to different kinds of music popular at the time of production, everything from jazz, ballads, symphonic orchestrations, and even opera. Some are standouts, such as Willy, the Singing Whale who wanted to perform Opera at The Met. Johnny Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet, which was a love story about two hats (I know, only Disney could pull that off) featuring long-time collaborators with Disney, the Andrew Sisters. As well as, Peter and the Wolf, which quickly became the scariest cartoon I ever saw as a child. I don't know which animator was responsible for the design of the wolf in that short, but it was the most terrifying thing I had ever saw when I was young. I guess it was just furthering the legacy of fairy tales, making children scared to death of wolves.
Most people will recognize these shorts each individually, as they are rarely seen all together as one piece. And really, they have VERY little to do with each other besides the context of a musical theme. Having said that, most of these pieces are worth seeing, as they continue to showcase Disney's talent for marrying music and art.
"All the Cats Join In" remains to be one of the most inspiring animated pieces I can ever recall, as it sets an amazing jazz standard to the scenes of bobby-soxers going out on a night to dance at the malt shop. A glimpse of what all the cool kids were doing at the time.
"Blue Bayou" was a piece originally set to "Clair De Lune" that was supposed to be part of Fantasia, but was reworked with an original piece of music, and went on to inspire the name of the sit-down dinner restaurant in Disneyland that resides within Pirates of the Caribbean.
There were many "Oh, I remember this one!" moments as I watched this feature, and it continues to impress me how creative Walt was.
I was rather disappointed to learn a piece was cut from the home version. "The Martins and The Coys" was not included, which, after researching and finding the short on YouTube, I can see why. As guns blazed ALL over the screen in animated, murderous glee! Probably not something that would translate well into the homes of young viewers in this day and age....
There are others featured in this film, unfortunately not nearly as noteworthy as the ones above, but nonetheless they all meld well into the theme of this movie.
Overall, the film was enjoyable, in a very non-traditional sense, as it probably will continue with the next three film in line. But hey, a commitment is a commitment! And I'm truly not complaining. Disney broke the mold with his animated features, even at the time when the world's attention were elsewhere. So, again I will say, if you're looking to jump into the more un-familiar pieces of the Disney Vault. Consider this my recommendation.