Fun and Fancy Free
Encyclopedia
Fun and Fancy Free is a 1947 animated feature
produced by Walt Disney
and released by RKO Radio Pictures on September 27, 1947. It was one of the "package films" (feature-length compilations of shorter segments) that the studio produced in the 1940s. It is the ninth animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, and the fifth package film by Disney.
The "Mickey and the Beanstalk" portion of the film was the last time Walt Disney
voiced Mickey Mouse
as he was too busy working on other projects to continue voicing the famous character. Disney replaced himself with sound effects artist Jimmy MacDonald
.
first appeared inside a large plant in a large house, exploring it and singing "I'm a Happy-Go-Lucky Fellow", (he also exited it) (The Dr. Seuss Animation Chorus did the back-up singing instead of the Walt Disney Chorus in the 2011 re-release), until he happened to stumble upon a doll, a teddy bear, a record player, and some records, and set it up to play the story of Bongo.
, following a circus bear cub who wishes to live free in the wild. Bongo escapes and soon realizes through his adventure that he must prove himself in order to earn his freedom. He also forms a romantic relationship with a female bear cub in the wild.
Bongo is narrated by Dinah Shore
. However in the re-release of Bongo, Cliff Edwards
(as Jiminy Cricket) narrated the story. The 2011 re-release retained Dinah Shore's narration.
with Mickey Mouse
, Donald Duck
, and Goofy
as peasants who discovered temperamental Willie the Giant's castle in the sky through the use of some magic beans.
Mickey and the Beanstalk was narrated by Edgar Bergen
in live-action sequences, who, with the help of his ventriloquist's puppets Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd, told the tale to child actress
Luana Patten
at her birthday party.
Mickey, Donald and Goofy lived in a place called "Happy Valley", which was plagued by a severe drought, after a golden harp who sang to make people happy, was stolen from a nearby castle in Happy Valley. The residents had nothing to eat except one loaf of bread; in a memorable scene the bread was cut into paper-thin slices. After Donald attempted to kill their cow with an axe
, Mickey traded in their beloved animal for magic beans. Donald threw the beans in a fit of rage, and they fell through a hole in the floor. That night, the beanstalk sprouted and it carried their house upward as it grew. Climbing the gigantic beanstalk they entered a magical kingdom of equal scope, and entering the castle, Mickey, Donald and Goofy helped themselves to a sumptuous feast. This roused the ire of Willie the Giant, who is able to transform himself into anything. When they were spotted by Willie, Mickey spotted a fly-swatter and asked Willie to demonstrate his powers, by turning into a fly. Willie initially suggested turning into a pink bunny, but when he agreed to their request, he turned into a pink bunny anyway, and spotted Mickey, Donald and Goofy with the fly-swatter. Enraged, Willie captured Mickey, Donald, and Goofy and locked them in a box. Mickey however escaped. It was up to Mickey to find the key and rescue them, with the help of the singing golden harp
. Once freed, the hapless heroes returned the golden harp to her rightful place and Happy Valley to its former glory, killing the giant by chopping down the beanstalk.
In the late 1930s Mickey Mouse's popularity fell behind Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto and Max Fleischer
's Popeye
. In order to boost his popularity Walt Disney and his artist created cartoons such as The Brave Little Tailor and The The Sorcerer's Apprentice which later became apart of Fantasia
. In early 1940 during production on Fantasia animators Bill Cottrell and T. Hee
pitched the idea of a feature film based on Jack and the Beanstalk
staring Mickey Mouse as Jack and have supporting characters of Donald Duck and Goofy. When they pitched it to Walt he "burst out laughing with tears rolling down his cheeks with joy" as Cottrell and Hee later recalled. Walt enjoyed it so much he invited other employees to listen to it. However he said as much as he enjoyed it, the film would never be put into production because Walt claimed that the audience had certain expectations of Mickey and this was not what the audience would approve of. However Cottrell and Hee were able to talk Walt into into giving it the greenlight and and story development of The Legend of Happy Valley commenced on May 2, 1940.
The original treatment remained more-or-less the same than what ended up in the final film. However were was a few deleted scenes. For example there was a scene in which Mickey took the cow to market where he meets Honest John and Gideon from Pinocchio
who con him into trading his cow for the "magic beans". However after Pinocchio failed at the box-office Honest John and Gideon were cut from the film. The scene was then changed to Mickey giving the cow to the Queen (played by Minnie Mouse
) as a gift, and in return she gave him the magic beans that have been in the royal family for generations. This scene was later cut when the story was tightened for Fun and Fancy Free
Shortly after rough animation on Dumbo
was complete in May 1941 The Legend of Happy Valley was put into production. Since it was a simple, low budget film in six months time 50 minutes had been animated on "Happy Valley". Then on October 27 1941, due to the Disney animators' strike
and World War II
which had cut off Disney's forgein release market caused the company to be in serious debt so Disney put The Legend of Happy Valley on hold.
Meanwhile, production was starting on Bongo, a film based on the short story written by Sinclair Lewis for a magazine in 1930. It was suggested that Bongo could be a sequel to Dumbo
and some of the cast from the 1941 film would appear as supporting characters, however the idea never fully materialized. In earlier drafts Bongo had a Chimpanzee
as a friend and partner in his circus act. He was first called Beverly then Chimpy, but was ultimately dropped when condensing the story. Bongo and Chimpy also encountered two mischievous bear cubs that were also deleted. Originally the designs for the characters were more realistic, but when paired for Fun and Fancy Free the designs were simplified and made more cartoony. A nearly completed script was completed on December 8, 1941, the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor
.
On that same day the army marched in the studio and took control over all productions. Due to this Bongo was put on hold, along with Alice in Wonderland
, Peter Pan
, The Wind in the Willows, Song of the South
and The Legond of Happy Valley. During the war the military dictated the Disney studio to mainly produce propaganda films. During and after the war Walt stopped producing single narrative feature films due to the high costs and decided to "package" animated shorts together to make a feature film, a package film
. He did this during the war on Saludos Amigos
and The Three Caballeros
and continued doing them after the war until he had enough money to make a single narrative feature again. Make Mine Music
in 1946, preceded Fun and Fancy Free.
Walt felt since the animation of Bongo and The Legond of Happy Valley (which had been re-named Mickey and the Beanstalk) was not as sophisticated enough to be a standard Disney animated feature film the artists then decided that they would be more convenient as part of a package film. At first Walt wanted Mickey and the Beanstalk to be paired with Wind in the Willows (which was in production around this time), under the new title Two Fabulous Characters. However Mickey and the Beanstalk was cut from Two Fabulous Characters and paired with Bongo instead. Two Fabulous Characters eventually added The Legond of Sleepy Hollow and was retitled The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad.
This was the last time that Walt Disney would voice Mickey Mouse on a regular basis since he no longer had the time or the energy to do so. However he would occasionaly do the voice of Mickey on the Mickey Mouse Club
.
Celebrities like Edgar Bergen and Dinah Shore were cast to introduce the segments in order to appeal to a mass audience. Jiminy Cricket
from Pinocchio
was also placed in the scene in which he sings "I'm a Happy Go Lucky Fellow", a song written for and cut out of Pinocchio
before its release.
.
's narration (voiced by Paul Frees
) replacing Edgar Bergen (and the sassy comments of his ventriloquist dummy, Charlie McCarthy). Another version of "Beanstalk" replaced Bergen with narration by Sterling Holloway
, which was used as a stand-alone short in such venues as the 1980s TV show, Good Morning, Mickey!
. This short was also one of the many featured in Donald Duck's 50th Birthday
.
In 1982, Fun and Fancy Free was released in its entirety on VHS and again in 1997 and then 2000 on VHS, laserdisc (in 1997) and DVD (in 2000). In 2004, the theatrical version of "Mickey and the Beanstalk" was also released as a bonus feature on the Walt Disney Treasures
set "Mickey Mouse In Living Color, Volume Two". The TV version, featuring Ludwig van Drake as the narrator, is available as part of the Disney Animation Collection (Volume 1).
. The video and TV releases of Mickey and the Beanstalk have different edits in many parts:
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
produced by Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
and released by RKO Radio Pictures on September 27, 1947. It was one of the "package films" (feature-length compilations of shorter segments) that the studio produced in the 1940s. It is the ninth animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, and the fifth package film by Disney.
The "Mickey and the Beanstalk" portion of the film was the last time Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
voiced Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
as he was too busy working on other projects to continue voicing the famous character. Disney replaced himself with sound effects artist Jimmy MacDonald
Jimmy MacDonald (sound effects artist)
John James "Jimmy" MacDonald was a Scottish voice actor and the original head of the Disney sound effects department, and the voice of Mickey Mouse from 1946 to 1977.-Career and sound effects:...
.
Film segments
This film features two segments, Bongo and Mickey and the Beanstalk. Jiminy CricketJiminy Cricket
Jiminy Cricket is the Walt Disney version of "The Talking Cricket" , a fictional character created by Carlo Collodi for his children's book Pinocchio, which was adapted into an animated film by Disney in 1940...
first appeared inside a large plant in a large house, exploring it and singing "I'm a Happy-Go-Lucky Fellow", (he also exited it) (The Dr. Seuss Animation Chorus did the back-up singing instead of the Walt Disney Chorus in the 2011 re-release), until he happened to stumble upon a doll, a teddy bear, a record player, and some records, and set it up to play the story of Bongo.
Bongo
This segment is based on an original story by Sinclair LewisSinclair Lewis
Harry Sinclair Lewis was an American novelist, short-story writer, and playwright. In 1930, he became the first writer from the United States to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, "for his vigorous and graphic art of description and his ability to create, with wit and humor, new types of...
, following a circus bear cub who wishes to live free in the wild. Bongo escapes and soon realizes through his adventure that he must prove himself in order to earn his freedom. He also forms a romantic relationship with a female bear cub in the wild.
Bongo is narrated by Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore was an American singer, actress, and television personality...
. However in the re-release of Bongo, Cliff Edwards
Cliff Edwards
Cliff Edwards , also known as "Ukelele Ike", was an American singer and voice actor who enjoyed considerable popularity in the 1920s and early 1930s, specializing in jazzy renditions of pop standards and novelty tunes. He had a number-one hit with "Singin' in the Rain" in 1929...
(as Jiminy Cricket) narrated the story. The 2011 re-release retained Dinah Shore's narration.
Mickey and the Beanstalk
This segment is an adaptation of Jack and the BeanstalkJack and the Beanstalk
Jack and the Beanstalk is a folktale said by English historian Francis Palgrave to be an oral legend that arrived in England with the Vikings. The tale is closely associated with the tale of Jack the Giant-killer. It is known under a number of versions...
with Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
, Donald Duck
Donald Duck
Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
, and Goofy
Goofy
Goofy is a cartoon character created in 1932 at Walt Disney Productions. Goofy is a tall, anthropomorphic dog, and typically wears a turtle neck and vest, with pants, shoes, white gloves, and a tall hat originally designed as a rumpled fedora. Goofy is a close friend of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck...
as peasants who discovered temperamental Willie the Giant's castle in the sky through the use of some magic beans.
Mickey and the Beanstalk was narrated by Edgar Bergen
Edgar Bergen
Edgar John Bergen was an American actor and radio performer, best known as a ventriloquist.-Early life:...
in live-action sequences, who, with the help of his ventriloquist's puppets Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd, told the tale to child actress
Child actor
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
Luana Patten
Luana Patten
-Career:Patten made her first film appearance in Joel Chandler Harris's Song of the South with Bobby Driscoll, and they both appeared in Song of the Souths sister film So Dear to My Heart. She appeared again with Bobby Driscoll in the Pecos Bill segment of Disney's Melody Time...
at her birthday party.
Mickey, Donald and Goofy lived in a place called "Happy Valley", which was plagued by a severe drought, after a golden harp who sang to make people happy, was stolen from a nearby castle in Happy Valley. The residents had nothing to eat except one loaf of bread; in a memorable scene the bread was cut into paper-thin slices. After Donald attempted to kill their cow with an axe
Axe
The axe, or ax, is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood; to harvest timber; as a weapon; and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol...
, Mickey traded in their beloved animal for magic beans. Donald threw the beans in a fit of rage, and they fell through a hole in the floor. That night, the beanstalk sprouted and it carried their house upward as it grew. Climbing the gigantic beanstalk they entered a magical kingdom of equal scope, and entering the castle, Mickey, Donald and Goofy helped themselves to a sumptuous feast. This roused the ire of Willie the Giant, who is able to transform himself into anything. When they were spotted by Willie, Mickey spotted a fly-swatter and asked Willie to demonstrate his powers, by turning into a fly. Willie initially suggested turning into a pink bunny, but when he agreed to their request, he turned into a pink bunny anyway, and spotted Mickey, Donald and Goofy with the fly-swatter. Enraged, Willie captured Mickey, Donald, and Goofy and locked them in a box. Mickey however escaped. It was up to Mickey to find the key and rescue them, with the help of the singing golden harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
. Once freed, the hapless heroes returned the golden harp to her rightful place and Happy Valley to its former glory, killing the giant by chopping down the beanstalk.
Voice cast
- Edgar BergenEdgar BergenEdgar John Bergen was an American actor and radio performer, best known as a ventriloquist.-Early life:...
– himself, Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd - Luana PattenLuana Patten-Career:Patten made her first film appearance in Joel Chandler Harris's Song of the South with Bobby Driscoll, and they both appeared in Song of the Souths sister film So Dear to My Heart. She appeared again with Bobby Driscoll in the Pecos Bill segment of Disney's Melody Time...
– herself - Cliff EdwardsCliff EdwardsCliff Edwards , also known as "Ukelele Ike", was an American singer and voice actor who enjoyed considerable popularity in the 1920s and early 1930s, specializing in jazzy renditions of pop standards and novelty tunes. He had a number-one hit with "Singin' in the Rain" in 1929...
– Jiminy CricketJiminy CricketJiminy Cricket is the Walt Disney version of "The Talking Cricket" , a fictional character created by Carlo Collodi for his children's book Pinocchio, which was adapted into an animated film by Disney in 1940... - Walt DisneyWalt DisneyWalter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
– Mickey MouseMickey MouseMickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves... - Clarence NashClarence NashClarence Charles "Ducky" Nash was an American voice actor, best known for providing the voice of Donald Duck for the Walt Disney Studios...
– Donald DuckDonald DuckDonald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most... - Pinto ColvigPinto ColvigVance DeBar "Pinto" Colvig was an American vaudeville actor, radio actor, newspaper cartoonist, prolific movie voice actor, and circus performer whose schtick was playing clarinet off-key while mugging....
– GoofyGoofyGoofy is a cartoon character created in 1932 at Walt Disney Productions. Goofy is a tall, anthropomorphic dog, and typically wears a turtle neck and vest, with pants, shoes, white gloves, and a tall hat originally designed as a rumpled fedora. Goofy is a close friend of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck... - Billy GilbertBilly GilbertBilly Gilbert was an American comedian and actor known for his comic sneeze routines. He appeared in over 200 feature films, short subjects and television shows starting in 1929. He is not to be confused with silent film actor Billy Gilbert Billy Gilbert (September 12, 1894 – September 23,...
– Willie the Giant - Anita Gordon – singing harp
- Dinah ShoreDinah ShoreDinah Shore was an American singer, actress, and television personality...
– singer, narrator of Bongo - Candy CandidoCandy CandidoCandy Candido was an American radio performer, bass player, vocalist and animation voice actor, best remembered for his famous line, "I'm feeling mighty low."...
- Lumpjaw the black bear (growls) (uncredited)
Production
During the 1940s Mickey and the Beanstalk and Bongo were originally going to be developed as two separate feature films.In the late 1930s Mickey Mouse's popularity fell behind Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto and Max Fleischer
Max Fleischer
Max Fleischer was an American animator. He was a pioneer in the development of the animated cartoon and served as the head of Fleischer Studios...
's Popeye
Popeye
Popeye the Sailor is a cartoon fictional character created by Elzie Crisler Segar, who has appeared in comic strips and animated cartoons in the cinema as well as on television. He first appeared in the daily King Features comic strip Thimble Theatre on January 17, 1929...
. In order to boost his popularity Walt Disney and his artist created cartoons such as The Brave Little Tailor and The The Sorcerer's Apprentice which later became apart of Fantasia
Fantasia (film)
Fantasia is a 1940 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released by Walt Disney Productions. The third feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film consists of eight animated segments set to pieces of classical music conducted by Leopold Stokowski, seven of which are...
. In early 1940 during production on Fantasia animators Bill Cottrell and T. Hee
T. Hee
This article is about the animator. For the James Bond villain, see Tee Hee.Thornton "T." Hee, born Alex Campbell was an American animator, director, and teacher. He taught character design and caricature. He is always credited as T. Hee.Hee worked at Leon Schlesinger Productions from 1935-36 as...
pitched the idea of a feature film based on Jack and the Beanstalk
Jack and the Beanstalk
Jack and the Beanstalk is a folktale said by English historian Francis Palgrave to be an oral legend that arrived in England with the Vikings. The tale is closely associated with the tale of Jack the Giant-killer. It is known under a number of versions...
staring Mickey Mouse as Jack and have supporting characters of Donald Duck and Goofy. When they pitched it to Walt he "burst out laughing with tears rolling down his cheeks with joy" as Cottrell and Hee later recalled. Walt enjoyed it so much he invited other employees to listen to it. However he said as much as he enjoyed it, the film would never be put into production because Walt claimed that the audience had certain expectations of Mickey and this was not what the audience would approve of. However Cottrell and Hee were able to talk Walt into into giving it the greenlight and and story development of The Legend of Happy Valley commenced on May 2, 1940.
The original treatment remained more-or-less the same than what ended up in the final film. However were was a few deleted scenes. For example there was a scene in which Mickey took the cow to market where he meets Honest John and Gideon from Pinocchio
Pinocchio (1940 film)
Pinocchio is a 1940 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the story The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. It is the second film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics, and it was made after the success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and was released to theaters by...
who con him into trading his cow for the "magic beans". However after Pinocchio failed at the box-office Honest John and Gideon were cut from the film. The scene was then changed to Mickey giving the cow to the Queen (played by Minnie Mouse
Minnie Mouse
Minerva "Minnie" Mouse is an animated character created by Ub Iwerks and Walt Disney. The comic strip story "The Gleam" by Merrill De Maris and Floyd Gottfredson first gave her full name as Minerva Mouse. Minnie has since been a recurring alias for her. Minnie is currently voiced by actress Russi...
) as a gift, and in return she gave him the magic beans that have been in the royal family for generations. This scene was later cut when the story was tightened for Fun and Fancy Free
Shortly after rough animation on Dumbo
Dumbo
Dumbo is a 1941 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released on October 23, 1941, by RKO Radio Pictures.The fourth film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, Dumbo is based upon the storyline written by Helen Aberson and illustrated by Harold Pearl for the prototype of a...
was complete in May 1941 The Legend of Happy Valley was put into production. Since it was a simple, low budget film in six months time 50 minutes had been animated on "Happy Valley". Then on October 27 1941, due to the Disney animators' strike
Disney animators' strike
The Disney animators' strike was a labor strike by the animators of Walt Disney Studios in 1941.-History:The 1930s led to a rise of labor unions in motion pictures as in other industries such as The Screen Actors Guild which was formed in 1933. Animators of Fleischer Studios went on strike in 1937...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
which had cut off Disney's forgein release market caused the company to be in serious debt so Disney put The Legend of Happy Valley on hold.
Meanwhile, production was starting on Bongo, a film based on the short story written by Sinclair Lewis for a magazine in 1930. It was suggested that Bongo could be a sequel to Dumbo
Dumbo
Dumbo is a 1941 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released on October 23, 1941, by RKO Radio Pictures.The fourth film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, Dumbo is based upon the storyline written by Helen Aberson and illustrated by Harold Pearl for the prototype of a...
and some of the cast from the 1941 film would appear as supporting characters, however the idea never fully materialized. In earlier drafts Bongo had a Chimpanzee
Chimpanzee
Chimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:...
as a friend and partner in his circus act. He was first called Beverly then Chimpy, but was ultimately dropped when condensing the story. Bongo and Chimpy also encountered two mischievous bear cubs that were also deleted. Originally the designs for the characters were more realistic, but when paired for Fun and Fancy Free the designs were simplified and made more cartoony. A nearly completed script was completed on December 8, 1941, the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
.
On that same day the army marched in the studio and took control over all productions. Due to this Bongo was put on hold, along with Alice in Wonderland
Alice in Wonderland (1951 film)
Alice in Wonderland is a 1951 American animated feature produced by Walt Disney and based primarily on Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland with a few additional elements from Through the Looking-Glass. Thirteenth in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film was released in New...
, Peter Pan
Peter Pan (1953 film)
Peter Pan is a 1953 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the play Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up by J. M. Barrie. It is the fourteenth film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series and was originally released on February 5, 1953 by RKO Pictures...
, The Wind in the Willows, Song of the South
Song of the South
Song of the South is a 1946 American musical film produced by Walt Disney and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The film is based on the Uncle Remus cycle of stories by Joel Chandler Harris. The live actors provide a sentimental frame story, in which Uncle Remus relates the folk tales of the...
and The Legond of Happy Valley. During the war the military dictated the Disney studio to mainly produce propaganda films. During and after the war Walt stopped producing single narrative feature films due to the high costs and decided to "package" animated shorts together to make a feature film, a package film
Anthology film
An anthology film is a feature film consisting of several different short films, often tied together by only a single theme, premise, or brief interlocking event . Sometimes each one is directed by a different director...
. He did this during the war on Saludos Amigos
Saludos Amigos
Saludos Amigos is a 1942 animated feature produced by Walt Disney and released by RKO Radio Pictures. It is the 6th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. It is the first of six package films made by the Disney studio in the 1940s...
and The Three Caballeros
The Three Caballeros
The Three Caballeros is a 1944 American animated feature film, produced by Walt Disney and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures. The film premiered in Mexico City on December 21, 1944. It was released in the United States on February 3, 1945...
and continued doing them after the war until he had enough money to make a single narrative feature again. Make Mine Music
Make Mine Music
Make Mine Music is an animated feature produced by Walt Disney and released to theatres by RKO Radio Pictures on August 15, 1946. It is the eighth animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series....
in 1946, preceded Fun and Fancy Free.
Walt felt since the animation of Bongo and The Legond of Happy Valley (which had been re-named Mickey and the Beanstalk) was not as sophisticated enough to be a standard Disney animated feature film the artists then decided that they would be more convenient as part of a package film. At first Walt wanted Mickey and the Beanstalk to be paired with Wind in the Willows (which was in production around this time), under the new title Two Fabulous Characters. However Mickey and the Beanstalk was cut from Two Fabulous Characters and paired with Bongo instead. Two Fabulous Characters eventually added The Legond of Sleepy Hollow and was retitled The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad.
This was the last time that Walt Disney would voice Mickey Mouse on a regular basis since he no longer had the time or the energy to do so. However he would occasionaly do the voice of Mickey on the Mickey Mouse Club
Mickey Mouse Club
The Mickey Mouse Club is an American variety television show that began in 1955, produced by Walt Disney Productions and televised by the ABC, featuring a regular but ever-changing cast of teenage performers. The Mickey Mouse Club was created by Walt Disney...
.
Celebrities like Edgar Bergen and Dinah Shore were cast to introduce the segments in order to appeal to a mass audience. Jiminy Cricket
Jiminy Cricket
Jiminy Cricket is the Walt Disney version of "The Talking Cricket" , a fictional character created by Carlo Collodi for his children's book Pinocchio, which was adapted into an animated film by Disney in 1940...
from Pinocchio
Pinocchio (1940 film)
Pinocchio is a 1940 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the story The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. It is the second film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics, and it was made after the success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and was released to theaters by...
was also placed in the scene in which he sings "I'm a Happy Go Lucky Fellow", a song written for and cut out of Pinocchio
Pinocchio (1940 film)
Pinocchio is a 1940 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the story The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. It is the second film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics, and it was made after the success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and was released to theaters by...
before its release.
Directing animators
- Ward KimballWard KimballWard Walrath Kimball was an animator for the Walt Disney Studios. He was one of Walt Disney's team of animators known as Disney's Nine Old Men.-Career:...
(Jiminy Cricket, Donald Duck) - Les ClarkLes ClarkLes Clark was the first of Disney's Nine Old Men. Joining Disney in 1927, he was the only one to work on the origins of Mickey Mouse with Ub Iwerks.- The Disney Studio :...
(Singing Harp, Lulubelle) - John LounsberyJohn LounsberyJohn Lounsbery was an American animator who worked for The Walt Disney Company. He is best known as one of Disney's Nine Old Men....
(Willie the Giant) - Fred Moore (Mickey)
- Wolfgang ReithermanWolfgang ReithermanWolfgang Reitherman , also known and sometimes credited as Woolie Reitherman, was a famed Disney animator and one of Disney's Nine Old Men.-Personal life:...
(Goofy)
Release and reception
The film was released on September 27, 1947 and was a fairly well received. The Disney package films of the late 1940s helped finance the future film CinderellaCinderella (1950 film)
Cinderella is a 1950 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the fairy tale "Cendrillon" by Charles Perrault. Twelfth in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film had a limited release on February 15, 1950 by RKO Radio Pictures. Directing credits go to Clyde Geronimi,...
.
Availability
Although they were not made into individual full-length features, they did air as individual episodes on Walt Disney's anthology TV series in the 1950s and 1960s. "Mickey and the Beanstalk" in particular aired on a 1963 episode with new introductory segments, and Ludwig Von DrakeLudwig Von Drake
Professor Ludwig von Drake is one of Walt Disney's cartoon and comic book characters. He was first introduced on September 24, 1961, as the presenter in the cartoon An Adventure in Color, part of the first show of Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color on NBC...
's narration (voiced by Paul Frees
Paul Frees
Paul Frees was an American voice actor and character actor.-Biography:He was born Solomon Hersh Frees in Chicago...
) replacing Edgar Bergen (and the sassy comments of his ventriloquist dummy, Charlie McCarthy). Another version of "Beanstalk" replaced Bergen with narration by Sterling Holloway
Sterling Holloway
Sterling Price Holloway, Jr. was an American character actor who appeared in 150 films and television programs. He was also a voice actor for The Walt Disney Company...
, which was used as a stand-alone short in such venues as the 1980s TV show, Good Morning, Mickey!
Good Morning, Mickey!
Good Morning, Mickey! was a television series on Disney Channel beginning in 1983, which featured classic Disney shorts. Although Mickey Mouse shorts, without surprise, were the primary programming, additional cartoons featuring Goofy, Donald Duck, Chip 'n' Dale, Pluto, and others were also shown...
. This short was also one of the many featured in Donald Duck's 50th Birthday
Donald Duck's 50th Birthday
Donald Duck's 50th Birthday is the 1984 television special broadcast on The Magical World of Disney on November 13, 1984 on CBS. As the title suggests, it was produced for the 50th anniversary of the Donald Duck character....
.
In 1982, Fun and Fancy Free was released in its entirety on VHS and again in 1997 and then 2000 on VHS, laserdisc (in 1997) and DVD (in 2000). In 2004, the theatrical version of "Mickey and the Beanstalk" was also released as a bonus feature on the Walt Disney Treasures
Walt Disney Treasures
The Walt Disney Treasures is a two-disc DVD set of classic Disney works. They cover work from the studio's earliest days to their more recent work...
set "Mickey Mouse In Living Color, Volume Two". The TV version, featuring Ludwig van Drake as the narrator, is available as part of the Disney Animation Collection (Volume 1).
Alternate versions
There are three different versions of Mickey and the Beanstalk. There's the original theatrical version, which is part of the Fun and Fancy Free feature, the home video (VHS) version, which is the Ludwig Von Drake version, and an extremely rare TV version narrated by Sterling HollowaySterling Holloway
Sterling Price Holloway, Jr. was an American character actor who appeared in 150 films and television programs. He was also a voice actor for The Walt Disney Company...
. The video and TV releases of Mickey and the Beanstalk have different edits in many parts:
- In the TV version the opening scene where Happy Valley is shown being developed as a vision is absent.
- When the giant first kidnaps the harp, the harp is supposed to scream. However, in some VHS releases the scream was edited out.
- In the TV version the scene where Mickey, Donald and Goofy are walking through the giant's footsteps is edited out.
- In some VHS releases the dragonfly scene was shortened to the fish eating it. The reason is unknown, but probably due to references to World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. - In some VHS releases the clip of Goofy diving into the GelatinGelatinGelatin is a translucent, colorless, brittle , flavorless solid substance, derived from the collagen inside animals' skin and bones. It is commonly used as a gelling agent in food, pharmaceuticals, photography, and cosmetic manufacturing. Substances containing gelatin or functioning in a similar...
, trying to retrieve his hat, was shortened to him diving into the walnut bowl. - The TV version had some additional music added to some parts.
- In the theatrical version (that's part of the official Fun and Fancy Free), when Willie wakes up from his sleep to chase after Mickey and the others, Luanna says "Oh!". This was edited out of the TV version, but some VHS releases accidentally left it on.
External links
- Fun and Fancy Free at Disney.comDisney.comDisney.com is a website, owned by The Walt Disney Company and its subsidiaries, promotes the Disney theme parks and offers entertainment content intended for children....