The Disney Discussion - Make Mine Music

Over the course of the year, we'll be spending our Wednesdays with Walt, having a discussion about each of Disney's animated films...

Movie #8 of The Disney Discussion

Make Mine Music (1946)

Directed by Jack Kinney, Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske, Bob Cormack, and Josh Meador

Summary (in 150 words or less):

Make Mine Music is essentially Disney's response to those that thought Fantasia was too highbrow.  Here, we get ten shorts that could have certainly been part of Disney's Silly Symphonies series.  Each short is introduced with its title, a three or four word explanation of the type of music we'll be hearing, and the musician who will be either singing or playing the music during the segment. 

Let the Discussion Begin...

Make Mine Music is the Walt Disney Company's eighth full-length animated feature and was released on April 20, 1946.  The film was met with mixed reviews and it was the only Disney animated feature to not be re-released in its entirety.  (Obviously, nowadays, the modern Disney features are rarely re-released thanks to the proliferation of home viewing, but this was certainly commonplace up until the 1980s.)

Although WWII had ended by the time of Make Mine Music's release, it was still developed during wartime (as were the three "package films" we'll see after this).  With many of Disney's animators having to enlist, it was easier (not to mention cheaper) to create shorts and lump them together as a feature-length film.

Make Mine Music was entered into the 1946 Cannes Film Festival.  The film was not nominated for any Oscars.

As has been the case with the two prior films, we're bypassing the "character" section seeing as how the "shorts" nature of the film doesn't lend itself well to focusing on specific characters.  Instead, we'll take a quick look at each individual short.

Make Mine Music actually opens with a segment that was removed from the film for its dvd release.  In order to watch, you must venture over to YouTube where you can check out the The Martins and the Coys, "a Rustic Ballad."  Apparently responding to criticism that the Hatfields and McCoys-esque feud that's depicted had a bit too many guns blasting to deem it "appropriate" for an animated film, Disney excised the segment from its dvd releases in the United States.  Personally, I think that's ridiculous as there's nothing overly offensive or inappropriate here, but the PC Police have ruled it improper.  It's a shame really as this would've been an amusing opening number, setting a tone of fun and humor thanks to the Warner Brothers-esque animation coupled with a fun tune sung by the then popular King's Men.

Instead of opening with The Martin and the Coys, the film opens on dvd with Blue Bayou, "a Tone Poem."  The animation for this segment which features a beautiful stork flying through a twilit swamp was initially created for Fantasia, although it was set to Debussy's "Clair de Lune," instead of the bluesy "Blue Bayou" performed by the Ken Darby Singers.  This is an odd opening for the film which often strives for an upbeat tone rather than a more subdued one.  Still, it's a pretty piece and the best of the film's "quieter" moments.

Next comes All the Cats Join In, "a Jazz Interlude," and it's a cartoon that I've adored ever since I remember seeing it on the Disney Channel back when I was a kid.  Here the buoyant energy of Benny Goodman and His Orchestra are coupled with some cool teenage kids whose only desire is to get the malt shop and have a fun time dancing to the music blaring out of the jukebox.  The segment moves incredibly quickly and is uniquely designed in that we see a pencil drawing much of the action as it's taking place.  The images are quintessentially 1940s and the design aesthetic is entirely appealing to this viewer.

The fourth segment is entitled Without You, "a Ballad in Blue," and it's one of the shortest segments in the film. The song about lost love crooned by Andy Russell is paired with a shockingly minimalist animated sequence that stands in such stark contrast to the segment that came before it that it's rather jarring.

Next up is Casey at the Bat, "a Musical Recitation" of the well-known poem by Ernest Thayer.  I remember this segment as well, but it resonated more with me as a kid than it did as an adult.  I enjoyed the early 1900s aesthetic, but the segment felt like much more of a throwaway than I remember it being.  This is certainly pleasant, but not overly so.

Sixth in the lineup is Two Silhouettes, a "Ballade Ballet" and it's the worst short in the Make Mine Music bill.  In an attempt to inject "culture" into the mix, we get live action shadows of two ballerinas prancing about while Dinah Shore croons some depressing tune.  Even moreso than the prior "subdued" pieces in the film, this one brings the flick to a screeching halt.

Peter and the Wolf, "a Musical Fairytale," is next and it's the longest piece in the film.  Unfortunately, the extended length doesn't necessarily equate with quality.  Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf" utilized different instruments to depict the different characters in the story he was trying to tell.  Here, thanks to our narrator Sterling Holloway (AKA the Stork in Dumbo), we're told the story via words which is just overkill.  Had the animators followed the Fantasia-style of simply telling stories through music, this segment may have been a success.  Instead, the narration drags the segment out with a bit too much silliness.

The eighth segment brings Benny Goodman back for After You've Gone, a fast jazzy number where anthropomorphized instruments dance about in a somewhat stream-of-consciousness style of animation.  There's nothing special here, but it's certainly an acceptable quick interlude.

Next is the absolutely lovely Johnny Fedora and Alice Blue Bonnet, "a Love Story" of two hats -- the titular fedora and blue bonnet -- who fall in love with each other while sitting in a boutique window.  When Alice is bought one afternoon, Johnny sets out to find his true love.  With an amusing song by the fantastic Andrews Sisters and some clever animation -- heck, these are hats we're staring at, but they're given personalities which is something to admire (look at the way Johnny's smiling above) -- the segment is simplistic, but it's incredibly charming.

The final segment of the film is one of the best -- The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met, "an Opera Pathetique."  Here, we meet Willie the Whale who just so happens to be a great opera singer.  When he's discovered by some sailors, he's brought to New York City where he takes the stage by storm.  The story takes a surprising (and sad) turn, but it's done so in a way that seems completely believable and adds to the emotional impact of the piece as a whole.  With all the voices in the segment done by Nelson Eddy, the entire short is a great ending to the film (and it, coupled with Johnny Fedora, can certainly skew you into thinking that you've seen a better film than you really have).

The Music

As the title suggests, music plays a strong role in Make Mine Music and even in segments that may have been less than stellar, the music for the most part is still successfully implemented.  I'm not going to discuss things in great detail as I've already somewhat discussed the music above, but I will say that you certainly won't be disappointed with the aural qualities of this flick.

My Favorite Scene

Choosing my favorite scene is a tough call as there are three stand-outs to me -- All the Cats Join In, Johnny Fedora and Alice Blue Bonnet, and The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met.  The latter two tell a story while the first is a bit more minimalist, but still utterly successful.  As I mentioned above, I've loved All the Cats Join In since I was a kid because of its animation style, but The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met was a treat as I wasn't quite as familiar with it so its "newness" was refreshing.

Random Thoughts

• After the opening title song, there's a Hidden Mickey that appears onscreen.
• There's some risque animation in the "All the Cats Join In" segment that's certainly surprising (as seen above).  I'm wondering whether a slow frame by frame inspection would reveal any nudity.  Apparently, the animator who headed this segment was well known for his drawings of nude women so it wouldn't surprise me.
• In Casey at the Bat, the title character is named "the Sinatra of 1902."
• You don't often hear the word "ichthyology," let alone have it be rhymed in a song as it is in the film's final segment. 

Final Analysis

(Does It Belong in the Revered Disney Pantheon and How Does It Stack Up to Past Films?)

I'm not quite sure any of these "compilation films" will ever find a place in the revered pantheon simply because they're not telling a full story, but Make Mine Music is the best of them so far.  While it's nowhere near perfect seeing as how there are several segments that bring the film to a halt, the shorts that work are fantastic.  I found the animation here to be quite impressive as well which certainly helps the overall aesthetic.  Unfortunately, as is inherently the case with these flicks, the shorts vary in storytelling quality and the animators' attempts to go "intellectual" in certain shorts pales in comparison with the whimsy that is present in the other segments.  Still, if you've never seen Make Mine Music, it's absolutely worth checking out.

The RyMickey Rating: C

Join us next Wednesday for Fun and Fancy Free, the ninth film in The Disney Discussion.