Disney Movie Challenge: Melody Time (1948)

DISNEY MOVIE CHALLENGE

Melody Time

WHAT IS THE DISNEY MOVIE CHALLENGE: With Disney+ making available almost all of their films from the vault I thought it was a good time to watch all the theatrically released feature length Disney Studio Animated films. That’s a lot of qualifications so what does it all mean? It must be a film developed and released under the Walt Disney Animation Studios (so no PIXAR or Tim Burton stop motion films). Must have been released in theaters (no direct to video releases). And feature length (no shorts that played prior to the features). Currently there are 58 films. Starting with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937 going to Frozen II in 2020. 

The late 40's packaged film trend continues in this feature loaded with 7 shorts. Similar to Fantasia and Make Mine Music each short in Melody Time is based on music.  There are stories about Johnny Appleseed, a tug boat named Little Toot, and another short with Donald Duck and Jose Carioca.  The last and longest short (at 20 minutes) has Roy Rogers and Trigger telling the story of Pecos Bill.  Felt like that was supposed to the main event and all the other shorts were the under card.  

The movie is mostly uninspired shorts.  I had a real hard time keeping an interest in any of the shorts.  Even bringing back Jose Carioca who was one of the highlights of previous package films didn't do anything to save this one.  The Pecos Bill short wasn't bad, just felt like Disney trying to capitalize on the popularity of Roy Rogers. Bumble Boogie is a fun short that has a jazz version of  Flight of the Bumble Bee.  It features a Bee trying to escape crazy instruments and is one of the few highlights of the film .   

Overall: Pretty boring film.  While most of the previous package films had a few highlights this one really only had one. After "Make Mine Music" I was wondering why Disney hadn’t made more shorts with modern music.  Then Melody Time comes along and now I know.  

Random Facts  

10th Disney Animated Feature Film

5th of 6 packaged films released in the late 40's.  

Pecos Bill has a few scenes of the main character smoking edited out on the original DVD release but the Disney + version has the full unedited short.  

Hamlet 1948

What can you say about Hamlet. It is just a film version of the Shakespeare play with very few changes. Although it is the only film version that eliminated Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Laurence Olivier's version from 1948 is considered one of the best versions of Hamlet on film which is saying a lot because there have been many versions. But as far as I am concerned it is one big snooze fest. If you have insomnia and need something to watch to fall asleep this would be my suggestion. Maybe I am just not into Shakespeare but I find it very boring. It doesn't bring anything new to the story, I feel like once you have seen one version there is no need to see another. Took me like five restarts to finally finish the movie because it kept putting me to sleep. I don't know how this movie beat The Treasure of the Sierra Madre for best picture. That was a great movie.

Other Facts
Laurence Olivier was the first person to Direct themselves to a Best Acting Academy Award. Roberto Benigni is the only other person to do that for Life is Beautiful in 1997. They both lost the best directing Oscar.

Eileen Herlie was 28 when she played Hamlets mother Laurence Olivier was 41.