WALT DISNEY'S WONDERFUL WORLD OF COLOR: ADVENTURES IN FANTASY (TV)
Summary
One in this anthology of programming presented by Walt Disney. This episode discusses the ability of animation to create characters out of inanimate objects. Walt Disney explains that due to the potential of animated features, all sorts of objects can potentially become living, breathing characters. He presents examples of this principle in action, such as an animated version of an Aesop fable about an old, inflexible oak tree blown over by the wind because he would not bend, or an animated version of Hans Christian Andersen’s story of the proud teapot who was broken but repurposed as a flowerpot, finding new pride in her new purpose. Mr. Disney talks about the process of incorporating inanimate objects as characters in Disney animated films. He discusses how the flowers in Disney’s adaptation of “Alice in Wonderland” were given their visual characteristics and personalities. He describes the use of inanimate objects as characters in other Disney films, such as in “Fantasia” and “Dumbo.” The flexibility of animation is demonstrated with shorts scenes including a tap-dancing horseshoe and a conversation between several animated shoes. The short animated musical film “Johnny Fedora and Alice Blue Bonnet” is shown to further demonstrate the use of inanimate objects as animated characters. The story concerns the pair of titular hats who meet in a department store window and fall in love. They are separated and Johnny is determined to find Alice again. After many dangers and pitfalls, Johnny and Alice are reunited as hats atop a iceman’s horses. Mr. Disney goes on to describe that everyday objects on street corners can yield possibilities as animated characters. Even buildings can be given life and personality, as is demonstrated by the animated short “The Little House.” The story begins as the eponymous little house, a quaint country cottage, serves as a home to a modest family. However, the house finds it is lonely and desires other houses to talk to. A city expands outward and soon the house finds itself in the company of much larger houses, who are not welcoming towards the little house. The other houses are destroyed by fire but the little house still stands. The city continues to encroach outwards and the house finds itself in crummy surroundings; its owners move away, leaving it alone. Large buildings are torn down to make way for enormous skyscrapers, but the little house still stands, depressed at its new surroundings. A team of men take the house away, and it finds itself back in the country, renovated and hosting a new family, happy once again. The next animated short film is “Susie the Little Blue Coupe,” about a car who is bought from a shop and finds that life in the real world isn’t as inviting as she had hoped. She finds that other cars often scorn her. Eventually she breaks down and her owner gets rid of her, sending her to a used car lot where she is bought by an unsavory customer. Susie falls on hard times, and is treated poorly. To avoid a car thief, she races off into the night, where she is chased and apprehended by police cars and placed into a junkyard. A teenager buys her and fixes her as good as new; the short film ends as she rides off into the horizon. The last animated short is “Little Toot,” about a tiny rambunctious tugboat who shuns his responsibilities. One day his antics go too far and he is reprimanded by his father. Little Toot tries to help his father with his job, but it proves disastrous and he is banished from the harbor. He is caught in a violent storm out on the sea when he spots a boat in distress. The other boats try to reach him but cannot. After he is struck by lightning, Little Toot manages to pull the boat to safety himself and is welcomed back as a hero. Includes commercials.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: December 30, 1962 7:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:56:58
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T82:0429
- GENRE: Animation
- SUBJECT HEADING: Animation; Children's programs
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 1961-1969
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - "In Search of the Castaways" motion picture
- TV - Commercials - Kodak cameras
- TV - Commercials - RCA electronics
CREDITS
- Harry Tytle … Supervising Producer
- Bill Justice … Director
- Clyde Geronimi … Director
- Wilfred Jackson … Director
- Jack Kinney … Director
- Cliff Nordberg … Animation
- Marc Davis … Animation
- Les Clark … Animation
- Eric Larson … Animation
- Ollie Johnston … Animation
- Earl Combs … Animation
- Bill Peet … Writer
- Bill Cottrell … Writer
- Erdman Penner … Writer
- Hardie Gramatky … Based on the book "Little Toot" by
- Wallace Oliver … Music by
- Eliot Daniel … Music by
- Ken Darby … Music by
- Paul Smith … Music by
- Walt Disney … Host, Narrator
- Sterling Holloway … Narrator
- The Andrews Sisters … Music Group