Melody Time is Walt Disney’s 10th Animated Classic. It premiered in 1948 and once again clocks in at just over an hour. As with the other compilation/package films, I found that I enjoyed some of the segments while others I could very much live without. On a whole, I found the film rather forgettable… None of the segments particularly warmed my heart or tickled my funny bone. (Well, except maybe one... but we'll get to that later.) Nevertheless, it's part of this journey so we will soldier through!
Melody Time is comprised of seven segments/shorts. The artistic segments include: “Bumble Boogie” (involves a bumble bee, trumpeting flowers, and villainous piano keys, “Trees” (<cricket, cricket> I got nothing... but there was a tree in it…), and “Blame it on the Samba” (once again features Donald Duck and Jose Carioca, but I feel like we’ve very much been there, done that between Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros).
Three of the segments told a story, and those I found much more watchable. First up, we have "Johnny Appleseed"- the beloved tale of an apple farmer who heads west, planting apple trees as he goes and befriending the woodland creatures. The second story segment was "Little Toot"- the story of a little tugboat who dreams of growing up and working hard like his dad but ends up in all sorts of trouble instead. The Andrews Sisters once again provided the vocals; however the story is not as lovely as "Johnny Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet." The film ends with a cowboy story about "Pecos Bill." As with most cowboy stories, it is not a happily-ever-after sort of tale. I found this story engaging, but I did not like the ending.
My favorite segment from Melody Time is "Once Upon a Wintertime." This is the only segment that I have seen previously as it was part of a Disney Christmas videocassette compilation movie that I had growing up. This short is cute, funny, and heart-warming. It follows a young couple's wintry ice-skating excursion that doesn't turn out quite as expected... but all's well in the end. (Good endings and great stories go rather hand-in-hand for me.)
This week I find it fitting to leave you with the words of Johnny Appleseed's song. (Growing up, this is one of the prayers I would sing before mealtimes with my family.):
Oh, the Lord is good to me,
And so I thank the Lord
For giving me the things I need
The sun and the rain and the apple seed.
The Lord is good to me!
Thanks for sticking with me through this journey!
Coming Up Next Week: The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
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