Last time, I took a look at Melody Time, the musical anthology film released by Disney in 1948. The era of Disney animated films between Bambi (released in 1942) and Cinderella (released in 1950), what I call the Post-War Era, represents what I think is a truly unique time in the history of animation. Animated movies were still comparatively new (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs had been released in 1937) and Disney was still basically the only company making full-length feature films.
The Disney Company during this period was dealing with the national obligations and immediate fallout of World War 2, as many Disney animators, writers, and actors found themselves drafted into the war effort, either through direct military action or in the use of Disney resources towards war propaganda and bond promotion. The result was the delay, re-imagining, or outright cancellation of many Disney projects in favor of releases that would be easier to handle on a wartime budget and immediate post-war reintegration of lost assets. This resulted in an era of Disney films that were almost exclusively anthology films, compilations of several shorts and cartoon segments, usually interconnected loosely by a common theme or thread.
Films like Make Mine Music and Melody Time focused on creating a Fantasia-esque experience utilizing popular music of the 30s and 40s. Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros served a socio-political function by promoting Latin American culture in the US to help garner allied support in Central and South America . But today's article is about a film which seems altogether different in vibe and energy, by focusing not on music or unique cultural experiences but a loose frame and focus of joy and optimism in face of adversity. A film that could only have come out on the heel of one of the greatest wars and atrocities in human history.
I am talking about the 1947 film, Fun and Fancy Free. I will not pretend that this film is anything other than an absolute product of its time. What I do wish to discuss below will be the unique nature of this film and whether or not it is worth watching in any capacity other than a pure fascination with this strange relic of a bygone cinematic time.
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- Produced by Walt Disney Productions
- Directed by Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, and Jack Kinney
- Running Time: 75 Minutes
- MPAA Rating: G
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SUMMARY
Fun and Fancy Free is an animated musical anthology, hosted by Jiminy Cricket and Edgar Bergen (don't worry if you don't know who that is...I don't either). The two introduce two animated shorts to the viewing audience during a dinner party, Bongo, based on the short story Little Bear Bongo by Sinclair Lewis, and Mickey and the Beanstalk, based on the famous fairy tale Jack and the Beanstalk. It's a light-hearted night of fun and celebrating the joys and wonders of life, even against overwhelming odds.
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REVIEW
I will be completely honest with you; I am not a fan of Fun and Fancy Free. I've never really been a fan. That is not to say that I don't have things that I like or enjoy watching in it (mostly one thing) but there is just something about this film that has always sort of left a stale taste in my mouth. Even as a child, I wasn't super crazy about this movie.
The structure and "story" is laughably simple to understand. Like most Disney anthologies, the connective story between the two animated segments is basically nonexistent and the film is essentially divided into three "segments", two animated and a live action segment in between, with a live action prologue also included at the beginning. I will discuss the introduction first, then speak about each segment individually, before finally giving my take about the film as a whole.
The film opens up with Jiminy Cricket, from Pinocchio, walking around a house talking to various inanimate objects, as well as singing "I'm a Happy-go-Lucky Fellow", where he begins to espouse his personal philosophy of staying light-hearted and not allowing himself to become overwhelmed or bogged down by the struggles of life by taking each moment in isolation and approaching every situation "full of fun and fancy free", evoking the title of the entire film. He then introduces the first short of the film, Bongo, as a means of furthering his point.
Bongo
Narrated by Dinah Shore (apparently a well-regarded actress of the era), Bongo tells the story of a famous circus bear named Bongo who, while beloved by audiences, his treated horribly by the staff of his circus behind the scenes. Desperate for freedom and dreaming of life in the wilderness being a "real bear", Bongo eventually elects to run away from the circus into the woods.
However, Bongo soon realizes that his skills in the circus don't exactly translate well to life in the wild and he quickly becomes the laughing stock of the forest. Things do begin to look up when he meets a female bear named Lulubelle and the two quickly become smitten. However due to a miscommunication borne of Bongo's lack of knowledge regarding bear "culture" (bears apparently say 'I love you' by slapping their romantic partner), a rival bear named Lumpjaw soon takes Lulubelle as his own partner. When he learns the truth regarding Lulubelle's feelings, Bongo has to use his circus skills to challenge Lumpjaw and win back Lulubelle's hand.
That's the plot of Bongo and I want to be clear. About 80% of the reason I don't like Fun and Fancy Free can be laid solely at the feet of this snoozefest of a short. I hate Bongo. I hated it when I was kid and I'm not really that much more of a fan as an adult. In some ways, I can't even really describe why I don't like it. Dinah Shore's narration is fine, the animation quality is great (exactly what I would expect from this era of Disney animation) and I even rather like the romance between Bongo and Lulubelle. It just feels off to me and I've always felt this way about it.
I guess if I can put it into words, Bongo is slow and predictable. The film spends a long time trying to do anything and doesn't end up really going anywhere. The entire "conflict" of the film would be resolved if anyone explained to Bongo what a slap means to bears from the beginning and I've always hated any story whose conflict can be resolved in a single conversation. Leaving aside the fact that I also was incredibly uncomfortable with the underlying subtext of this short, even as a kid (physical violence can be an expression of love). That's not what they intended but it is what comes across when they have Bongo slap the shit out of Lulubelle at the end of the short and its treated as an incredibly romantic gesture.
Honestly, this short just feels boring and icky to me and its never been able to hold my interest. Even when reviewing Fun and Fancy Free, I felt like I had to force myself through Bongo just to get to the rest of the film. If I was just reviewing Bongo on its own, I would probably rate it as one of the lowest films I've reviewed on this website.
The Birthday Party
After we finally free of the horrors of Bongo, Jiminy Cricket is drawn to another room where he learns that a birthday party is happening for Luana Patten, hosted by Edgar Bergen and his puppet friends Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd.
If you don't recognize any of these names right off hand, don't worry....
... BECAUSE I DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THEM EITHER.
This single segments dates this film so damn heavily. And they do absolutely nothing to make you aware of just who these people are; we are just supposed to apparently know automatically who all of them are and back in the 1940s, maybe that was the case. But now?
I don't know anyone born after 1960 who even knows who these people are and why they are famous. Watching Edgar Bergen do his ventriloquist act is funny, I suppose but it comes completely out of left field and his routine is never explained; we just see him performing his act and are supposed to go along with it. As for Luana Patten, she also appeared in Melody Time during the Pecos Bill segment as I recall and she was a weird addition there as well.
I only realized after that Luana's presence here was likely a way for Disney to push her star power for other live action projects, as in 1947 the only major Disney film that she was in was...Song of the South.
Yeesh.
She would also eventually star in So Dear to My Heart in 1948 before making a career in quite a few westerns throughout the 1950s and 60s. But here?
She's just a little girl acting next to snarky puppet telling bad jokes. And its...weird. It's really freaking weird. Especially since its all really just a buildup for the actual full segment, Mickey and the Beanstalk, narrated by Edgar Bergen.
Mickey and the Beanstalk
For all the dislike that I have for Bongo, I absolutely adore Mickey and the Beanstalk. Perhaps it is because I have a soft spot for Mickey cartoons in general, especially from the 40s and 50s, or because so many of the characters later appear in Mickey's A Christmas Carol (my favorite adaptation of the classic story). Edgar Bergan performs this narration very well, if the occasional colored commentary from Charlie and Mortimer does end up giving the short a weird sort of Mystery Science Theater 3000 feel to it at times.
The story is fairly consistent with the fairy tale it is inspired by. In a medieval kingdom, there exists a magical talking harp whose music spreads prosperity throughout the land. When the harp is mysteriously stolen one day, the kingdom falls to drought and famine. Mickey, Donald, and Goofy are a trio of desperate farmers struggling to survive in the famine. They are eventually forced to sell their only dairy cow to survive, but Mickey still optimistic and full of hope is seemingly swindled into trading the cow for some "magic beans". Enraged, Donald throws the beans away. But later that same night, the magic beans grow into a massive beanstalk which lead Mickey, Donald and Goofy to castle of Willie the Giant, a dim-witted magical giant that stole the magic harp. Mickey, Donald, and Goofy then have to survive Willie's castle and return the magic harp to the world below in order to restore the land to prosperity.
It's a simple story, and its absolutely perfect. I would go so far as to say that this might very well be the greatest Mickey cartoon ever produced. Even with the color commentary from Bergan and his puppets, its well-paced and filled with moments of wonder and awe. As a kid, I would actually usually watch Fun and Fancy Free just for the Mickey and the Beanstalk segment. It is that good. The short is charming and heart-warming and the food sequences are some of the best in any Disney era cartoon.
In terms of production, the cartoon is exactly the kind of high quality Disney cartoon that I would expect from this era. Walt Disney, Clarence Nash, and Pinto Colvig (the voices of Mickey, Donald, and Goofy respectively) are magnificent and iconic in their roles, and Willie the Giant is apparently a very thinly veiled play off his voice actor's standup comedy routine. In my mind, this cartoon alone would be worth watching this movie, though the fact that this film is often split into separate cartoons anyway does kind of limit my push to actually check it out.
Conclusion
I'm at a bit of a loss to be honest. On the one hand, I cannot stand Bongo and avoid watching it whenever I can. It just has never appealed to me. On the other hand, Mickey and the Beanstalk is one of my favorite cartoon shorts of all time and I absolutely adore the music, characters, and legendary moments. Coupled with the confusing and supremely dated celebrity references and I find Fun and Fancy Free to be the absolute oddest film in the Post-War era.
I want to like this film, I just don't...get it. Maybe someone else will, but for me personally, saving the Mickey and the Beanstalk short, I can't find this film as anything more than an interesting historical time capsule and an average Disney film. Mickey and the Beanstalk is pushing the ratings up... a lot. Without it, I might genuinely be rating this as a 3/10.
But as it is....
VISUALS
- 8/10
SOUNDTRACK
- 5/10
CHARACTERS
- 4/10
STORY
- 5/10
FINAL SCORE - 5.5/10
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