[thunderstrike541]

Day 3, Part 1:

Fun And Fancy Free (1947):



Between Bambi and Cinderella, there was a time when Disney movies were just... well....


Most of these movies from that time had characters such as Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, and Jiminy Cricket. Fun & Fancy Free just happens to contain all four of those characters. So let's take a look at Walt Disney's ninth Animated feature*.

The movie opens up with a song sung by Jiminy Cricket. After escaping the jaws of death (a.k.a. a cat), Jiminy finds a room that has a doll and a stuffed bear. Both toys, according to Jiminy, have sad looks on their faces. He then puts on a record that has the story of Bongo on it, leading to the first segment of the movie.

Bongo:



The first segment in Fun & Fancy Free is a story about a circus bear named Bongo. Even though he is the star of the circus. Bongo wishes that he could live in the wilderness. He then escapes from the circus train that he is on. After Bongo attempts to climb a tree in the wilderness (and fails miserably), the narrator begins to sing a song as Bongo wanders around the wilderness.... because DISNEY!!!
That night, when he tries to sleep, he is awakened by the sounds of the wilderness and a storm. While trying to catch a fish the following morning, Bongo meets a female bear. And after he meets the bear, the narrator sings yet another song. Because..... DISNEY!!! After the song, a big mean bear appears and beats Bongo up because Bongo is in love with the bear that the mean bear is in love with. The lady bear slaps Bongo, and Bongo is heart broken. And then there is.... another.... song.....It is in this song that Bongo learns that a bear likes to say that they're in love by slapping the bear that it is in love with..... What?

Bongo then proceeds to fight the bad bear, and Bongo wins by causing the bad bear to go over a waterfall. So, the moral of the story is to never fight a bear on a unicycle.

So, Bongo and the female bear live happily ever after (I'm assuming) make bear babies.

We the cut back to Jiminy Cricket, where he find an invitation to a birthday party. Jiminy arrives there, and sees an old man, two puppets, and a little gir... wait, what? The old man proceeds to tell the story of Jack And The Beanstalk. We then go to our next segment.

Mickey & The Beanstalk

If you know the story of Jack & The Beanstalk, then you know the plot of this segment. If you don't know the story, where is your childhood? This segment is basically Jack & The Beanstalk with Mickey, Donald, and Goofy.

There is this though**:

Basically, Mickey trades in his cow for some magic beans. The beans grow in a huge beanstalk and Mickey, Donald, and Goofy find themselves at Willie the Giant's castle. They rescue a gold harp from the giant and make their escape, killing the giant in the process. They brought happiness back to their village.

One of the puppets is sad that Willie died, and the old man tells the puppet that Willie was just a figment of his imagination. It is then revealed that Willie was real, kind, and was looking for Mickey Mouse.

Fun and Fancy Free is, in my opinion, one of the better Disney animated films from the mid to late 1940's. It has two very entertaining stories, and is one of the only Disney movies to contain all four of Disney's most famous characters (Mickey, DOnald, Goofy, and Jiminy Cricket).

I give this movie a 7 out of 10.


So Dear To My Heart (1948):



So Dear To My Heart is among the first Disney movies to use both live action and animation (after The Reluctant Dragon (1941), Victory Through Air Power (1943), Song Of The South (1946).)

Quote:

Originally Posted by http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/So_Dear_to_My_Heart

Set in early 20th century Indiana (in 1903), So Dear to My Heart tells the tale of Jeremiah Kincaid (Bobby Driscoll) and his quest to raise his "champion" lamb, Danny (named for the famed race horse, Dan Patch, who is also portrayed in the film). Jeremiah's dream of showing Danny at the Pike County Fair must overcome the obstinate objections of his loving, yet strict, grandmother Granny (Beulah Bondi). Jeremiah's confidant, Uncle Hiram (Burl Ives), is the boy's steady ally.

This movie was really entertaining. The songs were definitely catchy. If there is one complaint I have, it's this: what the hack was with that random owl. It's like, every scene he is in, he sings. Because..... DISNEYok... that joke is getting old....

I give this movie a 7.9 out of 10

To Be Continued...




*= I am aware that I went from the 7th movie (The Three Caballeros) to the 9th movie (Fun And Fancy Free). The 6th movie (Saludos Amigos) and the 8th movie (Make Mine Music) are unfortunately NOT in my VHS collection and will not be reviewed until either I find a copy of them on VHS or DVD OR until I have reviewed every Disney movie I had. If I cannot find them before the marathon is over, they will be reviewed in a separate marathon that contains movies that I don't own such as Song of the South, Swiss Family Robinson, and The Emperor's New Groove

**= This is from the separate release of Mickey And The Beanstalk