Melody Time
Year: 1948
Director: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Jack Kinney & Hamilton Luske
Starring: Roy Rogers
Runtime: 75 mins
BBFC: U
Published: 22/02/21
Director: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Jack Kinney & Hamilton Luske
Starring: Roy Rogers
Runtime: 75 mins
BBFC: U
Published: 22/02/21
If you’ve read my review of Make Mine Music, you’ll know that I thought the film was of very mixed quality, with some sections that were fantastic, and others that were very forgettable. Much the same can be said for Melody Time, Disney’s penultimate film of the package Wartime Era.
Melody Time, like Make Mine Music before it, is a collection of shorts that similar to Fantasia have been animated to for the purpose of being fit to a particular song. Unlike the previous two, Melody time is much more concerned about the vocal performances of the songs, and the lyrics contained within. These songs often tell the story and are the heartbeat of the entire short, without the lyrics the whole thing would come tumbling down.
Generally, these shorts are of good quality and it’s much more consistent than Make Mine Music was.
My personal favourite short is the first one, 'Once Upon A Wintertime'. I recall having seen it before, perhaps at the end of one of my old Disney VHS tapes. But it tells the story of two people and two rabbits who dance together on a frozen lake. It’s a beautiful animation to watch and the song is lovely to listen to. Especially at this cold time of year, it was strangely comforting and warming. The following two shorts, 'Bumble Boogie', and 'The Legend of Johnny Appleseed' are also strong entries, making the opening half of the film very enjoyable indeed.
Melody Time, like Make Mine Music before it, is a collection of shorts that similar to Fantasia have been animated to for the purpose of being fit to a particular song. Unlike the previous two, Melody time is much more concerned about the vocal performances of the songs, and the lyrics contained within. These songs often tell the story and are the heartbeat of the entire short, without the lyrics the whole thing would come tumbling down.
Generally, these shorts are of good quality and it’s much more consistent than Make Mine Music was.
My personal favourite short is the first one, 'Once Upon A Wintertime'. I recall having seen it before, perhaps at the end of one of my old Disney VHS tapes. But it tells the story of two people and two rabbits who dance together on a frozen lake. It’s a beautiful animation to watch and the song is lovely to listen to. Especially at this cold time of year, it was strangely comforting and warming. The following two shorts, 'Bumble Boogie', and 'The Legend of Johnny Appleseed' are also strong entries, making the opening half of the film very enjoyable indeed.
The fourth and seventh shorts are a bit more middling in quality. There’s nothing inherently wrong with them (aside from the seventh and final short, 'Pecos Bill', is a little bit too long), but they just aren’t as overall enjoyable, funny, or interesting to watch as the first three shorts.
Segments five and six, 'Trees' and 'Blame it on the Samba', are just outright dull and really bring down the overall quality of the picture. Luckily, they’re both relatively short, but it seems that Disney simply couldn’t get enough of Jose Carioca during the Wartime Era and needed to put him in wherever they could, despite him not being an overly interesting character.
On the whole Melody Time is definitely better than Make Mine Music, but still a film I highly doubt I will return to. If you’re interested in watching it then I’m sure you’ll really enjoy the opening three segments, but from then on it’ll entirely depend on how much you like Jose Carioca or cowboys.
Segments five and six, 'Trees' and 'Blame it on the Samba', are just outright dull and really bring down the overall quality of the picture. Luckily, they’re both relatively short, but it seems that Disney simply couldn’t get enough of Jose Carioca during the Wartime Era and needed to put him in wherever they could, despite him not being an overly interesting character.
On the whole Melody Time is definitely better than Make Mine Music, but still a film I highly doubt I will return to. If you’re interested in watching it then I’m sure you’ll really enjoy the opening three segments, but from then on it’ll entirely depend on how much you like Jose Carioca or cowboys.