Make Mine Music (1946)
Written by James Bordrero, et al.
Directed by Jack Kinney, et al.
Unlike Saludos Amigos or The Three Caballeros, there is no frame story linking the different segments of Make Mine Music, the third of six “package films” produced by Walt Disney in the 1940’s. Instead, it feels more like a contemporary (for then, anyway) version of Fantasia, with the film being a simple series of unrelated vignettes, all set to music (and most with words, too).
The film, in the United States, no longer includes the film’s original opening segment, “The Martins and the Coys”, due to excessive comic gun violence.
“Blue Bayou”
Artwork from “Blue Bayou”, originally intended for a follow-up to Fantasia
This segment features animation that was originally intended for Fantasia, when the idea centered around that film being in continuous, updated release. Once that fell through, this animation languished at the Studio for six years, before being added to this film, albeit with a new song attached to it (originally, the artwork was set to “Clair de Lune” by Debussy).
I hope that the original opening segment was much more energetic, because good GRAVY does this start things off slowly. The animation itself isn’t terrible, it’s just extremely slow-tempo’ed.
Segment Grade: C
“All the Cats Join In”
Yup…this is a thing.
After the grinding halt the previous segment brought the film to, this segment is a very nice change of pace. It’s certainly not without its flaws (it is very sexist towards women: in one particular example, a boy isn’t interested in a girl due to the size of her derrière. Once she gets the animator to slim it down (with the use of his eraser), she suddenly becomes desirable, and I’m just like WHAT), but, issues aside, it’s a short, fun slice of mid-1940’s Americana.
Segment Grade: B-
“Without You”
This is a gorgeous image, featuring a very nice rain effect mirrored on the floor.
A very short segment, this is simply a melancholy song set to some melancholy imagery (shades of blue, dead trees, rain, etc.). There is a nice rain reflection effect on the floor at the opening of the segment, but otherwise, there isn’t much happening here.
Segment Grade: C+
“Casey at the Bat”
Casey the ladies man
This segment isn’t set exactly to music...it’s more of a spoken poem that has incidental music accompanying it. The segment is a very fun look at baseball, giving the audience a caricature of a game, and what happens when pride gets the best of you.
Segment Grade: B
“Two Silhouettes”
Two live-action, then traced, dancers
Imagination takes flight here, as two rotoscoped (in other words, filmed then traced) ballet dancers share a pas de duex, with the backgrounds soaring, allowing the dancer to literally attain new heights.
I would have enjoyed it more had the dancers been drawn freehand, instead of traced, but it’s a fun concept.
Segment Grade: B-
“Peter and the Wolf”
This GIF is instantly funnier if you imagine a dubstep beat accompanying it
This is the most traditionally animated segment in the film, retelling the story of “Peter and the Wolf” (which, I thought I knew. Turns out I was thinking of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”. Oh well). Of all the segments, I liked this one the most, as it was able to take me, in a short period, on a full journey: curiosity, humor, anxiety, triumph. And, the music is pretty catchy.
Segment Grade: A-
“After You’ve Gone”
Abstract Instruments, just like the opening of Fantasia
Another short segment, this segment felt most like a direct descendant of the “Toccata and Fugue” segment of Fantasia. I always enjoy abstract art, so this was a fun little segment.
Segment Grade: B+
“Johnnie Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet”
Two hats in love
This segment, in a weird way, reminded me of “Paperman”, a Disney short from 2012. In this segment, two hats in a shop fall in love, and when one is sold, the other will do whatever it takes to find its mate. When the hat finally takes off on its own, it’s a thrilling race to the conclusion of the story. It’s Disney, so of course there’s a Happily Ever After.
Segment Grade: B+
“The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met”
Ridiculous and whimsical
I’ll eat my words here, as there certainly isn’t a happily ever after to this segment. A cute and fanciful idea of a whale that can sing opera, things don’t turn out all that well by the end...it’s a pretty depressing way to end the film. At least there was a fantasy section in the middle, allowing the audience to share the imagination of the Opera Whale, as he performs in venues around the world. There was also a cameo by the seals from one of my favorite Mickey shorts, “Mickey and the Seal”!
Segment Grade: B+
As great as a lot of these segments are, when they are just pieced together, as they are here, the film feels unfocused. I try not to hold that against the Studio: they were doing whatever they could to keep their film division alive while the world was in turmoil. Just a few more “package films” stand between this film and the return to full narrative films!
FINAL GRADE: B
