photo by Martin Blanco
Disney at the Movies – Day 6
- Cartoon Shorts The Three Little Pigs and Mickey’s Trailer
- Main Feature Saludos Amigos
- Live Action Son of Flubber
The Disney Studio was faced with several challenges while the Second World War raged on. The Studio lost considerable revenue with the European market shut down and the US military commandeered much of the physical space. Even so, output didn’t disappear, but the animated features were significantly scaled back in artistry, scope, and volume.
The next animated film in the canon is Saludos Amigos. It was released in Brazil in 1942 and in America a few months later in 1943. It is a blend of animation and live action, but nevertheless has always been regarded as a full-length animated feature. The film is a broad survey of South American culture and geography. Four cartoon shorts are linked together with live action film and narration. You’ll see some familiar faces in the cartoons, such as Donald Duck and Goofy and each segment is engaging. The film falls short as a comprehensive and authentic travelogue of South America, but like many of Disney’s efforts, it succeeds as an introduction to its subject. At 42 minutes long, it is perhaps the shortest of Disney’s full-length animated features.
Because the main feature is short in length and pedestrian in its artistry, we are going to load the cartoon shorts with Disney’s finest. We’ll begin with The Three Little Pigs. This 1933 Silly Symphony was tremendously successful both for the film and the hit song “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?” It won an Academy Award for Best Cartoon and “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?” became the national battle cry against the ravages of the depression. Maybe we could use the song to swell our spirits during the current pandemic.
The next short will be Mickey’s Trailer. In this 1938 cartoon, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy have a trailer that’s full of mechanical surprises. Hitched to a car driven by Goofy, the trailer and our pals take a hair-raising journey. It’s hilariously perilous, and imaginatively dangerous. Buckle up and hang on tight.
We’ll end the evening with Son of Flubber. This 1963 film is the sequel to The Absent-Minded Professor. It’s very similar to the original and that’s okay by us.
The corn is popped, and we are ready to embark on Day 6 of Disney at the Movies. Hope you enjoy this! #sillysymphony #disneymovienight #mickeymouse #who’safraidofthebigbadwolf #thethreelittlepigs
Sources:
Disney A to Z The Official Encyclopedia Fourth Edition Dave Smith c. 2015 Disney Editions
The Disney Films Leonard Maltin c. 1978 Popular Library
c. Martin Blanco, Kathryn Blanco, and Disney at Home May 6, 2020
Disney at Home 