Three Wartime Cartoons

So I've been mentioning periodically that during the war, Disney put out US propaganda for the government. A few people have asked just what I mean by propaganda. Is it just generally patriotic cartoons? Beating up Hitler? Subliminal messages? So I decided to take a look at three of these wartime toons and see if they fill me with patriotic fervor. Given my hatred of propaganda, jingoism, and unwarranted exceptionalist attitudes, probably...

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1949 - The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

THE ADVENTURES OF ICHABOD AND MR TOADWell, here we are at the end of the anthology age, and if sure has been a - wait for it - wild ride! Ah, comedy. I’ve actually enjoyed these more than I thought I would, though if you’ve been reading, you’ll know that’s still not much. Like the others, this is one with a complex history of development. The Mr. Toad segment was originally meant to be a full-length feature, to follow Bambi, but after 33 minutes...

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So....

I seem to have trodden on my netbook, on which I do my writing. It's actually not a big deal, since it was an old hunk of slowness, and I've been meaning to move things over anyway. Buuuut I haven't had a chance yet, so the "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad" review will be up next Wednesday evening, followed by a special blog on Friday, then "Cinderella" the following Wednesday(ish) and "Alice in Wonderland" the Saturday after. So don't look on this as a delay, look on it as a way to get the good stuff closer together.EDIT: I meant, of course,...

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1948 - Melody Time

Look, it’s basically Make Mine Music 2: Lame 40s Songs Boogaloo. I truly do wish I had some new bit of trivia to lead you in with, but I don’t. It’s just another anthology of shorts set to music more to the tastes of people who didn’t think Fantasia was fun enough. Or fancy-free enough, I suppose. So heat up some leftovers, and I guess we have to talk about Melody Time.ONCE UPON A WINTERTIME - This one was actually pretty good. Two couples, human...

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1947 - Fun and Fancy Free

Before I begin, a few corrections from last time: First of all, ‘Blue Lagoon’ was by the Ken Darby Chorus, not the Kim Darby Chorus. Kim Darby was the terrible actress from the old version of True Grit. Second, I neglected to include my usual meal choice, so in honor of the Martins and the Coys, have some ‘possum stew and a jug of white lightning. Say, here’s a quick clue for you, Walt. If your latest anthology film is made of two shorts that...

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