Disney 53 – Week 8: Make Mine Music

Each week, THN takes a look back at one of the Walt Disney Animated Classics. The ones that the Walt Disney Company showed in cinemas, the ones they’re most proud of, the ones that still cost a bloody fortune no matter how old they are. The really good ones get through more re-editions than a Spielberg movie, and that’s saying something.

And now for something slightly different. MAKE MINE MUSIC.

Directed by Jack Kinney, Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske, Joshua Meador, Robert Cormack.

1945/ 76 Minutes*

During the Second World War, the Disney Studios were effectively carved up. A lot of the staff were drafted into the Army, and the ones left were called on to make training and propaganda films for the government. Shorts like THE NEW SPIRIT (1942), DER FUEHRER’S FACE (1943) EDUCATION FOR DEATH and COMMANDO DUCK (1944), and the “unofficial” Disney movie, VICTORY THROUGH AIR POWER, many of which have been swept under the rug these days for being about as politically correct as the Black and White Minstrel Show, but did their part in their country’s war effort.

At the same time, the studio was littered with unused and unfinished story ideas. The ‘package films’ of the 40s was the result.

MAKE MINE MUSIC doesn’t adhere to any real plotline like its predecessors; it’s like watching the Directors Early Films segment of a DVD; aside from a reliance on music, and the music stars of the era, and some FANTASIA-esque animation there’s very little to link these shorts.

The “first” short isn’t actually there any more, depending on which version you see. The Martins and the Coys was cut from the picture for home release because it’s quite heavy on the gunplay and the old staple, negative stereotyping. It features the popular radio group ‘King’s Men’ singing the story of a Hatfields and McCoys- inspired feud between two redneck families. Having blown each other to kingdom come, the only two remaining members of the family are young, nubile (and in the girl’s case quite risqué) and immediately attracted to each other.
 

Blue Bayou features animation originally intended for FANTASIA, to the strains of Clair de Lune. For MAKE MINE MUSIC the music was replaced by the titular song, sung by the Ken Darby Singers. While it does fit with FANTSIA’S dreamlike, ethereal quality, it doesn’t have quite the same feel to it. The birds portrayed are not caricatured or humanised in any way, and it feels like an old painting brought to life.

All the Cats Join In, on the other hand, is at the other end of the spectrum. Much like Warner cartoon DUCK AMUCK, it features characters interacting with the ‘animator’ himself as he creates the world around them; the animated pencil even has quickly draw a stop light to halt a half-drawn car full of teenagers so it can finish drawing a back axle.
In the short, a bunch of stereotypical 1940s jocks get together for a dance, acting like pricks and eating ice cream. Aside from being remarkably risqué- the girl is completely naked in some shots, this sequence is actually a bit sinister, what with all the blank, baby-like faces and small, round black eyes. Benny Goodman contributed to this one.

Without You is a very melancholy and very short ballad of lost love, sung by Andy Russell. It’s a sort of emo FANTASIA, very dark blues and greys, and an awful lot of rain.

Casey at the Bat is much more mainstream, with comedian and trombonist Jerry Colonna reciting Ernest Thayer’s poem of the same name. The animation is that of a classic short, and is the usual mix of caricature and zany action, where an arrogant baseballer’s arrogance costs his team the game. Not much can be said for this one, as it covers all the (ahem) bases of a Disney short.

Two Silhouettes is a rather cute little piece, where two live action ballet dancers move in silhouette to animated backgrounds. Ralph Bakshi’s THE LORD OF THE RINGS (1978) used a similar tactic, and you can kinda see why they used it. to actually animate the intricate and delicate movements of the dancers by hand would have taken up too much time and resources, which Disney didn’t have at the time.

Next up is arguably the most famous segment of this feature; Sterling Holloway narrating a condensed and ‘modified’ version of Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf. It makes a lot of changes to the story, most notably preserving a character who snuffs it in the original. It’s also surprisingly positive in its view on Russians,  and a lot of the text seen onscreen is indeed in Russian. Probably due to the fact the US was in an alliance with the Russians against the Axis powers.
This segment has enjoyed more success than most, and has been re-issued a number of times in one form or another. It was shown before a re-release of FANTASIA, and then released on its own in the 1990s on video (you remember video, right?)
It also got an airing during ‘Belle’s Tales of Friendship’, a ‘midquel’ to BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. This time it’s Belle doing the narration.

After You’ve Gone features Benny Goodman again, and his orchestra, as four anthropomorphic instruments parading around a surreal backdrop. It’s a bit Pink Elephants on Parade, and is very weird, but it’s interesting how the visuals reflect which instrument is playing the lead.

Johnny Fedora and Alice Blue Bonnet is for me the highlight here, as it showcases the wonder of animation, and how a few lines and shadows can make you really feel for a sodding hat. It’s arguably the most romantic segment, as the Andrews Sisters sing the heartfelt tale of two hats who fall in love in a department store window. When Alice is sold, Johnny devotes himself to finding her again. This segment was later released theatrically in ’54.

The bittersweet finale, The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met was also  released independently. It’s the tale of Willie, a sperm whale with unnatural musical talent and dreams of singing grand opera. His story reaches a short-sighted impresario, who comes to believe the whale has swallowed the world’s next greatest opera singer, and charters a boat to kill the whale and ‘rescue’ his next star. Willie tries to impress him by showing off his incredible ability to sing in three voices at the same time, due to his having three uvulae (the dangly bit at the back of your mouth). Despite his crew’s protests, the impresario succeeds in harpooning poor Willie, and while the whale is killed, his voice(s) will sing on in Heaven.

Lessons Learned

1. Sometimes you find your best ideas at the bottom of a barrel.

2. Don’t be a jerk if people are depending on you.

3. Don’t give up on your dreams, even when the whole world is gunning for you.

THE HEROES

We get a few of them here, from Peter to Johnny Fedora to Willie the unlucky whale. Each of them carry their story well, but for me it’s Johnny Fedora that takes it. He’s a testament to the power of animation.

THE HEROINES

Likewise,we get a few, but it’s only Alice Blue Bonnet that’s really set apart.

THE VILLAINS

The  Wolf is pretty darn scary for a Disney short, and the Impresario out for Willie is misguided rather than malicious. Neither the Martins nor the Coys are shown as being villainous, except maybe to each other.

SIDEKICKS/HENCHMEN

We get  a whole team of them in the Peter and the Wolf segment, and each manages to be an independent character despite having no dialogue nor real screentime.

PLOT

On the whole there isn’t much of one; it’s just a hodge-podge of shorts with varying styles, but a good half of the shorts do have a coherent storyline.

LAUGHS

A couple, but to be honest I just sat back and enjoyed it. A few laughs were had of the ‘What the f-‘ variety, but that’s rather par for the course with these package features.

SCARES

The Wolf is pretty darn scary at times and is quite a sinister, lurking menace. Aside from that the only real scares are the kids eyes in the Cats Join In sequence. Those blank, staring eyes. Like caverns in the snow. Like bore holes into your soul. your very soul…

MORAL/ EDUCATIONAL VALUE

We pick up a little on Peter and the Wolf, but don’t use it for your final exam papers; it plays a little fast and loose with the original work. We learn that miracles can happen, but sometimes people are blind to what’s right in front of them. We also pick up a little about the style and culture of the 40s, and how the youth of the era were perceived as being just as uncouth and rebellious as they are in any generation.

MUSIC/SONGS

Some really beautiful pieces, spanning classical and modern music of the era, from the Andrews Sisters doo-wah to Willie’s grand opera.

LEGACY

While it’s worth a repeat viewing, many of the segments were kinda lost in time, while a select few managed some success on their own. A lot of the smaller pieces are kinda forgettable, but worth a mention for their innovative animation styles and (ahem) inventive cost-cutting.

FINAL SCORE 36/53

A couple more and we can start with a scoreboard. Sneak peek: at the moment, BAMBI is in second place.

Anything to add? Be our guest!