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!!
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