Melody Time (1948)
Written by Winston Hibler, et al.
Directed by Jack Kinney, et al.
As the 40’s, and the War, began to draw to a close, Walt Disney began to see some light at the end of the tunnel. The “package films” that make up the bulk of the Studio output in this decade were designed to, primarily, keep costs low, so that, eventually, Walt and his team could get back into creating full-length narrative films. Melody Time, like Make Mine Music, is a contemporary version of Fantasia, and the second-to-last “package film” that was created.
“Once Upon a Wintertime”
Look at how cute this is!
I really enjoyed this segment. Not only does it depict Christmas (my favorite holiday of the year), but it does it in a stylized version, making the piece feel timeless. I’m a sucker for traditional Christmas, so this segment was really right up my alley.
There is a weird moment where characters started turning colors, based on their moods (blue for sadness, red for anger, etc.)…I wouldn’t comment on it, except it only happens for a brief period of the segment, not the entire thing.
Segment Grade: A-
“Bumble Boogie”
Watch out, friend!
Of the seven segments in Melody Time, this one feels the most like a segment from Fantasia. It’s set to a jazz variation of “Flight of the Bumblebee”, but it was pretty cute, and the piano playing was really something!
Segment Grade: B+
“The Legend of Johnny Appleseed”
Look at those yummy apples!
This was another great segment, with tons of great numbers and a good message, to boot. It’s a little more religious than I usually go for, but it still does a fine job of telling the legend of Johnny Appleseed. And, it succeeded in making me want all kinds of apple products, especially apple pie!!! Mmmmmm….
Segment Grade: A-
“Little Toot”
Toots in trouble again!
“Little Toot” is a junior tugboat in a harbor who wants to have fun, but also wants to help, so when he finally does he GOOD GOD LITTLE TOOT WHAT DID YOU DO I DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW THIS HAPPENS SHAME AND DISHONOR oh wait he’s made everything okay again?
(This analysis was brought to you today by Stream of Consciousness (tm). Enjoy!)
Segment Grade: B-
“Trees”
Yup…its about trees.
“Trees” is a nice concept. It’s a poem, about trees. That’s…about it. Nothing much really happens here.
Segment Grade: C
“Blame It on the Samba”
You’re turning violet, Violet…erm…Donald!
Donald and José are back (being afflicted, at first, with the same full-body emotional coloring that afflicted the couple in the first segment), and once again, they bring some Latin flavor to the film, dancing quite a bit to the Samba. It’s just like what we saw in Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros, including the instant graininess of the animation when a real person strolls through. Unfortunately, even when there isn’t live action, the animation still looks to be at a lower resolution.
Segment Grade: C
“Pecos Bill”
You know, for an animated film, there is A LOT of live-action in these “package films”. The live-action here also features “Trigger”, a horse who, apparently, loves to steal the show.
Westerns just aren’t my thing.
The segment itself just personally wasn’t my cup of tea. It was fun to see a connection to the “Golden Horseshoe”, but as I never saw that show either, it still didn’t do a lot for me.
Segment Grade: B-
This film starts off very strong with its segments, but as it goes on, the segments, for me, begin to lose quality. I can’t quite put my finger on where the issue lies (and honestly, it could just be me: I’m just not a fan of films that don’t have a through line of a plot (the Fantasia films notwithstanding)), but there’s only one more “package film” to get through! We’re almost there!
FINAL GRADE: B
